Preparing for the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans interview

To thrive in your LSU Health Sciences Center interview, you’ll need more than textbook answers—you must demonstrate fluency in Louisiana’s complex healthcare ecosystem, from the bayous to Bourbon Street. 

This guide synthesizes policy deep dives, local current events, and insider knowledge of LSU’s mission to help you craft responses that resonate with New Orleans’ unique medical ethos.

1. The LSU-NO Interview: Structure & Hidden Priorities

LSU employs a blend of traditional one-on-one interviews and scenario-based assessments, often with a focus on community medicine.

Key details:

• Format: 2-3 interviews (30 mins each) with faculty/community physicians. No formal MMI, but expect ethical scenarios tied to Louisiana’s resource limitations.

• Themes:

  • Disaster readiness: Hurricane Ida’s 2021 impact on NOLA hospitals remains a frequent case study.

  • Rural health equity: 64% of LA parishes are federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.

  • Cultural humility: 32% of Louisianans are Black; 5% Hispanic (growing rapidly in Tangipahoa Parish).

Insider Tip: LSU prioritizes “boots-on-the-ground” problem-solving. When discussing health disparities, cite specific parishes (e.g., St. Landry’s 25% diabetes rate) rather than generic stats.

2. Louisiana’s Healthcare Policy: Where Crawfish Boils Meet Crisis

Medicaid Expansion Fallout:

1. Expanded in 2016 under Gov. Edwards, coverage grew by 500,000+ Louisianans. However, 2023 saw a 25% drop in participating PCPs—critical context for questions about access. LSU’s Ochsner Partnership now trains med students in telemedicine for rural areas like Morehouse Parish (1 PCP per 5,000 residents).

Opioid Epidemic Innovations:

2. LA has the South’s 2nd-highest overdose rate. LSU’s NORC (New Orleans Opioid Response Collaborative) deploys street medicine teams to Central City—mention their naloxone vending machines at Tulane & Broad.

Maternal Mortality:

3. Black women in LA die at 4x the rate of white women postpartum. LSU’s Birth Justice Project trains doulas in the Lower Ninth Ward—a model praised in JAMA (2023).

Tip: Reference LSU’s Louisiana Emergency Response Network when discussing disaster triage.

3. Current Events: From Cancer Alley to COVID’s Shadow

Local Flashpoints:

• Environmental Justice: The 85-mile “Cancer Alley” (St. John-St. James Parishes) sees 50x the national cancer risk. LSU’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice partners with Sunrise Movement activists—a likely ethics prompt.

• HIV Crisis: New Orleans has the South’s highest HIV incidence. LSU’s CrescentCare clinic in the French Quarter offers PrEP via mobile units—tie this to national Ending the HIV Epidemic goals.

• Mental Health: 60% of LA youth with depression go untreated. LSU’s TeleKidcare now serves 22 school districts, including hurricane-battered Terrebonne Parish.

National Issues with LA Twists:

• Abortion Access: LA’s near-total ban (2023) increased ER visits for miscarriage complications. LSU OB-GYNs published a NEJM study on delayed care at University Medical Center.

• Climate Health: Post-Ida, LSU launched a Climate Medicine Fellowship—the South’s first.

Tip: Cite LSU’s Delta Regional Authority work when discussing rural innovation.

4. The 5 Questions Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “Louisiana ranks 49th in healthcare. Design an intervention for a fishing community in Plaquemines Parish.”

2. “A patient blames their hypertension on ‘voodoo curses.’ How do you respond?”

3. “Why LSU over Tulane? How will our 3rd-year rotations at Earl K. Long prepare you?”

4. “Hurricane Katrina closed Charity Hospital. How should we prepare for the next disaster?”

5. “Describe a time you adapted to resource limitations. How does that relate to practicing here?”