Practice Questions

Question 1

Why do you want to become a doctor?

Answer 1

• in depth study of human body systems
• a rewarding career and close links to community
• MDT
• research and problem solving skills

Question 2

What sparked your interest in medicine?

Answer 2

Recent years the study of biology and lack of healthcare in Pakistan has really opened my eyes to the value a doctor can offer to someones life

Question 3

Pros and cons of medicine

Answer 3

Pros

• it is a well respected career
• it provides great sense of community
• good patient interaction
• work along side other healthcare professionals

Cons
- long hours and workload
- dealing with distressed or upset patients

Question 4

What are your main goals for your career in medicine

Answer 4

• being able to reach a high level of expertise so I can provide the best possible care to people in the relevant field
• work effectively to always serve the nhs and patients
• being able to give back to less fortunate communities with poor healthcare.

Question 5

What other professionals are involved in patient care and what do they do (4)

Answer 5

• physiotherapy can help with keeping patients physically fit and maximise mobility
• occupational therapists often assess and improve day to day functional abilities
• pharmacist patient info and counselling info on drugs to staff and patients
• physician associate take medical history examine patients request investigation.

Question 6

Why not a physician associate?

Answer 6

a doctor’s day-to-day duties may involve less variation in terms of the type of medicine they practise, as they don’t move between specialities without undergoing further training. Doctors are specialists physician associates are generalists

Question 7

Why not a nurse?

Answer 7

Nurses are highly trained and intelligent and well skilled however I like the fact that doctors bear the responsibility of making decisions such as prescribing the medication. Nurses aren’t able to perform surgery although there are a large range of options for specialising.

Question 8

If you couldn’t be a doctor what job would you do?

Answer 8

I would be pretty upset as I really believe it’s the profession that matches my talent ans interests however, I’d likely travel abroad and volunteer as some of my travels have opened my eyes to the hardships people face in other countries allowing me to stay connected and develop meaningful interactions.

Question 9

Describe a time where a doctor inspired you

Answer 9

When my grandfather was diagnosed with a colonic polyp, this news was difficult to hear as it was discovered to be genetic and so many people in my family are now at risk of also having this condition, it was extremely inspiring to see how comforting and supportive the doctors were in this situation, by doing things such as keeping us in the loop with exactly what was going on, informing us of various support networks, creating a plan of action, ensuring we completely understood what happened, remaining equality such as translating the information into a language my grandad would understand

Question 10

What does a doctor do aside from treating patients (5)

Answer 10

• work well with colleagues to improve safety and quality of patient care
• contribute to discussions
• raise concerns on patient safety
• promote a fair working environment
• use resources effectively to benefit patients and public

Question 11

How have you acted on your interests in medicine

Answer 11

By gaining relevant experience in a pharmacy, gave experience of the administrative side of the job
The dentist allowed me to see how individuals work as part of a MDT
Exp in hospital when it gets to then

Question 12

What was your favourite part of your work experience

Answer 12

Being able to see the trust and the relationship between patients and doctors being built it was inspiring to see the impact the relevant professionals were having on patients.

Question 13

Was there any parts of the work experience you didn’t enjoy

Answer 13

It was mainly enjoyable as it gave me the most realistic experience of being a healthcare worker so far however I was able to see how time pressured some of the appointments became furthermore when dentists weren’t in patient appointments they were often carrying out tasks for the next of previous appointments this showed me that I will need to be able to effectively manage my time and be prepared to work under time intensive schedules

Question 14

What are you most looking forward to about about becoming a doctor

Answer 14

Being able to give back to the community and have an impact on people’s lives

Question 15

How will you finance medical school

Answer 15

• I’m fortunate to be in a place where education is free ans as for accommodation I’ll likely work a part time job

Question 16

Gap year advantages

Answer 16

• a chance to build on your independence
• work experience
• explore your passions

Question 17

How long does it take to become a consultant

Answer 17

Can take from 6/7-10 years

Question 18

Can doctors refuse treatment

Answer 18

• if the patient demands treatment yes as they have no evidence for the treatment being needed
• they can refuse treatment if they think it is not in the patients best interest
• if it goes against their beliefs and morals eg abortion and referring to another dr
• if a patient is being unethical to a dr they can refuse treatment
• if the treatment is outside of their expertise

Question 19

Why does Scottish healths fifer even though nhs is one of the best healthcare services in the uk

Answer 19

• waiting times for cancer treatment and ANE
• diagnostic backlog
• medical staffing
• aging population
• limited budget