Mock interview

This week I had my first medical interview experience which I found nerve-racking but also very worth while! The interview lasted around 25 minutes and involved a one on one question and answer session with a consultant neurosurgeon.

I thought I would briefly share some of the questions I was asked (other than the obvious ones such as "Why medicine?" and "Tell me about your work experience")  to get you thinking! For example:

- "How would you compare healthcare here in the UK with healthcare in a less developed country, what are the major differences?"

- "What are the main reasons for the great advancements in medicine since the late 1800's / early 1900's?"

- "If I were to give you £1,000,000,000 which single area of medicine would you spend it on?"

-"Do you know anything about diabetes?" which eventually progressed to "How would you tell a 10 year old they had type 1 diabetes?"

- "How would you make a hip replacement and why?"

At the time I was unsure how to answer some of the questions but tried my best to do so and the interviewer would hint if necessary and probe for further detail to see how far I could take the idea!

After feedback at the end of the interview the most useful tip I received was that often the interviewer doesn't expect you to know the answer to the question they're asking and there may be no correct answer either but they are interested to see how you go about solving problems and the way in which your thought processes work. In addition having made the mistake myself I was told if you have absolutely no idea or very little idea about the matter they're asking about it is often better to say so rather than giving a vague answer and they will ask you about something else instead.

I hope some of this will be useful to you! If anyone has had similar experiences - get in touch!