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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Serie: HOW - How To
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
How to Succeed at the Medical Interview provides candidates with a competitive edge. It reduces the likelihood of unexpected questions or situations and helps improve confidence before and during the medical interview.
This new second edition includes updated content on changes to the structure of healthcare and how this affects both the application and interview process. It details the types of questions that will be asked at medical interviews and also provides improved guidance for overseas doctors and healthcare professionals and for those seeking to practice abroad.
How to Succeed at the Medical Interview is the ideal guide for Foundation Programme trainees, Specialist Registrars and General Practitioner trainees. It is also valuable for healthcare professionals facing competitive medical interviews at any stage of their career.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
What is an interview?
How to use this book?
Chapter 1: The medical interview
Introduction
The application process
The aims of the medical interview
Types of medical interview
The traditional medical interview
Competency-based assessments
The interview or selection panel
Questions asked at the medical interview
Candidate selection at interview
Summary
Chapter 2: Preparing for the interview
Introduction
Know yourself
Perfecting your curriculum vitae/application form
Your e-portfolio
Researching the post
Researching your specialty
Preparing for the questions
Your appearance at interview
Arriving at the interview
Final interview preparation
Summary
Chapter 3: Performing at the interview
Introduction
First impressions
Effective communication
Selling yourself
Answering questions
Coping with the question that you do not understand
Do you have any questions for us?
How to end the interview
Feedback
Summary
Chapter 4: Common interview questions
Introduction
Questions about you
Questions that test your motivation and commitment to the specialty
Questions that relate to your CV and job experience
Questions about your portfolio
Summary
Chapter 5: Interview questions that test your knowledge
Introduction
Evidence-based medicine
Summary
References
Chapter 6: Interview questions that test your generic skills
Introduction
Understanding generic skills
Questions that test your understanding of generic skills
Questions that ask for examples from your own practice
Common questions that ask for general examples from your own practice
Questions that require specific answers from your own practice
The STAR technique
Questions based on a scenario
Capacity and consent
Confidentiality
Breaking bad news
Difficulties with work colleagues
Summary
Chapter 7: Competency-based tasks
Introduction
Simulation exercises
Group exercises
Summary
Index
This edition first published 2013, © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
First edition published 2008.
BMJ Books is an imprint of BMJ Publishing Group Limited, used under licence by Blackwell Publishing which was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell's publishing programme has been merged with Wiley's global Scientific, Technical and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Chris, 1976-
How to succeed at the medical interview / Chris Smith, Darryl Meeking.– 2nd ed.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-118-39383-3 (pbk.)
I. Meeking, Darryl. II. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Interviews as Topic– Great Britain. 2. Job Application– Great Britain.
3. Physicians— Great Britain. W 21]
610.69– dc23
Cover design by Meaden Creative.
Foreword
There have been significant changes in the way doctors are selected for medical posts and medical training programmes. This very popular and helpful book by Smith and Meeking has been updated to take into account these changes and there is no doubt that reading it will help maximize your chances of success at both the shortlisting stage and at the selection process/interview.
The factors that are required for applicants to be successful at interview remain constant and the strength of this book is that it encourages you to focus on the traits that distinguish successful from unsuccessful candidates.
Smith and Meeking place emphasis on thorough preparation, which is undoubtedly the key to success at interview. Detailed preparation before an interview or selection process not only maximizes a candidate's ability to show knowledge but also heightens confidence to help project a safe, thoughtful and professional demeanour.
This book provides you with more than 150 common interview questions and a systematic approach to tackling them. It also provides important information about the do's and don'ts of interview appearance, presentation and technique. It also describes in detail the various selection processes used to distinguish candidates and how best to approach and tackle them.
I would highly recommend this second edition to doctors who are undertaking interviews and selection processes to further their careers.
Professor Michael Cummings, MD FRCPConsultant Physician, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Programme Director,Wessex Deanery (Diabetes and Endocrinology), Diabetes Lead,Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Comprehensive Local Research Network;Academic Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Portsmouth NHS Trust,Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth,Hampshire, United Kingdom
Preface
We decided to update How to Succeed at the Medical Interview 4 years after its original publication. Although the structure of the book remains the same, it has undergone extensive revisions to reflect recent changes in interview formats and National Health Service (NHS) structure.
Further change is inevitable; however, the fundamental principles to achieve success in medical interviews remain unchanged, with effective preparation being the key to a successful outcome.
We hope you enjoy reading the book and wish you all the very best in your medical career!
Chris SmithDarryl MeekingSeptember 2012
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to our friends and colleagues who have helped us and shared their interview experiences with us, in particular Penny Wilson, John-Paul Smith, Adam Kirk, Helen Pedgrift, Howard Smith and Sarah Gorman.
