Are you thinking about the next stage in your career? Is that next step securing your place on an internal medical training, core training, or specialist training programme? Well, on this page we give you an overview of what to expect and share some valuable advice. We’ve helped thousands of doctors successfully prepare for interview over the past 20 years. So, you’re in good company in reading this webpage to help your preparations.
Process overview
It’s essential to realise that the interview process is not the pass/fail exam format that you have experienced so often in your medical career to date. Yes, you need to reach some basic standards. However, the training programme recruitment team want to take on the very best candidates available to them. So, assuming you reach their basic standards, you are now in competition with all the other applicants who have applied for the same programme.
Although the exact approach, in terms of time-scale, application and interview format varies from one to another, the majority of IMT, CT and ST medical interview processes follow the pattern below.
You may be surprised to see that we’ve put “Gain experience” as the first step her. But without experience, you won’t have anything to refer to when you complete your self-assessment application or during the interview itself. We’ll return to this idea at several points on this page.
Recruitment processes for UK training programmes are managed by a variety of organisations. Yet, all applications are managed through the NHS Oriel system. A thorough user guide and up-to-date timelines are available at www.oriel.nhs.uk.
Self-assessment application
The majority of recruitment processes use the approach of doctors submitting a digital application with self-assessment scoring across various defined criteria. You are asked to submit evidence to demonstrate how well you fulfil each element of the criteria and to score yourself in line with the published guidance. Again, exact detail and awarding of points varies from one programme to another.
A recent list of the topics for Core Surgical Training applications included providing evidence and rating yourself for:
- Commitment to surgery
- Involvement in quality improvement and/or clinical audit
- Presentations and publications
- Teaching Experience
- Training qualifications
For IMT, the list included providing evidence and rating yourself for:
- Quality improvement
- Leadership
- Teaching
- Presentations
- Publications
It can take a fair bit of time to complete your digital application. If you know when the application window is going to open, then you can plan ahead.
As mentioned, the scoring is specific for each programme. For example, you may be awarded 1 point for having attended a 2 day Teach the Teacher Course for one programme, or 3 points if you have attended the same course for another programme. The criteria also vary from one year to another and are often published at very short notice, just ahead of the application deadline, (click here to read about a recent example in our blog post). We’ll return to this point in our section on Preparation Tips further down this webpage.
Doctors of all levels must adhere to the highest standards of probity. So, you must resist any temptation to exaggerate your experience or inflate your self-assessment scores. Recruitment teams take a very dim view on this. Along with checking your evidence against the various criteria, your application is also thoroughly checked for honesty and integrity. Any issues with this and you could find your scores being reduced, your application refused or you could even be facing professional disciplinary action. So, be true to to the process, and to yourself. If in any doubt about evidence or scoring, ask for guidance from your peers and supervisors.
Interview format
Assuming you have not only exceeded the basic standards, but scored well enough in your digital application, you will be invited to interview.
In recent years, many of the interview programmes for this level of medical career, but not all, have been conducted virtually. This has proven to be an efficient way of working for both the interview teams and candidates.
Again, although formats vary, the majority take the approach of a series of interview stations. Timing for each station is usually around 10-15 minutes and from any number of the following:
- Your career choices and motivations
- Your portfolio, achievements and personal qualities
- Ethical dilemmas and professional integrity
- Your clinical knowledge
- Patient communication – (potentially role-play)
- Deliver a presentation on a given topic
- Demonstrate a practical skill
- Critically appraise an academic paper
You will be advised what to expect in advance to help your preparations.
Preparation tips
You’ll remember that we stated in the Process Overview that the first stage is to Gain Experience. It pays to think ahead and to be proactive.
Proactive personal development
You can set yourself on the path to success well in advance of the date when the application window opens. For example, if you know that your application is likely to include being scored on evidence of leadership, or quality improvement, then get involved ad keep notes of your best experiences. You can then refer to these examples during your interview. Even better, completing a Medical Leadership and Management Course will give you good foundational principles to work with AND a CPD certificate which you can present as evidence in you application. Communication skills are another area which benefits from such dedicated focus.
Each year, we experience a huge surge in doctors wanting to attend our Teach the Teacher Course when the application window opens. They all want to gain their certificate to boost their score. Inevitably, some are disappointed when courses are fully booked. In addition, those who have taken the course well in advance will again have had the opportunity to try out what they have learned and present this as good evidence of experience and ability at their interview.
Direct interview preparation
Whether you have been proactive in your personal development, you need to be able to present yourself, your experiences, abilities and opinions in an effective manner on the day of the interview. There’s a lot at stake and it’s normal to be nervous.
For any interview, your confidence will gain a boost if you have a firm understanding of 3 key areas and have practiced answering relevant interview questions.
- Know yourself – what are your motivations, strengths, best experiences and development requirements?
- Know the job – what will be expected of you in this training programme and where will it lead?
- Know the system – how does the training programme fit into the heathcare system?
If you’re confident that you can do that well, then you’re good to go! If not, then some dedicated support, such as our ST & CT Medical Interview Course or our ST & CT Medical Interview Guide book could be the ideal solutions for you.
You may also find it useful to explore the experiences of our Junior Doctor Panel.
They are a small group of medical students and junior doctors working in different roles who share their experiences with us and with you via blog-posts and interviews that we share on our website and across social media. They discuss their success and challenges, what helped them and what has hindered them, along with their thoughts on how to progress and what they have learned along the way.
So, are you taking positive steps to prepare for your interview?
Develop your abilities. Maximise your potential.
