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Other General Interview Questions- Consultant, SpR, SHO, ST, F1 and F2 Interviews

These are some of the questions and topics the training courses cover to help you prepare for all the questions you might face at your curcial interview.

Work and Career

  • Where do you see yourself in 3/5/10 years time?
  • An SHO in the department charts a significantly large dose of opiate. A nurse subsequently gives the patient the dose. What do you do?
  • Registrar in the department is 28/40. She says she can’t do night shifts any more. How do you sort it out?
  • Give an example of when you had to motivate your colleagues?
  • Why are you interested in… ?
  • What did you learn in your last position?
  • How would your juniors appraise you?
  • Why do you want to work in this department/ hospital/ area?
  • Do you think every trainee should spend time training outside their specialty?
  • How does your experience make you suitable for the job?
  • What is your experience in… ?

Professional Skills

  • What will you do if you don’t get this job?
  • What specific qualities and strengths would you bring to this job and more specifically to this department?
  • What core skills should a doctor possess?
  • How do you cope if a project goes wrong?
  • How do you perform under pressure?
  • Do you have any weaknesses?
  • How do you deal with violent or aggressive patients?
  • You don’t get on with one of your colleagues. How do you resolve it?
  • Describe a time where you have been tested to the limit?
  • How do you deal with bullying / harassment / intimidation?

NHS

  • What do you think of SAS doctors?
  • What do you think of performance related pay?
  • The implications of EWTD on your working life?
  • What audit would you like to do?
  • What audit have you done?
  • EWTD and consultants who don’t stick to it?
  • What do you think of the star rating system?
  • How do you contribute to teamwork?
  • Have you ever conformed to a policy you didn’t agree with?
  • How is audit relevant to clinical governance?
  • What is clinical governance and how do you contribute to it?
  • What do you think about sending patients copies/ summaries of their notes?
  • How do you go about setting up a XYZ in your hospital?
  • What do you think of nurse consultants?
  • What do you think of non-medics performing roles traditionally associated with medics?
  • How should theatres be organised?
  • What do you think of league tables for hospitals?
  • How do you think associations between NHS and Industry should be managed?
  • What do you think about the suspension of doctors?
  • Your views on the consultant contract?
  • How do you prevent medical errors?
  • How do you assess fitness to practice?
  • What is your view on PFI?
  • The demands and requirements of a consultant?
  • Ways of training staff with EWTD and Calmanisation?
  • How would you combat HAI?
  • What do you think of overseas/ refugee doctors?
  • What do you think of merit awards?
  • What is the role of TMAC?
  • What would you do if you were CEO/ Health Minister for the day?

Management and Leadership

  • When have you had to structure your own work schedule?
  • How do you lead others?
  • What management skills do you possess?

Research

  • What challenges do doctors who have clinical and research commitments face?
  • The role of research in the NHS?
  • What is a systematic review?
  • What is research governance?

Teaching/ training

  • Do you accept learning curves?
  • What is the most effective form of teaching for junior doctors in training?
  • What teaching techniques are you aware of?
  • How do you teach medical students/ SHO in theatres?
  • ‘I did a one in two- how are you going to train’
  • RCA asks for 3 hours training per week ‘in house’. What do you think?
  • How do you think trainees should contribute to their own training?

Anaesthesia

  • During a surgical procedure a surgical emergency develops. You think it has been badly handled. How do you deal with it?
  • Do you think there should be an exit exam for anaesthesia?
  • What are recognised standards of care in Anaesthesia?
  • What do you think of anaesthetic consultants being resident on call?
  • How do you think anaesthetists will fit in with the hospital at night project?
  • What do you think about private practice?
  • Consent for anaesthesia- your views?
  • Anaesthetic outpatient clinics?
  • Computerised anaesthesia records?