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Sample Questions and Answers- Consultant, SpR, SHO, ST, F1 and F2 Interviews

Here you can find sample questions you may well be asked by interviewers and some of the possible responses our training courses will equip you to deliver.

An SHO charts a significantly large dose of opiates. A nurse subsequently gives the patient the dose. What do you do?

• Check patient – ABC/Naloxone /see patient and explain incident fully/write in patient’s notes. Incident report form
• Discuss with Dr/nurse being non-judgmental. Query if it is a mistake; is there a lack of knowledge; possibly deliberate; has it happened before?
• Reporting – seniors / staff / incident form
• Possible action - retraining, extra supervision

In theatre operating, a surgical emergency develops. You think it has been mishandled. What do you do?

• Number 1 priority – patient safety
• I have direct responsibility to the patient
• Discuss with surgeon and call for help
• Inform theatre sister and consultant in charge
• Ask surgeon to leave – I have responsibility too
• Careful documentation – critical incident – afterwards debrief
• Remember 1998 public interest disclosure act
• Do not have a Bristol scenario

What do you think of SAS doctors?

Definition

Staff and Associate Specialists. Doctors who have specialised in a particular field and completed full training and exams (staff grade) or large amounts of experience in certain areas (associate specialists)

Advantages

• Sub-consultant grades often very clinically experienced, devoid of management/teaching/leadership roles, but not the skills.
• Can often help prop up some departments, get good remuneration packages and are especially overseas doctors.

Disadvantages

• Work horse
• Lack of training/teaching opportunities (do lists while trainees taught)
• New plans in future: SAS doctors to be able to join SpR after certain required experience etc.

Performance related pay?

Definition

• Extra financial inducement for personnel who achieve certain targets e.g. throughput of patients/reduction in waiting lists/improvement in quality of patient care etc.
• Offered to management and health care professionals

Advantages

• Inducements that can allow targets to be met
• Popular with workers

Disadvantages

• Not evenly spread. E.g. consultants/managers get inducements for ops, but not nurses, ODA’s and theatre support staff
• Potential resentment between groups and between hospitals. NB: One of the potential problems of foundation hospitals

Role of research in the modern NHS?

• Research definition
• What to do (audit what you are doing)
• Research (basic science/clinical)
• Publications (peer reviewed)
• Basic currency for evidence based medicine
• Evidence based medicine part or clinical effectiveness – part of clinical governance
• Forms the basis
• Research – evidence based medicine – audit

What is a systematic review?

• A systematic review is a summary of research evidence
• I have conducted 2 systematic reviews, both on Oxycontin
• Process involves search – pubmed/embase/Ovid/CINAL search to find all relevant articles associated
• Collection of papers and articles
• Summary of papers and articles
• Hierarchy of evidence (including unpublished evidence/hand searching if necessary)
• Look at the best sources of evidence first i.e. start with level 1
• Then work down the levels of evidence
• Sections – intro/method/results/conclusion/summary
• Read a reasonable systematic review

How do you think trainees should contribute to their own training?

• Trainees have responsibility to take charge of their own training
• Calmanisation and EWTD becomes more the trainees responsibility
• These are professional doctors in their late 20’s and early 30’s who have chosen a career pathway
• Responsible for achieving their own CBT and training objectives including passing relevant college exams and passing competency based objectives i.e. no spoon feeding
• Trainees can liaise with their named training supervisor, multiple courses – study dates, simulated courses etc which can aid the trainee to attain their competency based training objectives
• Deaneries have funds for trainees to help subsidise courses. Doctors are fortunate to have such a fund which is not available to other healthcare professionals

What skills are required for good leadership?

• Knowledge and practical skills up to date and continuously improved
• Lead by example
• Gain trust of your team (by example) through your work
• Listen to team
• Effective communication
• Always have a balanced view – weigh the advantages and disadvantages
• Nurture the team – socially – pleasant/approachable/easy to talk to/receptive to new ideas etc
• Trust you and trust judgment of team will work cohesively
• No bullying, belittling, begging or irritating

Where do you see yourself in 3, 5 or 10 years time?

