We have written blogs about medical school interview mistakes before. We have asked one of our students from UCLAN medical school to give her experience of where students make mistakes in medical school interviews.

Not knowing why you want to be a doctor and not being able to say what motivated you to study medicine

This question is frequently asked as an icebreaker at the start of a panel interview or as part of an MMI station in a MMI circuit interview. Although this seems like an easy question it is often difficult to describe why you want to be a doctor and not another health professional for example a Nurse or Physician Associate. Therefore it is essential that you have prepared an answer for this question. Please remember not to put any other profession down in your response - nurses and paramedics are critical to helping us look after our patients.

Try not to start with the phrase “I want to be a doctor as I want to care for people” there are lots of professions that care for people. The role of a doctor does involve caring for others but you need to make this answer specific to the role of a doctor. Think about what a doctor does that is different from other health professionals for example doctors manage people’s diseases, prescribe medications, perform surgery and carry out research to improve the care for patients. However, please also remember that nurses are also now undertaking some of these tasks that were traditionally done by doctors, but the doctor will always have the final say in the treatment and with this the ultimate responsibility for care. Most importantly use examples specific to your work experience or life experience to explain why you have chosen being a doctor as a career.

Top tips

• Make the answer personal - do you have any special interests in medicine.

• This is a good chance to refer to your work experience and demonstrate that you are passionate about becoming a doctor.

• Make sure your answer is specific to the role of a doctor, try not to be vague.

• Be realistic, medicine isn’t a glamorous career (and it should not be your intention to pursue fame and fortune).

• Planning an answer may ease your nerves which will help you with the rest of the interview

• However, try not to sound too rehearsed or as if you are reading from a page.

Not preparing for each University individually and not researching the medical school

Every medical school has a different style of teaching it is important in your interview that you demonstrate that you have researched your medical school and explain why that particular medical schools learning methods suites your personal learning style.

Topics you must be aware of :-

• Does the medical school have a traditional approach for example pre-clinical years are science based and clinical years follow (typically Oxford and Cambridge University) or does the medical school have an integrated approach which is when clinical information and science based topics are taught alongside one another?

• Research what style of teaching the medical school uses for example Problem based learning (PBL) or Case based learning (CBL) or some kind of hybrid of these.

• The location - 5 years is a long time to spend in one city, why have you chosen this university?

• Research the University - is there anything that stands out for example a new library or facility?

• Research what hospitals you will be taught at and why you are excited to learn at these hospitals

• If you have attended virtual open days be enthusiastic and explain your experiences at the virtual open day

• Ensure you have looked at the medical schools website; there is often lots of information about the medical schools location, teaching and facilities.

Not researching current health issues that are affecting the NHS and the UK population

Be up to date with current health issues and have an opinion on the management of these issues. As we are currently in a pandemic COVID-19 is one of the major health issues at this current time. Check out our blog on COVID -19 and have a go at some example questions.

However, there are lots of other health issues still affecting the public - some of the common health concerns at the present are :-

• Mental health

• Antibiotic resistance

• Ageing population

• Obesity

• Diabetes

• Smoking and vaping

• There are lots more on the public health website

• Make sure you research the current health issues and a have an overview of why these are a concern

Not knowing about structure of the NHS and how it is funded

The NHS is very complex and large organisation with 1.4 million people employed. Trying to obtain knowledge of this can be very overwhelming so you don’t need to go into too much detail, but you should have a basic overview.

• The NHS is funded by the government; the government decides on the budget and the structure of the NHS.

• Firstly the money is given to the Department of health and social care; they then give some money to the hospitals (for structural issues for example equipment and building repairs), to social care, vaccinations, public health, training staff and regulations.

• After this remainder goes to an organisation called NHS England this organisation funds primary care services such as GP’s, Dentists and opticians; ‘specialist services’ for example rare cancer treatments; military and veteran health services and health services for people in prisons.

• However, GP’s are mainly funded by CCG’s through primary care co-commissioning. The Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) receive money from NHS England, the amount of money each CCG received is dependent on the population, deprivation and the amount of disease in this area.

• The CCG’s decide on what services are provided in each area to meet the needs of each population for example if an area of the UK had an increased incidence of smoking more money may be spent on smoking cessation services as opposed to another area of the UK. This ensures that the health care is delivered fairly across the UK. The NHS foundation trusts then provide the care that the CCGs commission.

You may be asked a question about the funding of a drug or a service and whether it is cost effective or can be justified. For example, if a new drug is available to treat a rare cancer saving the life of an 8 year old boy but costs the same amount of money to treat 10 patients who have bowel cancer who do you allocate the funds to.

Not knowing about the Four Pillars of Ethics and how to apply them

The four pillars of ethics are:

• Autonomy – respect for the patient’s right to self-determination

• Beneficence – the duty to ‘do good’

• Non-Maleficence – the duty to ‘not do bad’

• Justice – to treat all people equally and equitably.

When considering an ethical question ensure you explain how your answer incorporates the four pillars of ethics and consider both sides of the argument before jumping to a conclusion. You should demonstrate how you have decided on your answer.

For example, if a patient decides on refusing a cancer treatment as they believe that they can cure their cancer themselves buy altering their diet.

Autonomy

For the patient making their own decision:

The patient has the right to autonomy and can make their own decisions. It encompasses the patient doctor relationship and is a very important part of decision making in medicine.

Against the patient making their own decision:

The patient may not have capacity at the time, so it is important that the doctor assesses whether the patient has capacity. This is done by ensuring that the patient understands the risks involved with not having the treatment and understands what the treatment involves. If the patient does not have capacity then a best interests meeting may take place, this involves multiple health professionals meeting and deciding on the best treatment for the patient.

Beneficence and non-maleficence

For the patient making their own decision:

Treating someone against their will is not doing good; therefore, giving the treatment is against beneficence.

Against the patient making their own decision:

You could argue as doctors we would like to give the patient the treatment to give the patient a better prognosis (better survival rate and health outcomes). So, this would be beneficence. Additionally, if the patient does not have mental capacity then not treating them will be against beneficence.

Justice

For the patient making their own decision:

The patient has a right to make their own decisions about their treatment providing they are aware of the risks of not receiving the treatment. It is important that these conversations are documented.

Against the patient making their own decision:

The patient may change their mind when disease has progressed, and the treatment may no longer be effective.

Not presenting yourself well on the day of the interview

Even though the interviews are online this year make sure you are smartly dressed and ensure that you make good eye contact throughout the interview. This will help you look engaged.

Top tips for your interview :-

• Smile you only have a short amount of time to make a good impression

• Wear comfortable but smart clothes such as a blouse or shirt

• Try not to wear bold prints, wear neutral colours

• Check your camera before the interview to ensure it is positioned correctly

• Maintain eye contact

• Ensure you have a glass of water nearby in case you get a dry throat

Come and practice your medical school interview skills on our Medical School Interview Course. Learn with doctors who teach at UK medical schools, practice role play and practical tasks and get expert feedback on your performance!

The photos below are from past medical school interview courses (pre COVID).