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What is your 'Most Annoying Medical admissions Interview...ever!'?

Medical admissions interviews inspire fear into even the most courageous of applicants. Despite hours preparing, one must acknowledge that the people who sit in front of you for about fifteen minutes influence the applicantion process more than anything else. Having had several medical interviews myself, I know the frustration when you feel you could had done much better if the interviewers were more professional and did their job properly. Does anyone have an experience they care to share?
(edited 11 years ago)

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Reply 1
No... Maybe I'm lucky, but all of my interviewers were very professional. There was one interviewer at Manchester who was very blatantly rude during the MMI, but us candidates discussed it afterwards and agreed that it must have been to pressure us.
Original post by nitj
Medical admissions interviews inspire fear into even the most courageous of applicants. Despite hours preparing, one must acknowledge that the people who sit in front of you for about fifteen minutes influence the applicantion process more than anything else. Having had several medical interviews myself, I know the frustration when you feel you could had done much better if the interviewers were less idiotic. Does anyone have an experience they care to share?


All of mine were really nice, but I did hear of someone being asked 'why are your GCSEs so s**t'. Not sure how true that is though...
Reply 3
I got asked flat out why the hell I was applying to a UK school as opposed to Canada. Good thing I had prepared for it.
Reply 4
I've only ever had one so I can't really compare it to anything, but it was quite straight forward IMO.
In was asked why did I think I knew anything about medicine even though I'd quite obviously not bothered getting work experience.

That was nice of him :rolleyes:
This Chinese doctor walked me from the waiting room to the interview room, and whilst he was walking me down he was being really nice and asking how the tour was etc. Then the interview starts, and first is a transplant surgeon asking me questions and he's really nice and encouraging. He said some of my answers were very good and I was thinking outside the box, and they were pretty standard questions as well tbh. Then it's the Chinese doctors turn and I think to myself "oh, this guy seemed really nice, I'll just ace his questions and then I'm in-jobs a good 'un". But he jumps straight in:
"How would you persuade a fellow Muslim that the theory of evolution is correct?
"Ermm.. scientific evidence and stuff...?"
"Like what?"
"Fossil records and genome comparisons"
"And?"
"Sorry, I don't know"
"Hmm..ok, let's move on. You must have been asleep in your Biology lessons!"
*nervous laugh* "Haha, yeah that's right" (I started laughing very hard at his joke which I didn't find funny)
"Ok, so your friend has the answers for your medical final exam what would you do?"
*Give an answer talking about integrity and professionalism yet compassion and love for my colleague, and how I would not look at the answers*
"But reeallly?...Are you sure you wouldn't have a look?"
"Yes, I definitely wouldn't"
"Really? I'm sure if I was a medical student, I'd have a hard time not looking"
"To be honest, in the situation I might be tempted to have a good look through the answers"
"That's not very good is it?! What happened to honesty?"

Seriously, I think he found it funny to toy with me like that :tongue:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by .eXe
I got asked flat out why the hell I was applying to a UK school as opposed to Canada. Good thing I had prepared for it.


Why did you? I've read a lot about Canadian and American schools practically requiring you to be a postgrad. How utterly retarded.

But yeah, my Glasgow one was probably the most tense. They were running an hour late and my interview lasted (literally!) 7 minutes. Aberdeen was chilled because I wasn't too keen on going there, so I felt like I relaxed in it a little more. Dundee was great fun with the MMI format, I really got into the scenarios!
Reply 8
Original post by Happydude
Why did you? I've read a lot about Canadian and American schools practically requiring you to be a postgrad. How utterly retarded.

But yeah, my Glasgow one was probably the most tense. They were running an hour late and my interview lasted (literally!) 7 minutes. Aberdeen was chilled because I wasn't too keen on going there, so I felt like I relaxed in it a little more. Dundee was great fun with the MMI format, I really got into the scenarios!


A number of reasons won't bother to type everything out here but in short the english medical system appeals to me much more than North american healthcare. and, considering i already had an offer from a canadian school, i had pretty much made up my mind that i wanted to explore an opportunity i really wanted as opposed to settle for a system i don't want to practice in.
Reply 9
Original post by .eXe
A number of reasons won't bother to type everything out here but in short the english medical system appeals to me much more than North american healthcare. and, considering i already had an offer from a canadian school, i had pretty much made up my mind that i wanted to explore an opportunity i really wanted as opposed to settle for a system i don't want to practice in.


I know the American healthcare system is a vile and disgusting creature, but I thought the Canadian system was similar to the NHS?
Reply 10
Original post by Happydude
I know the American healthcare system is a vile and disgusting creature, but I thought the Canadian system was similar to the NHS?


It is, but its not sustainable in the long-term. Over the 7 years I've been in it, all I have seen is deterioration, waste of money, high wait times, physician shortages, and it honestly doesn't even fully live up to its central value of "universality". The OECD consistently ranks canada as one of the worse health systems on many standards (a major one is doctor to patient ratio)

Not saying that the NHS doesn't have flaws...no system is perfect however in practice (in terms of clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, overall satisfaction scores, etc) the NHS does come out to be the superior system.