• Consultant in … in London
• Use the revalidation headings
• Patient care and communication – maintenance and increased skill, expansion of skills and interests, ENT and blocks
• Colleagues foster good working relationships, 25 years!
• CEPD – interests/IT/research/NHS/leadership
• Teaching and training

What do you understand by a personal portfolio?

• Personal portfolio includes documents – CV/GMC/MPS/OH/RITA/CCST/Course certificates/audit/summaries of presentations, publications and posters
• Revalidation Sections:
  • Work record – log book and skills record
  • Record of assessments – consultants training reports
  • CEPD – personal learning plan and educational agreement
  • Training and teaching – record of teaching
  • Health swimming, cycling and occupational health
  • New – management/teaching/new experiences/guidelines

What do you think about the European working time directive and consultants who do not stick to it?

• Definition of EWDT: Don’t stick extra work, discuss with Dept head
• Private work, great area
• With EWDT as law, work undertaken outside is voluntary, may become illegalvCourts: when cases come of twilight e.g. private practice and mistakes. Courts may well start to delve into exceeding maximum times greater than EWDT
• Courts may decide unlawful
• Beware: courts and medical indemnity insurers may take a dim view
• Medical indemnity may not offer cover for work done outside main contracted EWDT. If so, individual doctors very exposed

What’s your opinion on star rating systems? Do you think they can be used to drive up the standards of clinical care?

• Star rating systems rate rank hospitals
• To achieve star status
• Key performance targets
• Other clinical and non-clinical indicators
• Achieve certain specifics
• Banded
• Overall star system
• 3 star apply for foundation statu
• Drive up standards – yes
• In order to meet targets, improvements and systems must be made, i.e. policies put in place

Acquisition of course skills / what skills should a doctor possess?

• GMC
• Publication
• Core competencies
• Clinical history
• Examination
• Investigation
• Treatment
• Management plans
• Practical skills
• Canulation
• Airway assessment of critically ill patient
• Violent emergencies
• CANMELTT

What are your faults or weaknesses?

• Take on too many responsibilities
• Tend to say yes
• Find insufficient time to complete – learnt to be more selective, explain I don’t have sufficient time, my time management has improved and I practice better
• Tasks: immediate, today, week, long term goals
• Plan everything

You don’t get on with a colleague - how do you deal with it?

• Try hard to get on with all colleagues
• Came across one, did not get on well, basic problem – lack of communication Uneasy about situation
• Working in same department
• Went to see them, cleared up the misunderstanding and worked together afterwards

What do you think of league tables – tables with hospitals and trusts, clinics and other health care facilities which have been assessed according to certain criteria, cleanliness, waiting list etc?

• Doctor… guide
• Others star rating system
• Grouped alphabetically

Advantages

• Allow public and professionals to see how well or otherwise they have performed vs targets
• May help with choice in the future
• Rewards the good
• Recognises poorly performing places

Disadvantages

• Patient preference good vs poorly performing
• Reduced moral in poorly performing especially best staff

Association with industry – links between NHS and industry

Advantages

• Clinical effectiveness
• Clinical governance
• Increase quality of care for patients
• Collaboration
• Productive and useful research
• Future UK CRC idea
• Increase industry involvement
• Guidelines with new products
• Post marketing research
• Mirror the use of some techniques in industry to motivate staff
• Improving working lives
• Increased new research
• Spin off for NHS basic research
• NHS 1.2 million one of the largest health care providers in the world – therefore very substantial negotiating power over pricing

Disadvantages

• Size of company and their influence
• Drug A vs drug B
• Size of company – their influence may be “pervasive”
• Industry ultimately profits
• Potential conflicts of interest when clinicians are funded for study leave research grants
• Other financial payments
• Potential to influence PCTs, DCTs
• Way around part of revalidation and probity