Questions Asked (and some suggested responses) 1) When and why did you decide that you wanted to be a doctor? do think about this question in advance. The fact that your father mother unc!e etc is a doctor is not a good enough reason you need to show you interest and enthusiasm for this profession what you cou!d gain from it and how others cou!d benefit from your ro!e ") What wou!d you do if you don#t get into medica! schoo! this year? the pane! want to know that you are committed to medicine and that you wi!! keep trying$ finding another route into medicine via biomed sciences etc %) Te!! me about a patient who interested you whom you met during your work e&perience the pane! are !ooking for evidence of empathy. They a!so want to see what you#ve !earned during work e&perience they were particu!ar!y impressed with those students who cou!d ta!k about the 'team( invo!ved in patient care in hospita! ie not )ust doctors but nurses$ admin$ porters$ c!eaners etc. Work e&perience shou!d inc!ude some 'rea!( patient awareness ie not )ust with a consu!tant on *ar!ey +t but in o!d peop!e#s homes$ with ,- receptionists etc. Those who#d done work in !abs didn#t seem ab!e to ta!k about patients demonstrate empathy. .) Te!! me about a time when you fe!t stressed and how you dea!t with it ie what do you do to re!a& the pane! want to know that you wi!! be ab!e to switch off from the stresses of the course /) Te!! me about a time when you demonstrated !eadership or team ski!!s the pane! were !ooking for candidates who cou!d demonstrate both ski!!s (ie a rounded persona!ity). 0n the back of their minds was wou!d 0 be happy having this person on my team? 1) Te!! me something medica! that has interested you in the media recent!y many candidates ta!ked about what they had read in medica! )ourna!s but one member of the interview pane! wou!d have !iked someone to raise the story about 2ade ,oody#s fight with cancer$ the pub!icity that#s surrounded it and the impact it#s had on the numbers of peop!e !ooking at cancer re!ated websites$ and on numbers going for smear tests. 3n abi!ity to app!y news to medicine in an origina! way is c!ear!y va!ued here. 4) What do you fee! wou!d be an unp!easant part of being a doctor? 5) What contribution wou!d you make to university !ife? this question was asked by the +tudent 6epresentative on the pane! and is a way of ensuring that they are offering p!aces to peop!e who have more to offer than 3 grades. 3 good answer required know!edge of the prospectus and societies faci!ities offered by the university and a!so gives you the chance to suggest something you cou!d set up yourse!f7 +tudents shou!d be prepared to ta!k about anything mentioned in their ersonal Statements$ inc!uding8 o comments that !eft unanswered questions o obvious mistakes (eg one candidate who referred to managed to confuse cerebra! pa!sy and cystic fybrosis the +tudent 6ep cou!dn#t be!ieve that the candidate hadn#t taken time to check this before sending off) o anything in which the pane! were particu!ar!y interested. o What they have !earned from any e&periences mentioned and how that might benefit others They were a!so asked an 'Ethical Question( the pane! had a coup!e of questions that they used during the interviews eg o What are your views on c!oning? o 0f you had 91::$::: to spend$ wou!d you give it to a % year o!d needing a heart transp!ant or to 1:: o!der patients needing hip rep!acements? There were no 'rightwrong( answers but they were encouraged to show empathy and an awareness of ethics when engaging in a debate about the sub)ect. The pane! encouraged candidates to take time to ref!ect on their responses$ considering proscons and to show a ho!istic approach to patient care. !inal suggestions and tips for the interview" application include8 o +howing more than 'te&tbook know!edge and e&!es( of medicine science the question about medicine in the media certain!y addressed this and the pane! wanted to see awareness of8 ;mpathy <urrent issues eg 2ade ,oody ;ven T= programmes and the debates arising from the issues they cover o Think about !ike!y questions$ and your answers$ before the interview o >e prepared to e&pand on anything you mention in interview eg hobbies if you mention reading$ you wi!! need to ta!k about the books you read and$ if re!evant$ !ink them to issues that might arise on the course (ethics?) o ?on#t be too gigg!y overenthusiastic f!at smi!e and re!a&7 o 33@ grades are a given for a!! app!icants to Aedicine they wi!! a!so !ook at >A3T scores and wi!! short!ist those with >A3T scores in >and 1 ". Those with >A3T scores in >and % are un!ike!y to be short!isted. o +tudents who p!an to defer are !ooked upon favourab!y because they are showing commitment to the course$ pursuing opportunities for work e&periences and are !ike!y to be more mature with they start the course