With the COVID pandemic, many medical schools around the world are moving to conducting interviews online. This is nothing new, medical schools have been interviewing students remotely for years. This was especially the case with international students who could not, or find it very expensive to, travel for an interview.

Note there are some things that are more difficult or impossible to test remotely, for example some practical tasks and manual dexterity. Group exercises are not impossible but would be more complex for the medical school to administer. Here in general practice we use software called accuRx which lets doctors and patients communicate and message patients. It also allows them to send us photos which are then stored in the record.

Traditionally, medical schools have interviewed using Skype or possibly just the telephone. However, we now have Zoom and Microsoft teams, as well as lots of other software that allows several people to communicate face to face as well as share learning materials. This makes it easier for the medical school to make the interview more complex, for example by giving you data to read and interpret, or asking you to watch a patient consultation and comment on it.

Distance learning is also nothing new. What is new is that some medical schools around the world are appearing that let you do the full preclinical years of a medical degree remotely. ‘Real’ face to face clinical contact with patients may not be until the clinical years (usually year 3 onwards). Virtual skills labs are being developed, and virtual dissection has replaced the traditional use of cadavers for some time now.

Here at Blue Peanut, our doctors are helping local medical schools develop clinical teaching for students who are unable to attend the surgery. This could be due to lock down in their place of origin or perhaps the student having a medical condition that puts them at high risk. We are using the same technology to develop virtual work experience placements.

How does a virtual MMI interview work?

You may see these being referred to as ‘VMMI’ interviews. I have come across two main types.
The first is where you travel to the university and steps are taken to maintain social distancing between examiners, students and actors (if used). The examiner may be watching remotely using a camera. Stations have to be cleaned in between candidates and the use of face masks and hand sanitisation is mandatory. You will likely have to self-declare you are free from COVID symptoms and undergo a temperature check.

The second method permits you to stay at home. You log on to a session remotely and make sure all hardware such as your camera and microphone is working. Software such as Zoom ‘virtually’ moves students and examiners between virtual rooms which act as MMI stations. Therefore the examiner and any actors stay at one station and the software moves everyone around. Another method is for the examiner (and any actor) to move in between ‘virtual’ stations whilst you stay put. The doctors at Blue Peanut have been using these methods to design our MMI mock circuits for students who cannot make it to the UK for some years now.

How do I prepare for an online interview?

You still need to do your preparation for the topics that come up in medical school interviews. The knowledge and skills needed have not changed. Whilst some interviews are ‘open book’ in that you may be allowed to keep notes in front of you, you will find you will not have the time to refer to them in any detail.

Practice being interviewed with a friend or relative over Skype (or any other video call method). Record yourself with your mobile and answering questions and then self-reflect on your performance. You can also show your videos to others. This is one method which we use in general practice to teach doctors communication skills – we ask them to record the consultation (with consent from the patient) and then play back with their tutor to find out how they can improve.

Good luck in your upcoming interviews!

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