We would especially like to thank Paul Bennett, Tom Walton, Eveleigh Nicholson, Sameer Trikha, Ha-Neul Seo, Luisa Pettigrew, Colin Sumpter and Ross Boyce for reviewing the text and for their incredibly helpful comments.
Finally, our thanks go to our friends and families for all of their support.
Introduction
In the UK, doctors generally prepare poorly for the medical interview. Surprisingly, little or no thought is given to preparation, yet a successful medical career is entirely dependent on results at interview.
Doctors often invest many months, thousands of pounds and vast amounts of energy into stressful medical examinations that carry with them no guarantee of a chosen career path. Much less effort is spent in preparing for the medical interview, although the failure rate for the most competitive interviews is far higher than that of postgraduate exams.
The interview is a highly competitive process that may favour certain personality types, but the key to success lies in thorough preparation.
I have interviewed many hundreds of doctors, all differing in personality and competency and with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. Following selection, I have worked with many of these doctors and I have discovered the interview process to be, at best, variable in its ability to detect and appoint the best individuals.
Do not be deceived into thinking that the best doctors succeed at interview and the worst fail. I have seen nervous, weak and uncertain doctors shine immeasurably in the face of a barrage of hostile questioning at interview. Conversely, I have seen warm, confident and knowledgeable doctors disintegrate into quivering wrecks when asked a straightforward question by a polite, smiling interviewer.
I have witnessed some individuals at every training grade from Medical student to Consultant, and have interviewed them at different stages during their career.
I have seen one hopelessly unprepared doctor perform dismally at interview, giving the impression to the panel that she was strange, distant and cold. Following a feedback telephone conversation an hour later that same doctor emerged as warm, engaging and confident. One year later, she was successful at interview for the same training programme after a more thorough programme of preparation.
I have therefore become convinced that it is good preparation, and not a person's ability or personality, that is the key to success at the medical interview.
Doctors are likely to undergo several interviews of different types during their career. To our knowledge, this is the first book produced that will enable you to prepare thoroughly for most, if not all, forms of medical interview. This book is aimed primarily at postgraduate interviews, although there are elements that may be of use to those preparing for Medical School entrance interviews.
What is an interview?
For the purpose of this book, the term ‘Interview’ is used to encompass any form of selection for a post where you are being assessed in person. Over the years, newer models for selecting candidates have emerged, complementing or even replacing the traditional structured interview. For instance, you may be invited to attend an assessment day, or another rebranded form of selection, but for simplicity we will use the term ‘Interview’ throughout this book.
How to use this book?
We will stress repeatedly that preparation is the key to success in the medical interview. With this in mind, it is essential that you discover the format of the selection process you will be undertaking so that you can use this book as effective preparation.
Chapter 1 describes the different types of medical interview.
Chapter 2 gives the important information about how to prepare for your interview.
Chapter 3 helps you to optimise your performance at all types of interview.
Chapter 4 provides you with information about questions that are commonly asked at interview and how to answer them.
Chapter 5 gives you information about knowledge-based questions that are currently asked at interview.
Chapter 6 provides you with likely questions that test your generic skills and how you should answer them.
Chapter 7 aims to help you prepare for the competency-based assessments and tasks now frequently used as part of the interview process.
Although the theme of interview questions may be similar for interviews at all levels, some questions are more likely to be asked at some grades and types of medical interview than for others. You should focus your attention on those aspects most relevant for your career stage and career choice. We endeavour to highlight these differences wherever possible.
Good luck!
Chapter 1
The medical interview
Introduction
The aims of this chapter are to give an overview of the application process prior to the interview, the aims of the medical interview and the different types of medical interview. The chapter also discusses the make-up and role of the different members of the interview panel, the types of questions asked at the medical interview and how candidates are selected.
The application process
Although the main focus of this book is on the interview stage, it is important to cover the process that precedes the interview. This will vary according to the post for which you are applying.
The Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) process led to the development of Foundation (F1 and F2), Core Training (CT, CT1 and CT2) and Specialist Training (ST) programmes for each specialty (ST1, ST2, ST3, etc.). For the majority of Foundation posts, candidates are matched and interviews are not carried out. However, for Foundation posts that remain vacant, a shortlisting and interview process is still used to select candidates.
For those who are applying for ST, the shortlisting is mostly undertaken by Deanery-based selection panels. For General Practice (GP) and some other specialty training programmes, there is a national selection process. You are advised to check the MMC website for updated information that relates to your chosen specialty (www.mmc.nhs.uk).
