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MEGATHREAD Medicine 2019 Interviews discussion

Hi, I've been invited for interviews for some of the medical schools I've applied to but I can't travel there due to costs... I know that the interviews will be conducted in an MMI style. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or experience with skype MMI interviews for medicine specifically??

are you an international student ? has the university specifically offered you a skype interview?

Reply 61

TSR George

OP

17

Original post by jessie_luke_

Hi, I've been invited for interviews for some of the medical schools I've applied to but I can't travel there due to costs... I know that the interviews will be conducted in an MMI style. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or experience with skype MMI interviews for medicine specifically??

As far as I know (I could be wrong), no UK med schools offer Skype interviews (for local students)...

Original post by claireestelle

are you an international student ? has the university specifically offered you a skype interview?

Good question!

Post originally created by ecolier.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 62

returnmigrant

21

Original post by jessie_luke_

Hi, I've been invited for interviews for some of the medical schools I've applied to but I can't travel there due to costs... I know that the interviews will be conducted in an MMI style. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or experience with skype MMI interviews for medicine specifically??

Some Unis will have travel bursaries for those with a low family income. If you cant find this on the Uni website, email and ask.
Also your school may have some 'welfare' money available - always worth asking.

The GMC requires that all Unis test all applicants for the same essential behaviours and skills. You can't do practical MMI tasks over Skype. I dont know of any Med Schools that interview via Skype.

Reply 63

meddad

18

Medic Portal seems to suggest that at least some UK Med Schools do Skype interviews. No idea if that's accuarate though - although Medic Portal have their good points, their information is not always up to date.

https://www.themedicportal.com/how-to-approach-a-skype-medicine-interview/

Reply 64

TSR George

OP

17

Original post by meddad

Medic Portal seems to suggest that at least some UK Med Schools do Skype interviews. No idea if that's accuarate though - although Medic Portal have their good points, their information is not always up to date.

https://www.themedicportal.com/how-to-approach-a-skype-medicine-interview/

Useful information, but as far as I am aware the user who posed the question is a local student, Medic Portal suggested that it's mainly for international applicants.

(In my personal opinion) I would prefer a face-to-face interview being the only form of interview (for Medicine). Because even a 30 minute MMI isn't perfect, let alone a Skype interview where the candidate is comfortable in their own environment and (shock horror!) can look up Google etc. when they are not sure!

Post originally created by ecolier.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 65

Anastasia123O

7

Cardiff offer skype interviews in Malaysia to international students

Reply 66

meddad

18

I totally agree.... and didn't realise it was a home student - they should absolutely prefer face to face.

Reply 67

A*my

15

Are the courses you pay to go on for half a day to try MMI and get feedback worth it? Has anyone been on them? Is there anything I should use to prepare instead/ as well as? Is a book sufficient practice?

Reply 68

meddad

18

Original post by A*my

Are the courses you pay to go on for half a day to try MMI and get feedback worth it? Has anyone been on them? Is there anything I should use to prepare instead/ as well as? Is a book sufficient practice?

It depends whether you can afford it. It will make you more familiar and more comfortable with the process rather than coming to it cold. You should also pick up a few useful tips on your own performance. Arguably that makes a marginal difference, but if youre borderline at interview then that could make a difference. What it doesn't do is give you a magic formula to sail through the process.

When my daughter applied for Med School we ploughed through the ISC Interview book. To be honest, in retrospect I think that was overkill for the type of interviews she attended, but it does no harm if you have time without neglecting your studies. I think that the Medic Portal page here gives a good summary of where to focus your efforts. https://www.themedicportal.com/e-learning/interview/ - even if you do use the ISC book then focus most of your efforts on those same areas.

Also practice some ethics questions https://www.themedicportal.com/e-learning/interview/ethics/ ; and look at the current challenges affecting the NHS https://www.myhealth.london.nhs.uk/help/nhs-today

I think that's the bare minimum for MMI, although some of the more intensely academic Uni's (Oxbridge etc) may differ in terms of coverage.

