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Medicine interview

I am a super shy person and just not really smooth in conversations and I also take a long time before answering questions as I like to think about what I am gonna say a lot because I struggle with explaining my thoughts. I also get quite flustered easily and I am worried I might come across as either rude or bad at communication which communication is essential to be a doctor. Am I gonna get rejected?
Original post by hellosaturday
I am a super shy person and just not really smooth in conversations and I also take a long time before answering questions as I like to think about what I am gonna say a lot because I struggle with explaining my thoughts. I also get quite flustered easily and I am worried I might come across as either rude or bad at communication which communication is essential to be a doctor. Am I gonna get rejected?

Hey I relate to this so much. I too am a shy person and struggle to answer questions on the spot. If it were the case of MMIs you usually get a min or 2 to prepare each question in advance and I suggest that when you practice you keep this in mind. One thing that helped during my actual interview was I jotted points I wanted to get across in my head. For eg when asked about junior doctor strikes I will talk about: the pros: rights, mental health, better quality of service provided, support for doctors. Cons: strain on those who don't strike + long waiting times = poor quality of service, NHS reputation + patients losing trust, med ethics = do no harm to patient. Then weighing both and then coming to a conclusion. I'd say practice is key. Given enough, you eventually get into the flow of it. Presenting your points in a logical order also helps. You can say firstly, secondly, thridly... However/it is also important to consider/ to an extent.... Also practicing in front of someone really helps. I know you might be a little worried about how the first couple of responses will turn out but trust me this is the best way to overcome shyness. Getting flustered is normal. At one point during my MMI I actually just stopped to recollect my thoughts and then I apologized quickly and continued. You will not come across as rude/having bad communication skills if you show no sign of it. Take a deep breathe and simply move in. A lot of common questions come about and you can prepare for this. So for diff questions, whether it be on ethics, your personal statement, your work experience, the NHS, jot down points for each one and practice full on answers.
Reply 2
Original post by Tulipbloom
Hey I relate to this so much. I too am a shy person and struggle to answer questions on the spot. If it were the case of MMIs you usually get a min or 2 to prepare each question in advance and I suggest that when you practice you keep this in mind. One thing that helped during my actual interview was I jotted points I wanted to get across in my head. For eg when asked about junior doctor strikes I will talk about: the pros: rights, mental health, better quality of service provided, support for doctors. Cons: strain on those who don't strike + long waiting times = poor quality of service, NHS reputation + patients losing trust, med ethics = do no harm to patient. Then weighing both and then coming to a conclusion. I'd say practice is key. Given enough, you eventually get into the flow of it. Presenting your points in a logical order also helps. You can say firstly, secondly, thridly... However/it is also important to consider/ to an extent.... Also practicing in front of someone really helps. I know you might be a little worried about how the first couple of responses will turn out but trust me this is the best way to overcome shyness. Getting flustered is normal. At one point during my MMI I actually just stopped to recollect my thoughts and then I apologized quickly and continued. You will not come across as rude/having bad communication skills if you show no sign of it. Take a deep breathe and simply move in. A lot of common questions come about and you can prepare for this. So for diff questions, whether it be on ethics, your personal statement, your work experience, the NHS, jot down points for each one and practice full on answers.

Thank you so much this is super comforting and helpful

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