Medical School Interview One- Feedback 1. What aspects of being a doctor are you looking forward to most?

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Please insert comments in the box below: You gave a clear and succinct answer about the satisfaction you would gain from treating ill patients. However, this question was the chance to show us how passionate and excited you are by a career in medicine which could have come across a bit better in your answer to this particular question. You did not fall into the trap of talking about money, status and career advancement so well done. You could have also use this as an opportunity to show that you realise that medicine will indeed be challenging but that you are looking forward to the challenge. This would help you to show your enthusiasm too. And would make for a great first impression in your interview.

2. Why do you not want to do medical research instead of becoming a doctor? Score:

Please insert comments in the box below: This answer was very good. You effectively got across your desire to care for and work with patients and the satisfaction you would gain from interacting with patients, diagnosing them and implementing management plans. You could have said more to acknowledge the very important role that biomedical scientists play in developing the treatments that doctors are able to prescribe- you could even argue that they have a greater impact on patient care! However you did acknowledge that as a biomedical scientist you would be able to fulfil your scientific curiosity so you were able to use this question to demonstrate your interest in science.

3. What do you do to de-stress? Score:

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You gave a reasonable example of the types of things you do to relax in your spare time, however some of these did not sound particularly relaxing! You could have further improved your answer by demonstrating that you understand why being able to relax in your spare time is important- i.e. that medicine can be quite demanding and stressful at times. You could have also shown how you intend to use these methods of relaxation in your medical career, both during and after medical school.

4. What makes you stand out amongst all the other candidates we have applying for a place?

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You were able to link this question to the previous question by illustrating how you think you have some of the desired qualities of doctor. You used good examples of your voluntary and extracurricular activities to demonstrate these. You could have also talked about what kind of contribution you would make to medical school life, for example through extracurricular activities and mentioning the societies you would like to join. You appeared to be slightly embarrassed by this question however you could get round this by acknowledging that whilst there are lots of very well qualified candidates you believe, and have evidence to demonstrate, you have the qualities required to be a good doctor.

5. Should doctors support Assisted Dying? Score:

Please insert comments in the box below: Whilst you had clearly read more about the ethical issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted dying than you had the junior doctor contract, you were not able to reach a balanced conclusion- perhaps because you could only come up with one or two key arguments and therefore could not say where the weight of the argument lay. You were clearly thrown by the previous question and seemed like you had more to say about assisted dying but unfortunately you let the last question affect how you answered this question.

6. Do you think empathy is important for doctors? Score:

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You were able to give arguments both for and against doctors having empathy for their patients. However, your answer would have benefitted from a concluding statement as it seemed a bit like you were sitting on the fence and you did not seem confident in the answers you were giving. You need to make sure you are able to come to a balanced conclusion in addition to putting forward the arguments both for and against.

7. Do you think the Department of Health’s plan to impose the new junior doctor contact will have an effect on the number of people applying to medicine? Score:

Please insert comments in the box below: Unfortunately, it was clear that you had not done much research into this area. You also did not demonstrate any curiosity to find out more about this. As your main future employer, it is important to have some knowledge of the NHS and the current challenges it faces. You were therefore then unable to form an opinion on whether this would have an effect on people applying to medicine. Try looking at the BBC Health website and speaking to doctors and medical students about these types of issues and how they affect the practise of doctors.

8. Tell me about a time when you have been placed under pressure. How did you cope with that? Score:

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You were able to come up with a reasonable example, however it was not entirely clear what techniques you employed to deal with that pressure. You seemed reluctant to admit that there had been a time when you felt under pressure. You talked about how you dealt with the pressure in a general sense but you had already told us about the activities you do to relax, you could have talked more about how you dealt with the pressure in the immediate term. To further improve your answer, you need to relate this back to medicine and being a doctor, how you may face similar challenges in your future medical career and how you have the stress management techniques to meet them.

9. What do you think are the most important qualities needed to be a good doctor? Score:

Please insert comments in the box below: Well done. You have clearly reflected well on what you think are the key qualities of a doctor. You were able to give reasonable examples of key attributes such as good communication skills and teamwork. You were then able to back up your opinions well, by using examples of attributes you had observed whilst on work experience. However, your answer could be improved by relating these qualities back to how they improve patient care which is ultimately what all doctors strive to achieve-the best possible care for their patients. You presented your points clearly and effectively, however to structure your answer better you could have talked about the different qualities in order of importance.

Overall Comments: Overall this was a good interview. Your main areas for improvement are on your knowledge of ethics and NHS current affairs. We would therefore recommend that you do a bit more research into these areas to ensure you are not caught off guard when asked these types of questions in your real interview. Although a nerve wracking experience, it is important to keep calm, particularly when faced with questions you may not have been expecting. You were able to express your ideas clearly and used appropriate language. Your answers were in the main well structured. Your body language was open. The interviewers want to see that you are passionate about medicine so don’t be afraid to inject your answers with a bit more enthusiasm. Overall you presented yourself well. Well done.