Just my opinion

Reply 69

GANFYD

18

Following on from @meddad's fantastic advice, I have just posted this on another thread in response to being asked what I though people should know before an interview, so thought I would repeat it here (sorry if that messes your threads up !). This was aimed at an MMI interview, but the resources hold for traditional too

The "gold standard" book to look at would be:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-Interviews-Questions-Analysed-Multiple-Mini-Interviews/dp/1905812051/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542738440&sr=1-1&keywords=isc+medicine+interview
Though I am not saying there are not others.
You should read GMC guidelines, particularly relating to ethics:
https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance
And med school guidance such as:
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/1...attributes.pdf
You should keep up to date with current healthcare issues in the news, eg
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health
https://www.nhs.uk/news/
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/?s=richard+lehman&x=0&y=0 (a blog reviewing journal articles)
You can find a wealth of information on sites such as:
https://www.themedicportal.com/appli...ool-interview/
https://www.themedicportal.com/blog/
http://student.bmj.com/student/secti...nterviews.html
https://6med.co.uk/guide/interviews/
There are many youtube videos relating to MMI questions, some of them med school specific
Read the prospectus, admission documents, anything you can find about the course and any info sent by each medical school who invites you to interview, and research the local area, both pros and cons and any possible health areas of interest.

And above all, practice. Give friends and family the lists of questions and get them to fire them at you all the time, so you get used to being put on the spot and answering under pressure. Try to find some structure to use when answering all questions so you do not ping around all over the place, and try to link answers back to your own experiences where possible.
Having said that, don't be too rehearsed: no pre-written answers and flashcards etc, just bullet points for how you might deal with ethical questions in terms of the 4 pillars, always giving both sides, but usually giving an opinion one way or another and being prepared to justify it; and how are you going to answer a "why medicine" or "why here" question?
Also be prepared for the weird and wonderful. Most med schools like to chuck in an off the wall MMI station-DO NOT PANIC. It is not about a right or wrong answer, it is about how you organise your thinking and how you cope with the unfamiliar under pressure.

Too many people think you already need to know everything for a med school interview and leap into in depth discussions of no relevance, when what is wanted is to see that you are an OK person, who can communicate, be thoughtful and reflective, is empathetic, can work as a team and wouldn't be too irritating to work with as a colleague!! You can all do that!

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and was just some quick thoughts of the top of my head, so please don't all tell me you have found much better resources! Good, use them and shine!!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 70

ahussainxo

9

Original post by mynameisno123

Hi,
i applied to manchester but havent recieved it. What did it say exactly the screenshot only showed the first bit :smile:

I haven't received one either

Reply 71

Linalolo

19

Hi guys I have made a medicine interview skype group chat. PM me if you want to join.
It is really helpful as we can all discuss and interview each other and boost each others confidence!
:smile:

Reply 72

KateBainbridge

5

Original post by A*my

Are the courses you pay to go on for half a day to try MMI and get feedback worth it? Has anyone been on them? Is there anything I should use to prepare instead/ as well as? Is a book sufficient practice?

If this is out of your budget then the tip I most commonly provide applicants with is to INTRODUCE YOURSELF when you enter the station. It goes such a long way, honest! Say "Hello my name is....." and shake the examiners hand if you feel confident enough to do so.

Personally, I used the 150 question interview revision book and there was more than enough information in there. Other than that definitely definitely make sure you are up to date with current medical news eg Charlie Gard, the effects of Brexit on the NHS, and the big ethical questions like euthanasia and organ donation!

Good luck!

Reply 73

username4358830

4

I've heard from other applicants and seen from practice MMI questions that we may need to know some medical information before interview. I've seen questions analysing graphs about the blood sugar of diabetics and non-diabetics, questions asking you to analyse a NEWS score sheet etc. Does anybody know exactly which conditions etc we should know about?

Reply 74

meddad

18

Not for the first (or last) time I agree with @GANFYD additions to my earlier comments. The GMC guidelines and 4 pillars mentioned are particularly important. I agree entirely about the importance of practising your answers on others . Also the point about not over re-hearsing the answers (very important).

