Iceman_jondoe's "How to perform well at PMS interview thread!!!"

[iceman_jondoe]

Hey there peeps. I have taken the liberty of creating this thread to help all you pms hopefulls out there at interview. Its comprised of the reasearch i did when i first prepared for the interview, and includes quotes from various people over 2/3 years worth of threads on how to prepare for it. Happy reading

Firstly my own experience and what i did...
Well i did some research on new media medicine about what sort of questions come up in the PMS interview. The questionnaire at the start wasnt too much of a problem after reading the forums. i prepared answered before hand. The questions that were asked (from what i remember were)

What attributes do you think you possess that make a good doctor?

Its important in all answers you are REFLECTIVE in what you say i.e. any attribute you do list say how it helps you be a good doc. There are keywords or buzzwords most interviewers look for. You should list something along the lines of your a team player (bearing in mind the course is PBL it is essential you get along with others). Doctors should also know importantly how to deal with stress and realise whe they are infact becoming stressed themselves.

Why do you want to come to PMS?

Try to find out something good about the uni. eg i found out that they do shakespear plays in i think exeter and something about it having the largest shopping center in the southwest of england (this is important after all your going to be living there for 5 years)

List four problems with the NHS

I listed 5/6 on the safe side. things like Long waiting lists, postcode prescribing, i mean most of the problems stem from the budget crisis.
There was one more question but i cant remember it right now. but its not too hard. remember they look at the questionnaire as a last resort if you perform equally with another candidate at interview.

Now in terms of the ethical questions use this website:

http://www.ethics-network.org.uk/index.htm

Under ethical issues have a read through all of them confidentiality, consent etc and LEARN the words such as benifiance, munificence. know what they mean because you can use them when your talking about the ehtical scenario i the interview. You should always argue both sides of the argument but NEVER come to a conclusion unless they ask for a personal opinion.

Stress

If they ask you how you deal with stress (they didnt ask me but they could do) you should tell them that you should first realise when you are becoming stress so you can work in a way which wont add to your stress. This would also be a good time to bring up how you deal with stress. i did some reading and it seems certain food (even chocolate) help release endorphins which are stress relief hormones that help calm the body down. Same goes for exercise it helps calm the body down. and you can lead on to so many things about how you exercise and your personal life outside academics eg i find relief thorugh gym and martial arts etc.

Teamwork

They will ask about when youve been in a position of responsibility. Tell them about a position first eg.g managing director of a young enterprise company then tell them how you ENJOYED coping under stressful conditions and how the experience taught you about the strentghs and weaknesses of yourself as well as other individuals.
They will also ask how docs act negatively to stress. the most common answers are drugs and alcohol, i tried to be different and said their professional attitude towards patients may be affected. they may neglect certain patients understress, raise their voice etc.

Difficult decision question

I have to admit on this one i did say "the decision about becoming a doctor" i couldnt think of anything else because i wasnt expecting it to come up. TRY and think of something different that will make you stand out of the crowd.

A few quotes and extra stuff for you guys to read:

Well done on the interview! Fingers crossed for you hope to see you in September

Interview tips... be hot on ethics basically as you'll have to discuss an ethical scenario (mine for instance was a boy involved in an RTA and his parents refusing to let him have a blood transfusion). I got all my info from the UK Clinical Ethics Network - http://www.ethics-network.org.uk/index.htm then follow the link for 'ethical issues' and learn the ones on confidentiality, consent + refusal of treatment and end of life for definite.

Otherwise, make sure you can talk about team work and about dealing with stress - these came up a lot in my interview.

If you have to fill in the questionnaire beforehand make sure you can think of 5 problems with the NHS and good/bad qualities of a doctor - don't forget that you don't have to write reams and reams, I wrote in bullet point so I had more time to go over the ethical situation + write notes on that.

All the best for Monday!

well done, you must be ever so pleased at getting an interview, i agree with ellie on the interview tips, above all, be relaxed as you go in there and most importantly be honest. They like to ask you about stressfull times in your life, when you have had to make difficult decisions and possibly what is your most proudest achievment... these are all points that came up in my interview...
Unlike some other med schools, the interview will not be heavily based on "hot current issues" (i.e problems to do with the NHS, salaries etc)... its much more about finding out what you are like as a person rather than how much you read the BMJ!!

Congrats on getting the interview!! Eh yeah i'd agree with that advice, makes ure youre up on your ethics and remember there are always two sides to an argument, and even if you dont agree with one still mention it. I'd say just be honest and personal and be confident. Oh and i wouldn't spend too long on the questionaire as you need time to look over all the scenarios.

