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Medicine Interview Questions
Got a medicine interview coming up and unsure where to start? One thing we always recommend is writing model answers to common questions that have come up in the past.
The sample medicine interview questions provided in the article are a great starting point for practise. Try to practise with a friend and get them to give you feedback on your answer.
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Motivation for Medicine Interview Questions
Below you will find some common medicine interview questions focused on your motivation for medicine. Try to keep your answers precise and reflective and avoid clichés such as “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was little”. While this response is not bad, try to elaborate on the ‘why’ and what it was specifically that was the catalyst for your decision. You should also make sure you have a well-rounded understanding of the profession.
- Why do you want to do medicine?
- What are the pros and cons of medicine?
- What do you want to specialise in?
- Why would you want to be a GP?
- Why would you want to be a hospital physician?
- Why would you want to be a surgeon?
- What do you wish to achieve in your career in medicine, aside from clinical practice?
- Describe some health professionals that work alongside doctors, and explain what they do.
- What do nurses do?
- Why do you want to be a doctor rather than a nurse?
- Why do you want to be a doctor rather than a physicians associate?
- What do physiotherapists do?
- What do counsellors do?
- What do occupational therapists do?
- Describe an interesting medical development in recent times.
- In the history of medicine, what has been the most important development?
- When you think about becoming a doctor, what do you look forward to most and least?
- What impact do you hope to make in the field of medicine?
- Tell us about Hippocrates.
- Do you read any medical publications?
- Why do you want to be a doctor, rather than another profession that is caring or intellectually challenging?
- What one question would you ask if you were interviewing others to study medicine? What would you most like us to ask you in this interview?
- Do you agree with the statement “medicine is a vocation”?
- What do you think makes a good doctor?
- What draws you to this medical school?
- Tell us about yourself
- What is a particular aspect of medicine that interests you?
- What is the role of general practicioners?
- Describe a time where a doctor inspired you
- Tell me about a medicine-related book that you’ve read
- What do you think interviewers should be looking for whilst interviewing?
- What makes you unqiue compared to other candidates?
- How would you dissuade someone from studying medicine?
- How would you like your future patients to describe you as a doctor?
- Do you have any particular experiences that you feel may help you in your medical career?
- Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
- What would you do if you didn’t get a place at any medical school?
- What would you do on a gap year to strengthen your application?
- What is one thing that you feel is important that we know about you?
- Why do you think people leave the medical profession?
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Understanding of Medicine Interview Questions
- How do you perceive the balance between maintaining patient empathy and clinical detachment in the medical profession?
- Describe a recent medical article you found intriguing. What insights did you gain from it?
- Reflect on a recent public health campaign you’ve seen. Evaluate its effectiveness.
- In your opinion, what constitutes the essential role of a doctor?
- How do you perceive the structure and approach of the medical course at this university?
- Compare the educational benefits of dissection versus prosection in teaching anatomy.
- Predict the impact of technological advancements on future medical practices.
- Identify key attributes you believe are crucial for a successful doctor.
- Discuss the major challenges you foresee for the NHS in the upcoming years.
- Share an experience where you contributed to a team effort in a medical environment.
- Analyse how changes in healthcare policies and funding might shape the future of medicine.
- What are your insights on the NHS’s Longterm Future Workforce Plan?
- Recall an instance where you explained complex medical details to a non-professional. How did you feel?
- What ethical dilemmas do you think will be predominant in medicine in the near future?
- Describe how you handled a challenging patient or situation in a healthcare setting.
- Predict how medical education might transform in the next half-decade.
- Project the evolution of medical education over the next decade.
- Describe a situation in a medical context where you utilised critical thinking.
- How do you envision the role of doctors evolving in the years to come?
- Talk about a time you experienced significant pressure in a healthcare environment. How did you cope?
- Discuss how the medical sector might adapt to an ageing population in the coming years.
- What is your understanding of the health and demographics of the local community?
- What, in your view, should be the primary aim of medicine?
- Discuss your understanding of the impact of emerging technologies on patient care and diagnostics.
