Introduction:
The South West Peninsular
Deanery/AGCAS DVD 'Selection Centres for Specialty Training'
(2008) will help you understand the processes you may go
through in selection programmes. Assessments may vary
depending on the type of specialty/post you apply for and the
deanery to which you are applying.
The DVD has examples of five types of
assessment you may face:
Portfolio Interview
You need to be aware that interviewers will
already have had access to your portfolio prior to interview and so
firstly you need to make sure your portfolio is:
- Neat, handwriting legible
- Easy to follow (e.g. contents page etc)
- Not missing anything
- Well structured and organised
The portfolio will help the interviewer form
an impression and from it you will know whether you have completed
required tasks and if you are competent.
The portfolio should include the
following:
- A contents page
- A summary CV
- A full CV
Throughout the portfolio you ‘should highlight
your commitment to the specialty you have chosen’ (South West
Peninsular Deanery/AGCAS, 2008) and know when and where to refer to
it if asked. You should demonstrate to the interviewer that you
understand what you need to do to achieve your goals.
Preparation is very important. For example,
before the interview, you should consider two or three strong
points about your portfolio that you would like the panel to be
aware of and highlight how it relates to the specialty to which you
are applying. The questions that are asked may be quite
general so you will need to try and incorporate them into your
answers. The panel may also ask about the weak points of the
portfolio, so you also need to consider this.
You need to be prepared for questions about
your portfolio and what you have done. They may ask you about
your feelings in certain situations. Practising as much as
possible will help with this and will help you to relax and stay
calm during the interview.
Presentation:
Assessors want to know how you prepare for
things at short notice, how well you can think on your feet, get
your point across and about your views on certain things (The South
West Peninsular Deanery/AGCAS, 2008).
You might be given a choice of topics and
asked to choose a topic and then prepare a presentation on
it. In the DVD the candidates are given 15 minutes to prepare
a 5 minute talk and after the presentation the panel had five
minutes question time (again this may be different in other
deaneries).
When you are planning your presentation, you
should consider how many pages you will need and be aware that you
should limit the amount of information on the flip chart. You
should list your main points and make sure that you position the
flip chart correctly so that the panel can read the
information.
You need to address the question and speak in
a clear and concise way and you should have an answer ready to
explain why you chose your topic.
Mock GP
consultation:
In the DVD the candidates have five minutes to prepare themselves
before they see the patient (who is an actor). You can use
this preparation time to read through the patient notes. You
should read through the patient notes more than once if time
allows. In the DVD mock consultation, the interviewers are
looking for good communication skills rather than knowledge.
You should be careful about how you broach
certain diseases (e.g. cancer). It’s important that you structure
the consultation to make sure that patients understand why you are
asking certain questions so as not to alarm them
unnecessarily.
Re-capping is also very useful and asking if
the patient has any concerns may get certain things out in the open
straight away.
The DVD suggests that during a mock GP
consultation you should do the following:
- Take time to read the notes
- Structure your consultation
- Demonstrate active listening
- Decode jargon
- Keep calm
- Empathise
Structured
interview:
Most interviews will be structured and
strictly timed and candidates should be informed at the beginning
how long the interview will be and how many questions there are
(this may vary at different deaneries). “If there is a panel,
one member will be appointed chair, and this is the person who is
likely to welcome you, introduce the other panel member/s, and
outline the structure of the interview.” (Elton & Reid,
2008) The application details will usually state what is
required of candidates at interview.
It is very important that you prepare in
advance of your interview as a lot of questions can broadly be
predicted in advance. Most interview questions are designed
around the person specification of the job, which in turn are
linked to the ‘Good Medical Practice Guidelines’, therefore it is
important that trainees familiarise themselves with this before
your interview. However, it is important to remember that not
all questions can be predicted. But if a structured process
is used, you can reassure yourself that all the candidates will
have been asked the same question (Elton & Reid, 2008).
To help you prepare, it is useful for you to
realise that that questions that are asked at interviews are
usually divided into three areas:
- Questions about you
- Questions about the job/specialty
- Questions about the wider context of health care (Elton &
Reid, 2008)
It is important that you know your portfolio
so you have a variety of examples to use in the
interview.
You need to be conscious of your body language
and should always try to maintain good eye contact, enthusiasm and
try to engage with the panel. Considering your own specific
experiences is important which is highlighted by some of the
candidates’ answers in the DVD.
It is useful to think of the
STAR model when structuring your answers:
Situation/Task- Provide a concise
overview of the example you are using, ensuring that it is relevant
to the question
Actions: What exactly did you
do? What were your role and contribution? What skills did you
use? (This part will probably form the bulk of your answer)
Results/Reflection: What was the
outcome? What have you learnt from it? (Elton & Reid, 2008)
Simulation Station:
Some assessment centres use simulated patients
to judge a range of skills, not just clinical.
The DVD shows that it is important that you
introduce yourself to the people acting within the simulation
exercise (including the patient). You should also be polite
and courteous (South West Peninsular Deanery/AGCAS,
2008).
Communication: you should communicate to
the whole team why you are doing certain things, explain your
findings and give them an idea of possible scenarios (e.g. to the
nurses etc). You should be specific with your instructions
and remember to delegate certain procedures to other members of
staff.
The DVD suggests that during a simulation
station you should do the following:
• Monitor the situation
• Be aware that communication is vital: with the nurses and
patient
• Review the patient’s condition
• Call for help when you need it
• Try to stay calm
Bibliography:
South West Peninsular Deanery and the
Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (2008), Selection
Centres for Specialty Training.
Elton, C. and Reid, J. (2nd edition, 2008) The
Roads to Success, Post Graduate Deanery for Kent Surrey and
Sussex.