Ethic really important. As Simac mentioned, argue both sides of the argument. Don't be afraid to take a few moments before a question to think about the response. I remember in my interview they asked my what I thought was the greatest achievement I'd made in my life. I couldn't think of anything straight away... I sort of ummed and arrrred for what seemed like hours but then thought of something. When arguing both sides of the argument try to say one side and why you agree with it and then offer possible explanations for why people might argue the opposite side.

I don't really want to tell you my exact scenario that i was given as i don't really feel comfortable doing that but just have some clear thoughts on them before you go in. Read the 4/5 they give you and decide on one fairly quickly. Jot a few notes down but not too many otherwise you'll find yourself reading them and not properly listening to what is being asked.

And as for the knowing what the interviewers are looking for, yes I do know, and so does anyone who has had a PMS interview. The interviews are standardised and the same questions are asked every time, and it is specifically designed to weed out those with such negative personality traits (and we were told this by our tutors, many of whom are on the interview panel). They never ask the conventional questions like why medicine, why PMS etc, and they have a strict set of criteria against which they give you a score, and commitment to the school does not form part of this, that’s all I’m saying, so maybe you should chill out a bit, because if anyone sounds defensive, it’s you

The PMS interview is not only about the ethical scenario. Although most of the questions make reference to the scenario, they are really aimed at getting you to reflect on yourself and your experiences and expectations. Some ethical knowledge is useful, but in my opinion it is not the key to success in the interview.

[iceman_jondoe]

I wouldn't give a second thought about the questionnaire; once again, it plays no role in the normal assessment process. If you were borderline, with another person, then and only then will they refer to your questionnaire to help them make a final decision. The questions are the kinds of things you would expect to put in a personal statement or say in an interview - why medicine, why here, list a few issues facing healthcare.

I understand the principle behind pbl, encouraging self direct learning communication and develpoing new learning skills. But does it really work? upon speaking to some1 (a lecturer at another leading med-school) recently, they said several things which are playing on my mind. 1) Why pay £3K to teach yourself by PBL, the point of university is to be taught by outstanding academics!" 2) PBL is better known as "the blind leading the blind", a group can be learning the wrong concepts of the patholgy of alzheimers disease for instance and nobody would know anybetter until it was possibly 2 l8 at exams time.

Basically as Simac stated PBL is only a small part of the course. As many of you may be aware PMS spends two weeks on a PBL case, and in that time you will receive expert led lectures, anatomy, physiology, clinical skills, and medical imaging classes. You will also go on a related community placement.

The aim of PBL is to encourage SDL and allow everyone to apply what they are currently learning to a problem based case. While there will be many things that you will look at as a PBL class which are not taught in any way by the school, the basic anatomy, physiology, and biosciences will be discussed in small expert led classes

DEFINITELY EXETER!!!!!! But i've never seen plymouth so i am totally biased. The accomodation is pretty much in the centre of everything: PMS building, clinical skills, town centre, tesco's, pubs and clubs are all only a couple of minutes walk away. It's perfect! Plus according to some of my mates here, Exeter is a much more friendly place to be than plymouth (apparently its quite rough). If you wanna come to exeter you need to start thinking of a good reason to give them cos they dont usually let you just choose!

I'm not quite sure about the range of intercalated degress available, cos no one here is actually doing them yet, so i dont think PMS even knows! I would have thought that any biochemistry, anatomy or physiology type courses will definitely be available, and they will also be doing humanities degrees too. We'll find out more once the current 4th years start doing them this september.

Yeah PMS is really cool, it has its teething problems like any new medical school, but one thing that stands out is that the school is sooo willing to help you with absolutely anything they can. In some medical schools there can be an element of shame in asking for help, especially with academic stuff, but its really not like that here. All the facilities are brand new, we've already been taught clinical skills that some of the teachers here didnt learn til 5th year, and the placements are brilliant. Some people here have been to fertility clinics (and actually seen ripe eggs being harvested), young offenders institutions, midwives, paediatric wards in the hospitals and loads more. There's not many medical schools in the UK that offer this amount of clinical experience so early on in the course.

Some of the topics we cover in 1st year:
Hand hygiene & Hospital acquired infection
Universal precautions & Needle stick injury & waste disposal
Basic life support
Height, weight and BMI
Examination of the female genitalia
Examination of the male genitalia
Receiving a history - Initiating the session
Examination of the pregnant abdomen
Estimation of fetal growth & charts
BP measurement & pulse
Venepuncture
Receiving a history - Building relationship
TPR and charting
Lymph nodes
Injection techniques, drug dose calc
Examination of the new born & child growth charts
Venepuncture
Receiving a history - Gathering information
Musculoskeletal Examination
Process & Content and how to use the generic symptom framework
Receiving a history - Closing the session
Scrubbing, gloving & gowning Aseptic technique & theatre etiquette
Breast examination
Thyroid examination
Receiving a history - Alcohol & smoking history
Spirometry & peak flow
Receiving a history - Respiratory history
Respiratory exam
Inhaler technique
Receiving a history - Cardiovascular History
Perform an ECG
Cardiovascular examination
GI exam inc PR and liver & spleen & inguinal
Receiving a history - GI history
Examination of swellings
Family charts
Cranial Nerve Examination
Motor examination & Gait
Sensory exam
Receiving a history - CNS history
Ophthalmoscopy
Otoscopy


Ethics, don't they make the world go round?