- How do you see holistic medical approaches being integrated into traditional medical practices?
- Explain the significance of interdisciplinary teamwork in contemporary healthcare.
- Describe your understanding of how the NHS operates.
- What are your thoughts on the NHS Postcode Lottery and its implications?
- What is your understanding of the career trajectory for medical students post-graduation?
- What aspects of studying at this institution are you most looking forward to?
Personality Medicine Interview Questions
- What is your main strength?
- Give three adjectives that best describe you?
- Why should we give you a place?
- What attributes do you have that will make you a good doctor?
- Could you think of a situation where your communication skills made a difference to the outcome of a situation?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Are you an empathetic person?
- Who has had a major influence on you as a person?
- What are your main interests?
- Give an example where you have played an effective role as a team member
- What makes you a good team player?
- What makes you a good team leader?
- Why is teamwork important?
- Do all teams need a leader?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of working in a team?
- Do you work better by yourself or as part of a team?
- Are you a leader or a follower?
- How do you manage your time?
- What is the difference to you between empathy and sympathy?
- How do you tackle criticism?
- How do you control your ego?
- How would you give another medical student criticism?
- How will you avoid burnout which doctors and medical students often experience?
- What is your greatest strength?
- How will you overcome challenges within medicine?
- What qualities do you think you need to improve on to be a good doctor?
- How do you think other people describe you?
- How would you cope with the death of a patient?
- When do you seek out help with your academics?
- What have you gained from your hobbies?
- Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Why or why not?
- Do you think academic or social intelligence is more important as a doctor?
- What about your personality would you change?
- Why do you think diversity is important in medicine?
- How would you manage interacting with patients from various cultural backgrounds that you may be unfamiliar with?
Kickstart your Interview Prep
Book a session with one of our expert interview tutors to boost your chances of getting into medical school! Call us on +44 (0) 203 305 9593 for a free consultation.
Your Skills Medicine Interview Questions
- How good are your organisational skills?
- How do you cope with stress?
- Medicine requires a great deal of independent study and organisation. How will you manage it?
- Tell me about a non-academic project in which you were involved.
- What positions of responsibility have you held, and what did you learn from them?
- Give an example of a situation where you have made a mistake and how you reacted
- Why did you choose the A Level subjects you are studying?
- What do you think university can offer you?
- What other societies would you like to get involved in at university?
- Give an example of a time where you showed resilience
- How do you tackle conflict?
- Give an example of when you displayed good communication skills
- Can you learn good communication skills
- What skills do you have that you feel are needed in a doctor?
- Why is it important do respect patient confidentiality?
- Why is professionalism important in medicine?
- How do you react when you make a mistake?
- How would you apologise to patient after making a mistake?
- Give an example of something that you had a strong opinion on but you changed your mind. What made you change your mind? How do you think now?
- What do you think will be your greatest challenge in medicine?
- Describe an event that you planned, what made it successful and how would you improve it?
- Do you think doctors should “feel for their patients”?
- What is an experience that you learned a lot from?
- What skills do you have that you feel others value in you?
- What would you do if you were unsure of a patient’s diagnosis?
Kickstart your Interview Prep
Book a session with one of our expert interview tutors to boost your chances of getting into medical school! Call us on +44 (0) 203 305 9593 for a free consultation.
Work Experience Medicine Interview Questions
- What did you learn from your work experience?
- Can you tell me about a memorable situation you observed, and what you learned from it?
- What important qualities did you notice from doctors during your work experience?
- What is the reason we want our applicants to do work experience?
- How did your work experience change your view of the NHS or medicine?
- You shadowed a surgeon for a week, what springs to mind when you hear multidisciplinary team?
- After an operation, what is the role of the medical team in the patient’s care?
- Apart from the operating theatre, did you shadow the surgeons in another setting such as a clinic?
- What are the current issues surrounding surgeries?
- What are the challenges of being a surgeon?
- You did work experience in a GP reception, how did you find that?
- What do you feel about the Telephone Triage system used in many General Practices?
