Interview Questions..

We have carefully constructed a set of questions to prepare you for your interview. Attempt to answer the question before revealing the answer.

Motivation

  • You could talk about:

    • a unique experience that drew you to medicine (STARR approach)

    • why specifically you want to apply to medicine as opposed to other degrees such as nursing: (medicine is more focused on the body and you get to learn about a lot in detail, more opportunities to get involved in research, doctors have ultimate say in care plan, etc.)

    • that you understand it is a really intense course (but learning is beneficial to your mental health)

  • You could talk about:

    • the fact they are both overseen by the GMC

    • physician associates are limited in the care they can provide (they cannot prescribe or order radiation intervention such as x-rays)

    • physician associates have a shorter training program and can change specialities quicker (but then make a link to why you want to specifically study medicine)

  • You could talk about:

    • one of your unique experiences

    • there are probably many tasks doctors must complete on a daily basis

    • any changes to treatment plan but be made using care and must be documented properly to ensure that the next doctor can take over if needs be

    • the stresses of working as a doctor but how you are prepared to overcome them

  • You could talk about:

    • a soft weakness of yours AND what you have done/ are doing in order to overcome it (go into detail and explain how that have positively impacted your studies/life)

    • the importance of reflection in medicine (E.g. If doctors don't reflect on mistakes then there could be a continued risk to patient safety)

    • how you are willing to develop this skill further in medical school

  • You could talk about:

    • if university is in a diverse area how that would benefit you clinically as you would see certain illnesses present in different ways in different people

    • societies/ clubs in the university which interest you

    • achievements of the university which interest you

    • research of the university that interest you

  • You could talk about:

    • the fact you are aware of the stresses of medicine (opportunity to link to work experience)

    • what you currently do in your free time and how you plan to continue to do it

    • link to beneficence - switching off allows you to be in the correct headspace when making decisions as a doctor

    • link to non-maleficence - without switching off, doctors risk burning out which can increase the chance of them making a mistake

    • link to justice - you must treat all patients equally, ensuring you are well rested could help with that

    • link to patient safety - with increased risk of burn out, doctors could make fatal mistakes which could compromise patient safety

    Note: This question is an AMAZING opportunity to allow you to showcase yourself outside academia. You can talk about anything. Use this question to show some character and let them get to know you.

    For example, instead of saying you listen to music in your free time, mention a specific genre or even artist, this shows that you are confident.

  • You could talk about:

    • an event which you struggled to overcome AND how you overcame it

    • how doctors shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if being overwhelmed as ultimately they could be compromising patient safety otherwise (you could then go on to talk about resilience)

    • how it is natural to make mistakes and that all doctors make them, what's important is how they then reflect on them and bring about change to ensure it doesn't happen again. This can then be linked to beneficence & non-maleficence

Ethics & More

  • You could talk about:

    • risk of rejection even if surgery is completed

    • patient will be on anti-rejection medication for the rest of their life (this reduces quality of life and also is an additional expense)

    • more people would benefit from the hip replacements

    • people with hip replacements can then go back to work and will pay taxes (more money back into the NHS)

    • empathy towards people who need hip replacements as they are in chronic pain

    • staff can be trained when performing the hip replacements

    • acknowledge this is a difficult decision and you might need to discuss it with other people

    • link to ethical pillars for each side

    For this question you must make a balanced argument for each side before coming to a conclusion. Only once you have made the balanced argument may you state your opinion.

  • You could talk about:

    • effect on patients from doctor strikes (non-maleficence)

    • doctors have the right to strike

    • if doctors didn't strike and continued there could be a risk for their mental health. This can then affect their decision making which could compromise patient safety or cause them to leave the system.

  • You could talk about:

    • the daughter could be assessed for gillick's competence to see if she has capacity and is able to consent for treatment (you could also define what capacity is which is the ability to understand and retain information regarding a treatment plan)

    • appreciate how this is a time sensitive situation

    • the possibility that the daughter is in A&E because her mother is refusing to give her medication, this could be a further safeguarding issue

    • managing mothers ideas, concerns and expectations

    • talking with her mother to see if she understands what the implications are

    • once situation is over, refer mother to group where she can discuss treatment with other people in similar situations with her

    • the daughter has the right to have a say in her treatment (autonomy)

  • You could talk about:

    • building a rapport between the you and the girl so you can build trust, this could cause her to open up more and could help with assessment

    • assessing for gillick's competence

    • ensuring there is no further safeguarding issue (ensuring the contact was consensual and she is safe)

    • link to beneficence - if you prescribe the girl will receive the treatment she needs

    • link to non-maleficence - if you don't prescribe the child might not be wanted and might not be looked after properly

    • educating the girl on ways in which she can protect herself to avoid future similar situations

  • You could talk about:

    • beneficence - if we treat them, their quality of life will be improved

    • non-maleficence - if we don't, patient could become terminal and pass away

    • justice - we must treat all patient equally

    • drinking is self-inflicted

    • there are people with liver failure for reasons which are out of their control

    • alcoholics are likely to start drinking after liver transplant and they could require further livers

    • money should be focused on prevention than treatment as it is cheaper

  • You could talk about:

    • what AI is and current uses of it within healthcare (remote monitoring, surgical robots, cancer screening, etc)

    • link to ethical pillars (beneficence, non-maleficence, etc.)

    • how it should be used to complement the role of a doctor, not replace it. If doctors spend less time doing admin work, they can see more patients.

    • you could mention an instance when AI was not used properly (Babylon Health is a good example)

  • You could talk about:

    • autism is a spectrum and might not affect individuals to the point they cannot make decisions

    • benefit of a diverse staff group (autistic patients could relate to doctor and trust them more which can mean we can find out more information and create a more accurate treatment plan, you can then link this to the ethical pillars)

    • appreciate you might not be qualified to make such a call and that you'd need to consult other colleagues

    Make sure to come to a conclusion at the end and state your own opinion.