[iceman_jondoe]

Don't worry about the actual scenario itself, even if you knew it in advance it would not really help with 9 of the 10 questions you will be asked. The scenario is more of a spring-board to discuss your thoughts and feelings about different aspects of medicine.


questions written which i have to answer on stuff like nhs issues in the news, why peninsula, why wud you be a good doctor, blah blah blah. U will also be given 3 ethical scenarios of which u have to choose one which will be the basis of your interview, which u will then be called for and they will ask u about the scenario questions such as what are the issues, they never ask u what exactly u wud choose to do i dont think, more asking u how u wud feel about it etc. One thign that was quite important apparently was to say that u wud also ask the consultant for advice in each scenario - apparently that was quite a big decider last year on which of us they gave offers and those that got rejected as they didnt mention this.

The interview is not an ethics test, although a basic appreciation of ethical issues will help a little. The scenario is used as a context (or a spring-board) to talk about your own thoughts, feelings and expectations.

There are no trick questions, but there are some really searching personal questions - be honest and open. Think of the messages you want to get across to the interviewers, about yourself, and make sure you include them in your answers - this is really important because you are unlikely to be asked "What's so good about you?".

It is important to realize that the scenarios have you as a junior doctor. Be realistic about your knowledge and abilities as such a Doctor.

Look again at the key attributes PMS like to see in a medical student (as listed in the prospectus). Consider each in turn - what can you tell the interviewers about yourself that demonstrates you have these qualities?

Don't lose too much sleep over the questionnaire, its primary purpose is to get you thinking immediately before the interview, rather than assessing you. In other words, it is for your benefit.

On a practical note, my understanding is the PBL part of the interview process has been stopped. Besides the questionnaire and interview, you will get a talk from PMS staff, do a bit of admin, then meet a few current med students. I will helping out in Exeter, 16th and 23rd November, am.

Don't lose the plot during the interview if you think one of your answers was poor - just make the next answer better. Everybody comes out of the room wishing they had answered some of the questions in a different way!

Finally, you can talk about many of the attributes that make a good doctor, but there is one you demonstrate throughout the interview - communication. Take care with what you say and how you say it.


I found questions like 'talk about a time when you were stressed' and 'how do you cope with stress' very annoying. I'm fortunate in that I don't get very worked up about exams and haven't had any great trauma in my life, so my answers to these questions were waffling falsehood

my interview that I had to "lie" about "major decisions in my life".


The pms interview is structured as it for a number of reasons. By using specific questions they can be more objective about your answers, scoring them. The questions are like they are to try and assess your reflective nature. Tomorrows doctors and the way medicine should be done nowadays is reflective, so they assess this. You might not think that youve had any great stress is your life, but you would have had some and they're not caring how terrible it was, just how you reflect on this.

Basically, the point is that in an interview "about you" you'll repeat lots of the stuff on your ucas form, which is again marked objectively. Its also unfair on people who have not had the same opportunities as others.

Also included is a kind of *gut* feeling on whether you would like this person to be your doctor. If you come across as unprofessional and conceited you wouldnt do very well.

The interview is designed to test your reflective nature (difficult using ucas forms) and very subjectively your affinity towards people, in the most fair way possible.

Had my PMS interview today. You're given a choice of three ethical scenarios from which you choose one - but the questions remain the same, whichever. It's very structured, and everyone gets asked exactly the same.

I found you do have a chance to slip in stuff you want to talk about (one of the questions they give you on a form beforehand is 'tell us about an achievement you're proud of'!). But they are clearly looking for - not particular answers, that's unfair; but a certain kind of response.

I came out a bit pissed off, but more because I got nerves which doesn't normally happen to me. FWIW, my tip is - obvious, I know - listen to the question, cos a lot of them are not exactly about ethics but more 'how would this make you FEEL'.

One of the students said a lot of tree-hugging went on at PMS. She meant this in a good way (and I really liked the place) - but it was borne out by the interview for sure. Seems they're after you baring your soul.

Good luck to everyone. The life sciences room is fab!

got asked questions like, tell us about how you went about making a major decision in your life, or tell us about a time in your life when you felt upset and confused, How does it make you FEEL when a patient falsely accuses you?, An achievement that you are proud of and why? How would you go about making a decision regarding a patient(in the ethical scenario) treatment...hmmm, i found these questions tricky, but they were nice enough to allow you some time to think about it. Another weird thing was that they kept a glass of water on the ground next to my chair, just in case I was thirsty...
After my interview, they had a group PBL session which wasnt counted for the interview but was designed as a taster session for us...