- How did you find the fact that GPs only get 10 minutes per consultation?
- What are the challenges of being a GP?
- Do you think more GPs should have telephone consultations as an option for patients?
- Do you feel that the public’s perception of GPs is misrepresentative
- What did you notice about the skills doctors needed when they were carrying out a patient history?
- What did you notice about the doctors you were shadowing in their approach to patients?
- What was the roles of different members of the multidisciplinary team during a ward round?
- What challenges did you observe the doctor face whilst on work experience?
- What is something you observed a doctor do during work experience that you would do differently?
- What are the challenges of being a doctor?
- What was the most enjoyable part of your work experience?
- Describe the doctor’s approach when they were breaking bad news
- What is something you saw a doctor do that you feel could be improved?
- Who is the most important member of a multi-disciplinary health care team?
- Is there anything about how hospitals are run that you would change?
- What did you find suprising whilst doing your work experience?
- What does the term “holistic care” mean to you?
- What did the doctors do during your work experience that impressed you the most?
- What is something that you wish you saw on your work experience?
- What did you hope to gain from your work experience?
- Who inspired you the most during your work experience?
- What is the most important skill needed to take a good history?
- Were there any parts of your work experience that you didn’t enjoy?
Medical Ethics Interview Questions
- Do you believe that euthanasia should be allowed?
- Why is confidentiality important?
- Can confidentiality ever be broken. If so, when can it be?
- Should doctors be allowed to strike?
- Should doctors be allowed to protest?
- You are part of a medical council deciding upon allocation for a liver transplant. There is one liver, but two patients. Patient A is a 75 year old war hero and non-drinker. Patient B is a an ex-alcoholic who is a lone parent at the age of 27. Who should get the organ?
- Organ donation in the UK is currently via an opt-out system, whereby by default option is no donation. Discuss opt-out schemes, and other methods to increase donations of organs in the UK
- A woman who is bleeding heavily refuses to receive a blood transfusion that you are proposing. Why do you think this might be? How would you handle the issue?
- A man refuses treatment for a potentially life-threatening condition. What are the ethical issues involved?
- Do you think that Class A drugs should be legalised?
- Do you think it should be compulsory for doctors to report to the police if their patients use illegal drugs?
- How do you respond and what do you feel when you see a beggar in the street?
- What do you think about the use of animals for testing new drugs?
- Should doctors have a role in contact sports such as boxing?
- Do you think we should find out more about patients’ views of their doctors, their illness or their treatments? How would you set about this?
- Some Trusts are refusing to perform some elective operations on obese patients. Why do you think that it? Do you think it’s right?
- Is it right that Viagra should only be available to certain groups of men?
- Would you perform abortions as a doctor?
- What are some pros and cons of abortion?
- What is your feeling about euthanasia?
- Do you think the Hippocratic oath is outdated?
- Would you prescribe the oral contraceptive pill to a 14-year old girl who is sleeping with her boyfriend?
- Female infertility treatment is expensive, has a very low success rate and is even less successful in smokers. To whom do you think it should be available?
- How do you think doctors should treat injury or illness due to self-harm, smoking or excess alcohol consumption?
- With the growing problems of overpopulation should the NHS fund IVF treatment?
- What is a doctor’s role in ensuring a patient can give informed decision?
- What are the ethical issues involved when a patient under 16 wants to refuse treatment?
- What are the pros and cons of banning alcohol?
- What are the four ethical pillars? Can you give examples when you have seen these in practice?
- Do you think marijuana should be provided free to particular patients on the NHS?
- Do you think alternative or complementary medicine should have an increased role in the NHS?
- Should vaccines be made compulsory for medical students?
- What would you do if a patient with an STI was refusing to tell their partner about their STI and plans to continue to have sex with this partner?
- What issues would you consider when deciding to allocate an organ to a patient?
- How would you react as medical student if a patient told only you private information and asked you not to tell anyone?
- What would you do as a GP, if a 13 year old patient asked you for the contraceptive pill?
