If you are lucky enough to have received an interview for medical school, then you have a golden opportunity. This is one that very few people will get, and therefore you need to make sure you ace it. The bottom line is that it’s extremely hard to get into medical school; and therefore assessors will only choose the very best candidates. In this blog, we will give you some crucial advice on Medical School Interview Questions and Answers.
Why do you have to take a Medical School Interview?
The best way to look at the medical school interview is that it provides the assessors with crucial information; which they will not be able to pick up from the essays, your academic records or even your test results. It provides them with an overview of the type of presence that you will bring into the patient room. Meeting candidates face to face is absolutely crucial for helping the assessors to come to a decision. The way in which you respond to their questions shows them a huge number of things, namely your ability to interact with others, your ability to comfort and help other people feel relaxed and at ease and the confidence that you inspire.
What type of Medical School Interview will I have to take?
There are many different types of Medical Interview that you might face. You should research thoroughly before attending, to ensure that you know what is to come. These types of interview include:
Panel Interview. A panel interview involves the candidate meeting with, as the name suggests, a panel of interviewers. These interviewers will normally be from different cross sections of the medical school, and could also include 1 or 2 medical students. Given the range of different people asking you questions, you should expect to answer a number of varying concerns from all manner of medical professionals during this interview.
Open Interview. An open interview could take one of two forms. Firstly, the interviewer might ask you questions directly about you. These questions are likely to be extremely extensive, in an attempt to gage your character. The alternative is that the interviewer might grill you on your admissions essay. The purpose of an open interview is for a singular interview to ask questions about information that they specifically know; rather than a group of interviewers asking you more generic questions.
Stress Interview. This is an unorthodox and combative style of interview, where the interviewers will ask you questions that are designed to put you under pressure and make you feel uncomfortable. The purpose of the interview is to test how well you react under stressful or difficult conditions.
Behavioural Interview. A behavioural interview is an interview where the assessors will try to assess you based on examples of your past behaviour. This type of interview assumes that your past performance is the best overall indicator of how you’ll perform in the job role.
Blind Interview. A blind interview is an interview that is conducted with someone who knows nothing about you before the interview begins. This person won’t even have seen your application, meaning that their very first impression of you will be in the interview. You’ll need to give the interviewer a clear insight into who you are, and what you can offer as a medical student. Think of this interview like giving someone a verbal CV.
Medical Interview Questions And Answers
Now, let’s look at some commonly asked questions, that you might expect during your interview.
Q. Why do you want to go to medical school?
This is the one question that you should expect to hear in every single medical interview you attend, so make sure you prepare for it! While it may be extremely obvious to you on why you want to be a doctor, if you cannot express this in a clear, articulate and sensible fashion; you will fail to convince the interviewer. It’s really important to the assessors that you are joining their school for the right reasons. This answer could be one of the most important that you give, so make sure you master it before the interview!
Q. What do you believe is the biggest issue facing medical professionals today?
This is a question that requires thorough research before the interview. It is popularly used, and you will be expected to give an in-depth and educated answer. Don’t be afraid to go out of the box on this one, the interviewers just want to know that you have researched properly and have a genuine interest and knowledge in the field.
Q. What do you think you would find challenging about attending medical school?
Part of being a good doctor or nurse means having a strong level of self-awareness. Nobody is perfect. Regardless of how experienced you are, the medical profession demands self-improvement and focus. Treatment methods are constantly changing, the world is updating at a frenetic pace, and the medical sector needs to keep up. Working as a doctor means you need to be aware of what your own weaknesses are, so that you can go about improving and working on them.
Sample Response:
“As you can see from my CV, I have limited experience to date of dealing with patients. Whilst this could prove challenging for me, I have already taken steps to prepare for every eventuality. Over the last three months I have been shadowing a junior doctor on my ward. I have been watching carefully how he deals with his patients and I have learnt a tremendous amount which will help me to quickly become competent in this area. I have already proven in my previous roles that I have excellent communication skills, so whilst this will initially be a challenge, I have the skills to overcome this. I also thrive in a challenging environment, but if I was ever unsure, then I would always ask a senior doctor, consultant or manager for assistance.”
Q. How do you organise your time?
This is another question, which tests a fundamental quality of any good doctor or nurse. Working in the medical sector demands an extremely strong use of organisational skills. Time wasted could risk the lives of patients, and therefore it’s essential that you are as efficient as possible. The interviewer needs to see this, to ensure they know you are the right person for the role.
Sample Response:
‘I believe it is important to be organised in this job because other people, including patients and work colleagues, are depending on you to perform. Therefore, I always ensure I plan my day well in advance and I always keep my diary up to date. I also like to keep a list of what I aim to achieve on a particular day and this just acts as a reminder so that nothing is missed. If I have any appointments or meetings then I always make sure I arrive a few minutes early. I don’t like to be late for anything as it is other people’s time I am wasting and I avoid that as much as possible. I fully understand how important it is in this profession to be organised and I can be relied upon in this respect. I always spend five to ten minutes at the end of my shift planning the following day’s activities. This enables me to get into the right mind-set before the start of shift as I have already been planning for my workload the day before.”
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If you are interested in joining Medical School, and becoming a qualified Nurse or Doctor; look no further than our guide. Packed full of incredible information, Medical Interview Questions and Answers is the ULTIMATE resource for you.