Structured application forms may be preferred as the basis for shortlisting and interviewing candidates rather than the traditional curriculum vitae (CV). However, there are many situations in which CVs are likely to be requested. The most likely posts that CVs will be required for are:
vacant Foundation posts
trust doctor or locum posts
senior medical posts.
For GP training, there are three stages that candidates need to undergo in order to get selected.
Stage 1:
an electronic application form, the purpose of which is to check the eligibility of the candidate.
Stage 2:
national ‘Clinical Problem-solving’ and ‘Situational Judgement’ tests.
Stage 3:
a written exercise and three simulation exercises carried out by individual deaneries.
Full details of the GP application and selection process are available at the National Recruitment Office (NRO) at www.gprecruitment.org.uk.
How are candidates shortlisted for ST and GP training posts?
Each post comes with a Person Specification and consists of entry criteria (minimum standards) and selection criteria. The entry criteria allow non-medical staff to screen candidates prior to shortlisting. Those who are shortlisting decide who should be interviewed according to the selection criteria. There will usually be an agreed subset of main selection criteria:
Entry criteria
Qualifications
Eligibility
Career progression
Fitness to practise
Competency
Language skills
Selection criteria
Clinical skills
Personal skills
Commitment to specialty
Probity
Academic and research achievements
It is vital that you read through the Person Specification criteria for the post that you are applying for in detail.
Box 1.1 shows an example of requirements for a CT1 post in General Medicine (Acute Care Common Stem).
Entry criteria (mostly obtained from the application form)
Qualifications
Appropriate medical qualification, for example, MBBSEligibility
Eligible for General Medical Council (GMC) registrationEvidence of achievement of Foundation competencies in line with GMC standards/good medical practiceGood clinical care
Maintaining good medical practiceGood relationships/communication with patientsGood working relationships with colleaguesGood teaching and trainingProfessionalism/probityDelivery of good acute clinical careEligibility to work in the UKFitness to practise
Up to date and fit to practise safelyLanguage skills
Capable of effective communication with patients/colleagues (medical training in English or appropriate International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores)Health
Meets professional health requirementsCareer progression
Selection criteria (from application form and subsequently from interview and references)
Clinical skills
Appropriate knowledge base and ability to apply clinical judgementPersonal skills
Communication: adapting language appropriate to situationProblem solving/decision making: using logic and thought to solve and decideManaging others/teamwork: working effectively with othersSensitivity/empathy: taking in others' perspectives and treating others with understandingOrganisation/planning: managing and prioritising time and situations effectivelyVigilance/situational awareness monitoring and anticipating issuesCoping with pressure operating under pressure, initiative and resilienceProbity
Professional integrity: takes responsibility and respects all othersCommitment to specialty
Other activities and achievements relevant to medicineAcademic/research skills
Demonstrates understanding of audit and researchEvidence of academic/research achievements (desirable)Participation in audit (desirable)Experience and interest in teaching (desirable)The aims of the medical interview
Why does the medical interview exist?
Historically, across all spectra of business and industry, the interview has been used to select applicants for posts, with candidates usually having been shortlisted on the basis of an application form or CV.
The interview gives employers the opportunity to meet potential employees face to face and decide if they wish to employ that person. It provides an opportunity to test applicants' competencies and motivation in a structured environment, thereby attempting to provide a level playing field on which the best applicants can shine.
Medical interviews are no different in this respect, and the aim is to select the best candidate for the vacant post.
Does everything hinge on the medical interview?
There may be factors other than performance at interview that impact on whether a candidate is successful. Some candidates will have an advantage based on their past experience and performance, including their responses to questions on the application form. As part of some selection processes (such as GP), there is a written assessment under exam conditions. A good performance, or additional qualifications or experience, may add to the overall strength of a candidate's application.
It is also possible that candidates will have gained an advantage prior to interview through previous contact with members of the panel. Occasionally, an interviewer has witnessed a candidate's performance first-hand in the workplace. In other instances, a trusted colleague may have recommended a candidate to a panel member. Sometimes, candidates have made the effort to meet with panel members for the first time prior to interview, but this is frequently not possible.
However, do not fall into the trap of thinking that the outcome of an interview is predetermined. This is rarely the case, and is frequently used by unsuccessful applicants as an easy excuse to explain their failure.
There can be no doubt that interview is the most crucial component of candidate selection. The interview process, in whatever shape or form it takes, is labour-intensive for those who are organising and running it. Applicants who have made it to that stage will be of similar calibre, and performance at interview may be the only way to distinguish between them.
What does the interviewer expect?
