You get only one chance to get it right. For a small price, we are here to help make it your best attempt. If you would need help with detailed responses to any of these questions or responses based on your specialty, please feel free to contact us!
Interviews are usually divided into 3 stations. Each station might last up to 10 minutes on an average. There are usually 2 interviewers per station and score independently.
Station 1 usually deals with portfolio information: Please read below for relevant questions. This is relatively straight forward as you are intimate with parts of your portfolio. This is replaced in most of the recent interviews to reflect your committment to specialty and related questions.
Station 2 deals with a clinical scenario. These are usually pitched at the level of your training and there is no hidden agenda. You must show that your response is structured, systematic and logical. Even if you are not up to date with the latest evidence related to the question, a sensible response is expected.
Station 3 usually has an ethical scenario, and might enquire about your teaching, leadership etc skills as well. This section has also been modified in the recent interviews to include a clinical presentation of your choice usually lasting 5 minutes and another 5 minutes for questions. The choice of topic is upto the candidate, might include case presentations, literature review, clinical audits etc. Please contact us if you need further guidance on this section, this section has the maximum potential to earn the top marks from both the interviewers!
Questions about the post/Specialty
Why this post? why this specialty? Good things and bad things about this specialty, what work have you done towards this specialty, what are the challenges facing this specialty, what qualities in you suit this specialty etc
Why this deanery?
How are you different from the other candidates, why should that job be given to you etc?
Stress management: how do you recognize you are under stress, what are your coping mechanisms, how will you help a stressed colleague etc
Your hobbies, how do they help this job?
EWTD and its implications on clinical training
Importance of General (acute) medicine versus specialty training
How to Answer: You need to expect such a question at the interview and a quick response without much of a pause is not inappropriate for questions about why you chose that job/specialty, as the interviewer expects you to know this well. You might include any psychometric tests you have used to help your decision (but over-reliance on these tests is not advocated as there is variability in their validity and reliability, they only help in understanding yourself and no way are definitive predictors of a successful career choice, another option is ROADS approach). Questions which need your understanding issues affecting NHS/training/street management etc, pausing before you respond is perfectly acceptable and rather expected!
Questions about you as a person
How do you handle criticisms against you?
How do you indentify your training needs? what you need learn most in the next one/two years
How would your friend or colleague describe you in 3 (few) words
Personal strengths and weaknesses
What are your career aspirations, where do you see yourself in few years etc?
If you were to start your career again, what would you change?
Most interesting case you have been involved with recently (learning principles are evaluated here)
Worst case you have been involved with recently (learning principles are evaluated here)
Recent mistake
How to Answer: About your strengths and weakness- you need to prepare answers in advance so as not to blurt out any major weakness (against GMC principles and making you a suspect doctor!, but there are measures in place to pick out such doctors). Please use specific examples or situations to explain your points rather than just using few words describing yourself. Please do not try to sneak in a positive point as a weakness, interviewers are usually experienced clinicians and this would not make a good impression, all of us have weaknesses and they expect you to show insight in to these!
Organizational skills (both inside and outside medicine) - how are they useful to this post
How to Answer: When answering such questions enquiring on your organizational or leadership skills, it is important that you give examples relevant to your stage of training. Nothing extraordinary is expected here.
Communication skills and Ethics at work
Breaking bad news
Obtaining informed consent
Conflict management: disagreement with a colleague, patient, with a manager etc
Difficult colleague- colleague (junior or your registrar/consultant) with a drink problem, colleague using or in possession of class A/B/C drugs (you need to know them) especially when they are at work, colleague does not want to treat a person because of their religious convictions/patient being a criminal/ patient of different skin colour or country, colleague often coming late to work, colleague stealing form hospital (e.g. Stationery) etc
Whistle blowing
Complaints – how you dealt with them
Root cause analysis- what is it?
Examples of your communication skills questions: situation where your communication made a difference to management of patient, example where your communication failed or you did not communicate appropriately, situation when patient disagreed with your management etc
(It’s crucial you understand what they are looking for here- your! learning methods)
Your skills as a good communicator
Abusive patient (you need to know your trust protocols)
Colleague examining patient inappropriately, offering incorrect treatment and placing patient at risk
Inadequate training provided in your post- consultant not helpful, how you manage this situation
Principles of ethics: Respect for autonomy, Beneficence, Non maleficence, Justice
Tips on how to answer this section:
If it is a clinical mistake or error type situation- give a brief description of the situation, what was your role, why you did what you did?, any stressors or situation that might have led to it, what feedbacks your received from colleagues and patient, what was your reflection and what remedial action you took.
If it is particularly targeting your communication skill: example agitated relative, abusive patient etc, you need to show how you remained calm, how you elicited specific concerns of the patient and how you reassured the patient, what extra measures you took to ensure patients concerns are death with etc. This shows you understand the principles of effective communication and also as a conscientious doctor you put effort to deal with the patient's concerns.
Ethical scenarios are always difficult to answer. Acknowledging this and making sure you answer taking both clinician and patient perspective is important. Make sure you do not sound much indecisive though.