But all in all, who knows. Once I graduate, the laws for internationals might be different and I fully expect to get kick out of the UK upon graduation. I just might end up back in Canada lol. It's all dependent on Cameron's (or his successor's) hands
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 11
Embarrassing the hell out of myself at my cambridge interview, I think the interviewer texting during the interview contributed a bit to that :s-smilie:
Reply 12
Original post by nitj
Medical admissions interviews inspire fear into even the most courageous of applicants. Despite hours preparing, one must acknowledge that the people who sit in front of you for about fifteen minutes influence the applicantion process more than anything else. Having had several medical interviews myself, I know the frustration when you feel you could had done much better if the interviewers were less idiotic. Does anyone have an experience they care to share?


Given that they are almost all qualified doctors, and often have been working in academia and/or medical admissions for several years, and you are an applicant who wasn't able to answer their questions, who do you think is more likely to be being idiotic?
Original post by Groperson
Embarrassing the hell out of myself at my cambridge interview, I think the interviewer texting during the interview contributed a bit to that :s-smilie:


I've never been in this situation, for future reference I'm going to ask, my response would be to ask for his attention because we're talking about my future. Anyone think this'd reflect poorly on me? I'd hate for them to see me as rude. :tongue:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 14
Original post by Helenia
Given that they are almost all qualified doctors, and often have been working in academia and/or medical admissions for several years, and you are an applicant who wasn't able to answer their questions, who do you think is more likely to be being idiotic?


hahaha, yes fair enough. Maybe the problem is that they are doctors - i.e. they have busy lives and are smart enough to know that all the answers candidates like me give them are just prepared beforehand. Btw, I never said I could'nt anwer their questions - it just annoys me when they yawn, don't make eye contact, keep checking their watches every minute and act disinterested etc. The doctors in the interivew panel are usually asked by the admissions people whether they want to be interviewers - I just think that they shouldn't say yes and spend the day venting their frustration at innocent and terrified candidates.
Original post by .eXe
It is, but its not sustainable in the long-term. Over the 7 years I've been in it, all I have seen is deterioration, waste of money, high wait times, physician shortages, and it honestly doesn't even fully live up to its central value of "universality". The OECD consistently ranks canada as one of the worse health systems on many standards (a major one is doctor to patient ratio)

Not saying that the NHS doesn't have flaws...no system is perfect however in practice (in terms of clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, overall satisfaction scores, etc) the NHS does come out to be the superior system.

But all in all, who knows. Once I graduate, the laws for internationals might be different and I fully expect to get kick out of the UK upon graduation. I just might end up back in Canada lol. It's all dependent on Cameron's (or his successor's) hands


Doesn't it bother you that postgrad training in the UK is closed to international grads beyond foundation, and that the success rate for IMGs returning to Canada is relatively low/limited?
Reply 16
Original post by theatrical
Doesn't it bother you that postgrad training in the UK is closed to international grads beyond foundation, and that the success rate for IMGs returning to Canada is relatively low/limited?


To a level it does, and certainly by the time I graduate I expect things to be much worse. But I think of it as a calculated risk. Provided medical school goes well, I'll write both Canadian and US exams just in case as my fall backs, in case UK literally tells me to screw off the day I graduate.

I do have a strong set of references back in Canada, many of whom have offered to take me on as a resident should I decide to return to Canada (and do half decent on the exams). Further, I think that since I already have an undergrad degree, and plan to intercalate into a masters at some point, I hope my credentials will be of sufficient strength to make me competitive in Canada. Ultimately, it's a large risk and I am aware of that, but as I said, it's a calculated risk. Barring some major and drastic changes for IMGs in Canada and the US, I am confident that I'll be able to secure a residency position.

Ideally though, I'd love to remain in the UK. Hopefully someday I can achieve that goal.
Reply 17
I had a good cop-bored cop situation at my Glasgow interview ha! The "bored cop" checked his iphone about 5/6 times, stared out of the window and didn't ask me a single question.. But I got an offer so he must have been paying some attention to my answers.. Or not! :wink:
Reply 18
Original post by Hype en Ecosse
I've never been in this situation, for future reference I'm going to ask, my response would be to ask for his attention because we're talking about my future. Anyone think this'd reflect poorly on me? I'd hate for them to see me as rude. :tongue:


That would be both rude and arrogant. It is rude of them to be texting/checking their phone, but you trying to play them at their game would almost certainly not go well. Suck it up and be polite.
Original post by Hype en Ecosse
I've never been in this situation, for future reference I'm going to ask, my response would be to ask for his attention because we're talking about my future. Anyone think this'd reflect poorly on me? I'd hate for them to see me as rude. :tongue:


Original post by Helenia
That would be both rude and arrogant. It is rude of them to be texting/checking their phone, but you trying to play them at their game would almost certainly not go well. Suck it up and be polite.


I don't know Helenia, I think that if it was approached carefully and politely then it might not seem at all arrogant, and certainly not rude. It is his future on the line, and he might have to have paid quite a lot to travel to the interview and it's just plain rude of interviewers to blatantly ignore a candidate.

On the other hand, it could even sound good; it shows determination, assertiveness and confidence, all of which a doctor needs. All my opinion, of course. :yy:

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