Much is made of the personal biases of people who sit on interview panels, and naturally there may be individual preferences according to personalities and styles. You may be surprised to know that there is usually broad agreement among interview panel members when it comes to selection. In other words, the best candidate is usually obvious. Your aim should be to convince the panel that you are the best candidate. The key to achieving this is good preparation!
Remember (this might sound obvious), each member of the interview panel usually wants to select the best candidate at interview.
Types of medical interview
For many years, the format of the medical interview has been similar for all grades of doctors, except that with increasing seniority longer interviews and larger interview panels could be expected.
However, in many cases, the traditional medical interview has been supplemented or replaced with other mechanisms for selecting candidates. These are typically multistation assessment centres testing relevant attributes. However, maintained within these newer processes are portfolio stations and presentation stations that very much mirror aspects of the traditional medical interview.
A loose distinction can be made between the older style ‘traditional medical interview’ and newer interviews that incorporate competency-based tasks. We encourage you not to think of these as mutually exclusive, as medical interviews frequently incorporate elements of both.
In general, interviews are carried out in an educational setting based within a Hospital, General Practice or Deanery.
The traditional medical interview
This is the type of interview that many senior doctors will be familiar with. The interview typically involves a panel of interviewers asking a series of questions, with all candidates being asked similar questions.
Interviews may last anything from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Shorter interviews generally occur with smaller interview panels.
Competency-based assessments
The idea of using different selection tools, other than the traditional interview, to select doctors has gained widespread acceptance, and we discuss these tasks at length in Chapter 7.
Competency-based assessments have been implemented in the selection for all GP trainees and most ST interviews. They are frequently standardised at a national level.
Assessments are designed to test various competencies, with an emphasis on generic skills rather than the candidate's clinical knowledge or past experience. Examples of exercises include:
simulation exercises
written exercises
group tasks
presentations
tests of medical ability.
How is a competency-based interview day structured?
Typically, a Postgraduate Educational Centre is the location for a competency-based interview. Approximately 30–40 candidates are assessed during the day. Candidates will normally have three or four assessments, each lasting 10–30 minutes. Candidates should expect to spend at least half a day at the centre.
The interview or selection panel
For ST posts, there are national recommendations for England, Wales and Northern Ireland that determine who should be present on interview panels. You can expect the following people:
lay chairperson
regional College adviser or deputy
postgraduate Dean or deputy
Programme Director or chair of Specialty Training Committee
two to four Consultants from training locations
a Trust Senior Manager
university representative (for academic posts).
For Deanery-based selection panels that are grouped into stations, there will typically be two Consultants allocated to each station with a lay person, a regional college adviser and a Programme Director involved in assisting a fair selection process.
The interview panel for stand-alone or trust-grade posts typically consists of a number of Consultants (any number between 1 and 10) and a representative from Medical Personnel who takes no part in the decision-making process. When a post is relevant to just one department, it is not unusual to find just two interviewers.
Interviews at Consultant level will include a Senior Manager (typically the Chief Executive or Medical Director) and a representative from the appropriate Royal College and from the Deanery.
In academic institutions, there may be a University representative present for interviews for ST level and above. This is usually an academic clinician at a Consultant-equivalent grade.
Although Medical Personnel departments and Deaneries will not usually give out the details of those involved in the shortlisting process, it should be possible to discover in advance who will make up the interview panel.
For posts where there is a local selection process, those individuals will usually make up part or all of the interview panel.
Questions asked at the medical interview
How are interview questions decided?
Fortunately, with the traditional interview, the types of questions that you are likely to be asked are fairly predictable. Naturally, for senior medical posts, questions may be more difficult, but the preparation should be similar for whichever post you are applying for.
Typically, the format of the traditional medical interview will be as follows:
questions about your CV and medical career to date
questions about your portfolio
questions that test your motivation – why this job? why this area? why should we choose you?
questions about audit and/or research
questions about National Health Service (NHS) and management topics
questions about medicine (e.g. recent articles read/recent advances/medical knowledge)
questions that test your generic skills
questions about your interests outside of medicine
an opportunity for you to ask questions.
At least one interviewer will choose to run through the candidates' experience to date, and this is often the opening enquiry. This question gives the candidate an opportunity to provide a quick summary of their medical career and experience to date whilst enabling them to relax ahead of potentially more difficult questions.
This will be followed by questions from other interviewers that will focus on all other aspects of their CV, their motivation, their understanding of health policy, knowledge of relevant literature, education and ethical issues.
At interview, each panel member will decide in advance which questions they are going to ask. Interviewers may have their personal favourite questions that they consider to be ‘discriminatory’. It is considered good interview practice for the same questions to be asked of each candidate (although this is rarely adhered to rigidly).