I did notice that some of the links don't work (at least for me) - possibly you need to be a member of BMJ for some. I assume the interview question book mentioned (again the link didn't work for me) is this one, although there may be others:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-Interviews-Questions-Analysed-Multiple-Mini-Interviews/dp/1905812051/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542738440&sr=1-1&keywords=isc+medicine+interview

I think a lot of the other stuff depends how much time you have alongside your studies and where you're applying. When my daughter applied, her preparation started about a year in advance of the interviews, she took her time, and she covered pretty much everything. That was probably overkill, but what it did was make her prepared for most questions that may come up. As it happens, at the 3 MMI interviews she received offers from, she wasn't asked anything about the history of medicine, about current NHS topics, about anything where wider reading of journals would have helped etc. I think the areas I mentioned previously would cover at least 90% of what she was asked - although traditional interviews may be different (I don't really know)

So if you have limited time it's important to work out what you have time to focus on. If you can't cover the exhaustive list, then tailor it accordingly to what you can manage.

Reply 75

GANFYD

18

@meddadNot for the first (or last) time I agree with GANFYD additions to my earlier comments. The GMC guidelines and 4 pillars mentioned are particularly important. I agree entirely about the importance of practising your answers on others . Also the point about not over re-hearsing the answers (very important).

I did notice that some of the links don't work (at least for me) - possibly you need to be a member of BMJ for some. I assume the interview question book mentioned (again the link didn't work for me) is this one, although there may be others:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-Int...cine+interview

I think a lot of the other stuff depends how much time you have alongside your studies and where you're applying. When my daughter applied, her preparation started about a year in advance of the interviews, she took her time, and she covered pretty much everything. That was probably overkill, but what it did was make her prepared for most questions that may come up. As it happens, at the 3 MMI interviews she received offers from, she wasn't asked anything about the history of medicine, about current NHS topics, about anything where wider reading of journals would have helped etc. I think the areas I mentioned previously would cover at least 90% of what she was asked - although traditional interviews may be different (I don't really know)

So if you have limited time it's important to work out what you have time to focus on. If you can't cover the exhaustive list, then tailor it accordingly to what you can manage.

We make a great double act!

Yes, that is the right book, I will amend my link above, I can't work my phone!

Sorry about any duff links-it is hard for me to tell what needs special access, as they all work for me!

Your lovely daughter was about the perfect medical applicant, so people don't need to worry if they are not quite there yet; my sons started preparation a week before their first interview and then "blagged it on the day" and still managed an offer or two between them.
They did have questions about current NHS hot topics and brought into the discussion a couple of articles I made them read (though don't think it was expected). They got a bit about organisation of the NHS/training, but not about history. Otherwise, all the stuff you would expect and has been listed, and for them, a lot of stuff they didn't!! And I don't think that was just due to their woefully inadequate preparation!!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 76

GANFYD

18

Original post by ch.rlottej

I've heard from other applicants and seen from practice MMI questions that we may need to know some medical information before interview. I've seen questions analysing graphs about the blood sugar of diabetics and non-diabetics, questions asking you to analyse a NEWS score sheet etc. Does anybody know exactly which conditions etc we should know about?

You don't need to know about any conditions in any detail. These will be assessing how you deal with numbers presented in an unfamiliar format, communication etc. You will be expected to describe what you are seeing, why it might be like that, what the differences, or percentage increases or similar might be and come up with some thoughts as to why that may be

Reply 77

meddad

18

Original post by ch.rlottej

I've heard from other applicants and seen from practice MMI questions that we may need to know some medical information before interview. I've seen questions analysing graphs about the blood sugar of diabetics and non-diabetics, questions asking you to analyse a NEWS score sheet etc. Does anybody know exactly which conditions etc we should know about?

This link may help https://www.themedicportal.com/how-to-do-drug-calculations/

I've never come across any questions needing prior medical knowledge, in fact some Med schools make a point of emphasising that you don't need it. Of course, the questions may be medically linked, but usually you should be able to deal with these type of questions using mathematical knowledge.

I say this with the caveat that I have no knowledge of the interview process for some of the more academically intensive Uni's (if that's the right description) like Oxbridge.

Reply 78

dmaxj

1

Hi,

If anyone is interested in having their questions answered by current medics let me know (DM) and I will add you to a group chat. This whole process is quite stressful but a free and genuine advice always calm the nerves.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 79

Democracy

20

Original post by dmaxj

Hi,

If anyone is interested in having their questions answered by current medics let me know (DM) and I will add you to a group chat. This whole process is quite stressful but a free and genuine advice always calm the nerves.