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Interview preparation and discussion thread

As the interview cycle will be starting within the next few weeks, and I foresee a deluge of interview threads, I am creating two which will hopefully cover all the bases. This one is for discussion of potential interview questions/answers and practicalities such as what to wear etc, the other is for more general chat about who has interviews when/where etc. Hygeia will be making a no chat "stalking" thread to keep track of the progress of everyone's application.

Please also have a look at our wiki guide to interviews as your question may be answered there.

I will start with a question and add more when I think of them; people can debate and share ideas to help practise for interview.

What challenges does the NHS currently face and what options are there for tackling them?

Once interviews have started, please remember not to post specific questions on here as admissions tutors do read this site.
(edited 13 years ago)

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I know about medical ethics and why I want to study the course.. but is there anything else they are very likely to ask me? And what should I do to prepare myself so I stand out from everyone during interview?
Depends what uni you have an interview for obvs.
Reply 3
They might ask you questions to do with the NHS and/or best medical inventions (in your opinion) in the last 50/100 years.

Also, they probs want to know about your perception of the life of a doctor/junior doctor/consultant (i.e. length of training, working hours), and why you think you would be a good doctor (personal qualities, skills)
ScottishShortiex
They might ask you questions to do with the NHS and/or best medical inventions (in your opinion) in the last 50/100 years.

Also, they probs want to know about your perception of the life of a doctor/junior doctor/consultant (i.e. length of training, working hours), and why you think you would be a good doctor (personal qualities, skills)

Hey can you give me any websites or recommened books I could read to help me please? I just don't know where to start.. thanks x
Reply 6
ChoccyLovaa
Hey can you give me any websites or recommened books I could read to help me please? I just don't know where to start.. thanks x


LOOK AT THESE articles. Really useful information.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/What_you_should_expect_at_a_medical_school_interview

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine_Applications_Further_Reading
ChoccyLovaa
Hey can you give me any websites or recommened books I could read to help me please? I just don't know where to start.. thanks x


LOL this knowledge is coming from someone who hasn't actually had an interview...not even applied to medicine yet :P: ....just so you know!

Anyways, i'd think you should definitely go with the interview book that Beska recommended, i've heard it's a good one - which i will also be getting when its time to apply :smile:
Reply 8
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health/

Get on it, read it extensively and keep up to track with everything that's going on, on a daily basis.
Reply 9
Does anybody have a good, clear source for a summary of the most recent NHS white paper? I really don't understand it or its implications, apart from the superficial "IT WILL DESTROY THE NHS" given in the media.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 10
Debt. The ultimate challenge. You can go on about this for ages i.e. when I was at work experience the doctors were telling me how expensive some of the procedures were and even how much money it cost to keep a patient over night etc. Link to ethical stuff, does the patients situation really out way the amount of debt that seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
Why should medicine be wasted on people who refuse to take it. It's a waste of money.(I personally don't think that but you could bring it up but then say patient welfare is important blah blah) Recent stuff about the NHS paying, yes that's right paying smokers and obese people to cut down on smoking and do more exercise and eat properly. The list goes on.
Anyone else?
Helenia
As the interview cycle will be starting within the next few weeks, and I foresee a deluge of interview threads, I am creating two which will hopefully cover all the bases. This one is for discussion of potential interview questions/answers and practicalities such as what to wear etc, the other is for more general chat about who has interviews when/where etc. Hygeia will be making a no chat "stalking" thread to keep track of the progress of everyone's application.

Please also have a look at our wiki guide to interviews as your question may be answered there.

I will start with a question and add more when I think of them; people can debate and share ideas to help practise for interview.

What challenges does the NHS currently face and what options are there for tackling them?

Once interviews have started, please remember not to post specific questions on here as admissions tutors do read this site.

What do they read? :eek3:
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 12
AHungryCaterpillar
What do they read? :eek3:

Whatever they like. I can't say for sure exactly who does or doesn't know about this forum but there have been instances in the past of applicants being contacted and told to remove interview information, and the moderators being asked to do the same.
Reply 13
nazirard
Why should medicine be wasted on people who refuse to take it.


What do you mean by this? Surely the numbers of people who refuse treatment is quite small?
Helenia
Whatever they like. I can't say for sure exactly who does or doesn't know about this forum but there have been instances in the past of applicants being contacted and told to remove interview information, and the moderators being asked to do the same.

So some users here are interviewers and they contact the applicant via PM, or are they able to trace the applicant and find out personal details?
Reply 15
Organ
What do you mean by this? Surely the numbers of people who refuse treatment is quite small?


Perhaps those who go to a GP, for example, are told that they will need to take pills, recieve said pills but never take them? I'm sure this must happen, although of course it would be a small percentage of people and it would be difficult to acquire statistics to represent who's actually taking what they are prescribed?
(edited 13 years ago)
Organ
What do you mean by this? Surely the numbers of people who refuse treatment is quite small?


Well, while I can't account for the number of people who completely refuse a medical intervention, there are a great many who will basically just do what they like when it comes to taking medication or following medical advice. It's actually terrifying but I do believe it can be remedied with a greater degree of doctor-patient understanding. We must understand why a patient holds certain beliefs before we try and remedy the outcome of these beliefs.
Reply 17
^ I think the issue is with the degrading of the "doctor knows best" philosophy. Doctors are increasingly questioned more by patients (quite rightly in my opinion) and because of the rise of the internet, patients often come in with print outs. It, however, leads to a lack of respect for doctors and their advice, and could lead to people not completing prescriptions/following medical advice, so I do know where you are coming from. Tallis nicely describes it in Hippocratic Oaths, he says "a consultation is a meeting of experts - the patients are experts on how their condition and the treatment affects them, while the doctors are experts on the pure medicine" - perhaps if patients don't feel like the doctor is respecting their 'expertise' (which I've seen with more old school doctors) they would be more likely to disobey.
I found interviewers come on these forums and read what we say:yikes: Will the fact I'm on this forum affect my chances? If admissions tutors are on here watching everything we do, they could track us, and this could ultimately reduce our chances could it not?:s-smilie: Is this possible? How much information can they get hold of? Is it potentially detrimental? I don't want to ruin my chances. :frown: :woo:
AHungryCaterpillar
I found interviewers come on these forums and read what we say:yikes: Will the fact I'm on this forum affect my chances? If admissions tutors are on here watching everything we do, they could track us, and this could ultimately reduce our chances could it not?:s-smilie: Is this possible? How much information can they get hold of? Is it potentially detrimental? I don't want to ruin my chances. :frown: :woo:


You'd have to give away enough information to make yourself identifiable in a crowd of hundreds of other med applicants. Calm down.

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