You are taken to an preparation room 30 minutes before your interview starts (your interview time should be on your letters) in this room you will be given a questionnaire to fill in which has questions like why do you want to be a doctor? why do you want to study at PMS? and i think they might ask you to write briefly about a problem the NHS currently experiences. This part of the interview process doesn't hold as much weight as the rest so don't worry about it too much. You will also be given 3 ethical scenarios of which you have to choose one. You should then spend around 10 minutes thinking about the issues surrounding the scenario. In your interview you will be asked a number of questions about the scenario for example; how would this make you feel as a doctor and can you relate this back to any past experiences. The interview panel do not have your personal statement and know nothing about you.

The interview panel consists of one med school employee, one health care proffessional, and one related proffessional (i think). All the interviewers are nice and me and my colleague will be around all morning to help with anything. Hope this helps and try not to worry.

See you wed

hey, i had my interview in november and yes the interview was based mainly on the ethical scenario and how u would respond to stress (when was a time u were stressed? when did u have to make a difficult decision and when did u work effectively as a team? and your feelings). so if you want to talk more about u its best to try and get all the good stuf from ur personal statement into the interview somehow . good luck every1 and dont worry too much every1's really nice

Questions

What are 7 problems with the NHS?
What do you think are the good/bad qualities of a doctor?
Give us an example of when you worked as part of a team/can you relate this back to any past experiences?
How do you deal with stress?
Tell us of a time when you were stressed.
Tell us of a time when you had to make a major decision in your life,
When did you have to make a difficult decision in your life?
What is your most proudest achievement?
Why do you want to study medicine?
Why do you want to study at PMS
List a few issues facing healthcare?
Why would you be a good doctor?
What are the issues with this scenario? And how do you feel about it?
What further steps would you take to confirm your decision (Ask the consultant for advice!)
Attributes that make up a good doc?
Tell us of an achievement you are proud of? – i.e. chess how I learnt it quickly and docs should be able to learn quickly.
Tell us about a time when you felt upset or confused.
How does it make you FEEL when a patient falsely accuses you?

They will say "tell us about a medically related story"

Some ideas would be "excercise seems more beneficial in weight loss than dieting", or "the use of zolpidem in waking up PVS (persistent vegetative state) patients".

Check out BBC news health section and do a little research so you can talk around the subject.

REMEMBER RELATE EACH ANSWER TO HOW IT WILL HELP YOU AS A DOC!


Best of luck with all your interviews guys


Iceman_jondoe

[Dr Noodle]

You're an angel You've gone and done all the work for us! If I get in, I'll owe you a pint big time Now if I could only get invited for an interview...

[iceman_jondoe]

lol i dont drink but thanks for the offer

[Sephie]

Thank you so much, this is much appreciated. I'm now settling down for a night in with your advice to read. Thanks

[atat88]

i applied last year and didnt get in and i think i saw you at my interview. I'm gonna be honest with you i thought u wer abit of a prat and after lukin through media medicine i realised you got into med and i didnt. I'll be honest once again this just added to my rage of not getting in.

Im currently on a gap year and im applying to PMS again. Ive just come across this thread youve produced and it must have taken you a very long time to make. I sure know i wudnt have done sumthing like this if i was in yor shoes and therefore you have my full respect. You probably dont know who i am and dont care for my respect but i just thought i'd thank you on behalf of everyone whos applying to PMS this year.

[noworries]

Ha! Now everyone will be so well prepared the threshold is going to be 35.5 this year

[iceman_jondoe]

i applied last year and didnt get in and i think i saw you at my interview. I'm gonna be honest with you i thought u wer abit of a prat and after lukin through media medicine i realised you got into med and i didnt. I'll be honest once again this just added to my rage of not getting in.

Im currently on a gap year and im applying to PMS again. Ive just come across this thread youve produced and it must have taken you a very long time to make. I sure know i wudnt have done sumthing like this if i was in yor shoes and therefore you have my full respect. You probably dont know who i am and dont care for my respect but i just thought i'd thank you on behalf of everyone whos applying to PMS this year.

Your welcome..and im sorry if i came across like a prat!..i dont actually remember many of the people i met..but i know it was just a few..are you sure it was me? I remember just hanging around with one other asian guy mostly and that was it. But anyway nevertheless i hope all you guys get in.

[atat88]

Your welcome..and im sorry if i came across like a prat!..i dont actually remember many of the people i met..but i know it was just a few..are you sure it was me? I remember just hanging around with one other asian guy mostly and that was it. But anyway nevertheless i hope all you guys get in.

lol well in that case it may not have been you as i tink i was with 4 people that day. oops.