- What would you do as a doctor, if you overheard someone on the phone in the supermarket having a conversation about their recent symptoms and you believed that they had cancer?
- Do you think animal tesing should be used for drug development?
- Should doctors complain about their employer or colleagues on social media?
- What consequences might a doctor face from whistleblowing?
The NHS Medicine Interview Questions
- How would you define the fundamental principles of the NHS?
- In what ways do you believe the NHS stands out from other healthcare systems?
- Can you elaborate on the NHS’s core values?
- Explain the concept of value-based recruitment in the NHS and its necessity.
- What aspects of the NHS do you think could be enhanced?
- Describe the organisational structure of the NHS.
- How might the NHS uphold its commitment to free, universal healthcare amidst financial and political pressures?
- Identify what you consider the most significant challenge currently facing the NHS.
- If you had the authority, what changes would you implement to address this challenge?
- Given £1 billion to invest in one area of the NHS, which would you choose and why?
- How would you introduce the NHS to someone unfamiliar with it?
- What strategies could address understaffing in the NHS without additional funding?
- Discuss the key healthcare issues confronting the NHS in 2023.
- What measures can the NHS take to enhance patient care and satisfaction in the future?
- How should the NHS tackle the ongoing issues of underfunding and understaffing?
- What role do you envision for technology in the NHS’s future?
- Propose your approach to reforming the NHS.
- How can the NHS continue delivering quality care amidst rising demands and costs?
- What strategies might the NHS employ to manage the challenges of an ageing population?
- Suggest ways to improve mental health services within the NHS.
- How could the NHS effectively collaborate with other healthcare organisations?
- Discuss the most pressing ethical dilemmas the NHS faces.
- Differentiate between health equity and health equality.
- How can the NHS advocate for health equity and social justice in the UK?
- What role should the NHS play in tackling climate change and promoting environmental sustainability?
- How can the NHS adapt to remain relevant and responsive to the UK’s evolving healthcare needs?
- Envision your potential contribution to the future of the NHS.
- Discuss the reasons behind NHS healthcare professionals moving to work in Australia.
- What is your perspective on the role of private healthcare in the UK?
- Share your views on the proposition of a 7-Day NHS.
NHS Hot Topics Interview Questions
Here are some NHS Hot Topics for you to revise from. However, these are consistently updating so be sure to check websites like BBC News.
- What do you know about the Junior Doctors contract dispute?
- Do you think it was right for doctors to go on strike?
- What do you know about the proposals for a 7 Day NHS?
- Should there be a 7 day NHS?
- What can you tell me about the Charlie Gard case?
- Name an ethical dilemma that has been raised after the case.
- Name one consequence you think Brexit will have on the NHS?
- What do you know about the Dr Bawa Garba case?
- How do you think further cases like the Dr Bawa Garba case can be prevented?
- What can you tell me about the government’s view about Mental Health?
- How would you tackle the current mental health crisis?
- What are challenges of having an ageing population?
- What do you know about the current obesity crisis?
- Do you think the sugar tax has been effective?
- Give a two line summary of the NHS and its role in society.
- How does the NHS finance its services?
- Could you tell me about the principles of the NHS that it is based on?
- Give me two new changes to the NHS due to the Health and Social Care Act
- Could you give me reasons why the government carried out this reform?
- Do you support changes to the National Health Service? Why?
- What has the reaction been to the Health and Social Care Act?
- How can we save money on the NHS?
- How do you think privatisation will impact the NHS?
- What are the pros and cons of private healthcare?
- What would you do to increase retainment of NHS staff?
- How could artificial intelligence be utilised in healthcare?
- Should GPs consultation time be extended to 10 minutes long each?
- What is the role of the General Medical Council and British Medical Association?
- Why is antibiotic resistance a global threat?
- How does antibiotic resistance develop?
Covid-19 Interview Questions
- Should wearing masks in public places e.g shops be made compulsory?
- What measures did the government use to tackle Covid-19?
- What do you think the government could have done more effectively to help reduce the spread of the virus?
