Interviewee to interviewer

Matthew Mak, foundation year 2 doctor

Imperial College London recruits clinical medical students for interview panels through open competition. I started interviewing as a third year medical student when I was the student union education officer. The panels typically have three members and an occasional observer. As the student interviewer I mainly asked candidates about their potential contribution to medical student life.

My experience reflected how engaged the school was with its students, allowing us an equal voice in shaping its future intake. In addition to learning from senior panellists how to elicit relevant responses and engage in cogent discussion, I was encouraged by the intelligence, determination, and enthusiasm of the applicants, which served to remind me how lucky I was to have got into medical school.

Consultant interviewer, University of Birmingham medical school

The undergraduate medical interview is the only chance that prospective medical students have to demonstrate their various skills and capabilities. The University of Birmingham Medical School does not ask candidates to undertake the BMAT [biomedical admissions test] or the UKCAT [UK clinical aptitude test], so we have to ensure that the interview selects only the best. Having a current medical student on the panel allows us to remain contemporaneous in our choices for the future intake of the medical school. Where I have sat alongside medical students on undergraduate interviews, I have found them to be intelligent and insightful interviewers who are deserving of their place on the panel.

Fiona Watson, MB ChB, admissions tutor, University of Liverpool

Liverpool University’s School of Medical Education has in recent years been proud to use its foundation doctors to interview prospective medical students. They have very recent knowledge of the challenges that lie ahead for the applicants should they get on to the course, and I have found that without exception the ones I have been teamed with prepare well for the interviews they give.

Foundation doctors who wish to be involved in interviewing applicants are invited to undergo interviewer training before undertaking their first interviews. Interviewer training usually occurs in September or October of each year. Inexperienced interviewers are always paired with a more experienced interviewer for their first sessions.

Foundation doctors who are doing their training locally and who wish to be involved can contact us at mbchb{at}liv.ac.uk for further details.

Consultant interviewer, University College London

The interview and selection process for medical students has many vagaries. The composition of the selection committee is critical in determining who is offered a place. The specialty interest of the committee members and thus the “personalities” may influence how a candidate is chosen.

Having a medical student or junior doctor on the committee can offer a useful balance between the more senior members and someone who is closer to the candidate’s age. A senior medical student or junior doctor who wishes to take on such a responsibility should be able to observe the process first before joining a selection committee as a member. My experience of younger interviewers has so far been very positive: they brought a youthful yet responsible approach to the job at hand.

David Conrad, specialty registrar in public health

I got involved in interviewing undergraduate applicants during my specialist registrar placement at Liverpool University’s Division of Public Health. Rather than a panel of interviewers grilling the candidate before reaching a collective decision, a pair of interviewers would split the questions between them and score the candidate individually for each domain. The averages of these two sets of scores would then be used in the final selection of candidates, along with other aspects of their applications.

The training session for new interviewers allowed me to become familiar with the structure of the interviews and the assessment forms used to score each candidate. It also provided some very useful tips on the practicalities of interviewing and how to get the best out of candidates while ensuring fairness.

Other than in a research capacity, this was the first time that I’d been involved in conducting interviews, and I found the process both enjoyable and a valuable learning exercise. I remembered being asked similar questions as an interviewee that I now found myself asking candidates, and realising for the first time what they’d been trying to get at. No amount of experience as an interviewee gives you as much insight into what makes a good impression as you can get from spending a day as an interviewer.

Fiona Pathiraja, clinical adviser, Department of Health

Sitting on the undergraduate interview panels at University College London has been a revelation to me. Not only has it inspired me to get involved with undergraduate teaching, it reminded me of being at the start of a burgeoning career with all options open.

University College London provides comprehensive training for new interviewers. The supportive admissions team also answers any outstanding questions and encourages new interviewers to observe a few interviews before starting. The panel comprises two members of faculty plus a junior doctor or medical student, with two interviewers asking questions at any one time.

Interviewing graduate entry and international students required different skills from those for interviewing school leavers, but I acquired these quickly. My experience of interviewing has been thoroughly enjoyable and I would not hesitate to recommend it to committed, enthusiastic junior doctors.