NHS related questions
NHS plan 2000, Modernization, important reforms and targets set every year- You need to know only the salient targets like trolley wait times etc
Clinical Governance- Definition, 7 components of clinical governance, applicability to your post, examples and your involvement, problems in implementation, etc
Clinical risk management- your understanding of it, examples and what was your role etc. They might throw several scenarios at you and ask how you deal with them. Near miss incident, what happens to critical incident form once you have submitted it? Etc
NICE- role of NICE, applicability to your specialty, you might need to know some of the guidelines especially for ST3 and registrar level posts
NPSA- its role, recent publications and reports, applicability to your specialty
Clinical Audit- Definition, its role in improving clinical services, cyclical process, your own involvement, discuss your audit and changes to the service as a result
Foundation trusts: what are they, advantages, disadvantages, financial repercussions etc?
Decentralization: Arguments for and against, implementation, applicability to your services
Primary care reforms: what are they, how have they changed patient care in the community, impact on secondary care etc
Revalidation: timeline, how it affects every doctor, safe guards in place, what are the advantages and disadvantages- it’s not a closed chapter! Also you are expected to understand assessment and appraisal processes
NPfIT: Important to know the impact on NHS and services, patient records and confidentiality, safety of data, current applications already in clinical service, financial implications etc
Payment by Results: it’s already in place, what is PbyR, how does your trust plan services, how does it impact you- especially for ST3/registrar level posts
Choose & Book: what is it, how does it affect your specialty.
Commissioning: (Practice based commissioning) what is it, how are your trusts paid and what services are considered for commissioning, etc.
Performance Indicators: What are they, what are its components, what are your current trust’s dashboard figures, ratings of different trusts in your region, etc
DOH important targets like trolley wait times, two week cancer referrals etc.
Tips on how to answer this section:
You are not expected to have in-depth understanding of these issues, but relevant to your level of training. Please read relevant sections of DoH website, BMJ careers, speak with your consultant etc.
Research
Why is it important
Should every doctor involve in research
Research in lab versus clinical research
Translational research
Role of research in DGH setting
DGH versus tertiary centre clinical research
How to obtain funding for research, problems associated with funding
Research ethics
Research risk management
Phases of clinical trials
Problems with conducting clinical research
Clinical audit versus research
MMC , ACF, NIHR- Invention à Evaluation à Adoption à Diffusion concept
Research and job prospects
Research in medical education, primary care, social care etc
Qualities of a good researcher
Are your skills up to date whilst you were on research? etc
Tips on how to answer this section:
You need to have some understanding of the importance of research to every post, please refer to our 'Resources' section. Contact us if you need further help.
Evidence based medicine
What is EBM?
Why is it important
Levels of evidence
Problems with guidelines
Guidelines versus protocols
Your involvement in EBM - give examples
NICE guidelines and EBM- example if you are unable to provide a certain treatment due to NICE guidelines, how do you explain this to patient.
Critical analysis
Tips on how to answer this section:
Most of the data is easily available on the internet and in your hospital library. We are more than happy to help with your responses related to problems with research, critical analysis etc.
Teaching and learning
Understanding various methods of teaching and learning in clinical context, especially with the changing NHS, how does this affect teachers and learners?
The learning environment- how to create, outpatients, ward rounds, dedicated time table, patient involvement etc
The education versus training debate, especially with EWTD and shortened hours
Competency based learning
Critical incident or significant event based reflective learning
Problem based and Case based learning
Discussion techniques- Brain storming, Buzz groups, Fish bowls, Role playing, Cross Overs etc
Other learning methods in clinical setting: rehearsal, feedback and reflective practice
Teaching methods: lectures, small group teaching methods, seminars, tutorials, and computer based teaching and learning, etc
Your experience in teaching
What methods have you employed, what feedback did you receive etc
Qualities of a good teacher
Advantages to you by teaching others
Tips on how to answer this section:
You might have been offered some generic training sessions. If you would like more targeted responses, please do contact us.
Team Working and Leadership
What is a team?
Characteristics of an effective team
Stages of team development
Your experience of team work, examples
What was your role in a team- E.g.: Resource investigator, implementer etc
What are the attributes of a good leader?
What are the differences between leadership and management?
Your experience of leadership- both in medical and non-medical fields
How would you motivate your team, how do you give positive or negative feedback- examples, give examples of situations where you showed initiative.
Tips on how to answer this section:
If you would like material related in teaching at workplace or further help, please contact us.
Other general questions:
Health care associated infections- its implications on patient care, how to minimise them, DoH targets on MRSA bacteremia, C. Difficile infection etc
Important advances in NHS over last few years
Qualities of a good consultant, of a good doctor, what skills you have that make you a good doctor or a good trainee etc
Expanding role of nurses- especially your specialty- what are your views?
NSF affecting your specialty- for ST3 level interviews usually
Homework to do before the interview
Starting and ending the interview
Body language
Questions to ask at the end