- Should people be fined for breaking Covid rules e.g ignoring social distancing rules?
- Is it right for PCR tests from certain countries to not be accepted by the UK?
- What is herd immunity?
- What is an RNA vaccine?
- Should the vaccine be made compulsory for everybody?
- What some places been more affected by coronavirus than others?
- Why was there a shortage of ventilators?
- What has been the impact of coronavirus on mental health?
- What do you think is going to be the long-term impact of coronavirus on the NHS?
- Do you think influencers should be used to encourage the general public to take the vaccine?
- What are the pros and cons of paying people to take the vaccine?
- How would you tackle the rise in coronavirus vaccine misinformation?
- Why do you think some people may be reluctant to get the vaccine?
- How would you explain the importance of wearing a mask to a 10 year old child?
- Do you think people should share coronavirus information on social media?
- Why do you think obesity has risen during the pandemic? How would you tackle this?
- Should hospitals have let visitors in to see their relatives when it was clear their relative would pass away?
- How do you think coronavirus has impacted the morale of healthcare workers?
- How has coronavirus impacted your view on medicine and working in the NHS?
- Was it right for care homes to ban visits from relatives?
- How does politics influence healthcare?
- Do you think it should be mandatory that the Health Secretary have a healthcare background?
- Should health decisions be made by the Health Secretary?
- Who would you prioritise to get the coronavirus vaccine first?
- What do you think will be the impact of countries hoarding vaccines?
- Should pharmaceutical companies charge countries for the vaccine?
- What do you think is the current greatest threat to the health of the UK population?
You can find more Covid-19 medicine interview questions in our other articles.
Academic Medicine Interview Questions
You will unlikely be asked very academic medicine questions outside of your understanding from A-Level or equivalent exams. Oxbridge medical interviews can differ slightly, however. If you are applying to Oxford or Cambridge, you can find some common Oxbridge medicine interview questions in our article. Here are some common academic questions that you may be asked.
- What are the ethical implications and potential benefits of utilising stem cells in medical research and treatments?
- Calculate the volume required to administer 10 g of Brufen from a 1 L bag containing a 5% solution. How would you approach this in a clinical setting?
- Discuss the primary functions of red blood cells in the human body and their importance in overall health.
- Discuss the physiological impact of drugs on the body and how they interact with other medications.
- Describe the causes and treatment options for autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis or lupus.
For more medicine interview questions and answers, check out our FREE MMI mock stations.
37% of applicants get rejected at interview, making it the toughest stage – Often, practising questions alone isn’t enough to get you into the medical school of your choice. Luckily, Medic Mind has built a personalised 1-1 interview course where you can connect with a tutor from your university within minutes and kickstart your medical school interview preparation and get into the medical school of your choice. Click here to find out more.
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Frequently Asked Question
🎁 When do medical schools give out offers?
It very much depends on the university. Many medical schools give out offers 3 weeks after the interview takes place and some inform you the next day! The most important thing is to stay patient and remember as long as you’ve given it your all there is a solid chance you will get an offer.
🔑 How will medicine interviews be different in 2024?
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 means many medicine interviews will be online this year but you can use this to your own advantage. Practice preparing for an interview online as this is what you should expect.
🔨 How should I structure my medicine interview question answers?
You should use this guide to write bullet point model answers and practice them in the mirror. A good tip is to record yourself speaking out loud and saying answers to these questions. The answers should have a clear structure – One common method is to use the STARR method.
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366 Comments
AnonymousMedic Mind Tutor
14 July 2021
Good
Anonymous2.0Medic Mind Tutor
15 August 2021
nice
hehehahaMedic Mind Tutor
15 August 2021
good
AnonymousMedic Mind Tutor
22 September 2021
Very thorough list of questions covering a broad range of topics!
AnonymousMedic Mind Tutor
11 December 2021
Amazing resource
AnonymousMedic Mind Tutor
1 January 2022
Just what i needed
AnonymousMedic Mind Tutor
30 January 2022
Great resource