Succeeding in your consultant medical interview PDF
Preview Succeeding in your consultant medical interview
Contents Title Page i Publisher Information ii About The Author iii Foreword iv Preface vi Acknowledgements viii Acronyms and Abbreviations ix Chapter 1 1 Chapter 2 3 Chapter 3 6 Chapter 4 8 Chapter 5 10 Chapter 6 13 Chapter 7 16 Chapter 8 19 Chapter 9 23 Chapter 10 31 Chapter 11 36 Chapter 12 38 Chapter 13 49 Chapter 14 60 Chapter 15 76 Chapter 16 105 Chapter 17 115 Chapter 18 125 Chapter 19 131 Chapter 20 138 Chapter 21 152 Chapter 22 156 Chapter 23 159 Chapter 24 167 Chapter 25 178 Chapter 26 182 Chapter 27 194 Chapter 28 202 Chapter 29 210 Chapter 30 212 Also Available 215 Succeeding in your Consultant Medical Interview Robert Ghosh Foreword by: Peter Livesley MMed Sci (ClinEd), MCh Orth, FRCS Orth, Special lecturer Nottingham University, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon (Emeritus), Former Associate Medical Director (Education), Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust Published by Developmedica Castle Court Duke Street New Basford Nottingham, NG7 7JN 0845 8380571 www.developmedica.com © 2009 Developmedica Digital Edition converted and published by Andrews UK limited 2010 www.andrewsuk.com All rights reserved. Purchasers of this book are prohibited from redistributing this book or any part thereof. This book cannot be reproduced in full or in part without the express written consent of Developmedica. Developmedica recommend that you consult the bodies responsible for information relating to guidance on your interview. The views expressed in this book are those of Developmedica and not those of the institutions the reader wishes to apply through. The contents of this book are intended as a guide only and although every effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this book are correct, Developmedica cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any loss or damage that arises through the use of this guide. Readers are advised to seek independent advice regarding their application consulting the institution the reader intends to apply to. Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders of any material reproduced within this publication. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make restitution at the earliest opportunity. A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library About the Author Robert Ghosh Robert Ghosh is a Consultant Physician at the Homerton University Hospital, London. He is the Director of Intensive Care, Clinical Lead for Acute Care and Trust Lead for Clinical Audit. He graduated from Edinburgh University, and his research interests include the neuromuscular assessment of critically ill patients and prognostication in hypoxic brain injury. He has significant experience in interviewing for Con- sultant posts; he regularly provides guidance for prospective interviewees, and continues to deliver courses on Consultant Interviews on behalf of Developmedica. A note from the publishers Developmedica are committed to publishing high quality books and would love to hear your thoughts on how this book helped you, or your suggestions on any new topics we should be pursuing to support individuals in progressing their careers. Simply email your views and ideas to [email protected]. Better still, if you submit a testimonial to the website that you purchased this book from, and email us with a link to the testi- monial, you will be entered into our monthly prize draw with the chance to win one of a range of prizes. xi Foreword If you are reading this book the chances are that you are about to make the most important decision of your professional career i.e. Where shall I work for the next 30 years? Your deci sion is pivotal in so much that you will spend a significant amount of your lifetime with your colleagues; even more so than your with your partner and family. Your decision must also reflect the investment you have made in yourself over the course of your professional career. The Consultant interview may appear as a mountain, difficult and insurmountable. In reality the mountain is a mole hill and the most difficult ques tion you must ask yourself is ‘Is this the correct job for me and do the people around the panel represent the people with whom I wish to spend the next 30 years?’ The Consultant interview does require preparation and as a fully trained professional you will be used to preparing for challenging events. In this book Robert Ghosh presents useful and relevant information to aid you in your approach and emphasises the need for preparation. The role of a Consultant is much wider than the role of Registrar. As a trainee one is often not aware of the full range of duties required of a Con sultant. Your preparation must include ensuring that you are educated in all the skills required and aware of the agenda of the National Health Service in general. Preparation for the interview itself requires knowledge of the Trust and of the people involved. The day of the interview looms large but xii Foreword xiii again with preparation the height of the hurdle can be reduced. Think of the likely questions you may be asked and consider your responses using the methods suggested in this book. Only with practice can any skill be developed and honed. A Consultant is a medical practitioner but also a leader and manager. The professional skills required of a Consultant are continually refined and developed. The interview panel will be aware of the stage you are at in your career and will ask you how you see your career developing. In this book Robert Ghosh has outlined many ways in which this may happen. The panel will not expect you to be an expert in all areas but to have an understanding of the problems faced by modern day Consultants and which areas of your skill base you feel require developing. Having read this book you will need to consider the future development of your career and ensure that you can articulate your learning needs and what contribution your career plan will make to the Trust. Practice those answers, sound like a professional! Any book is a living entity within a constantly changing world. I trust those of you who read this book and successfully complete the interview process will feed back to us the points that were useful and the points that need to be developed. Good luck! Peter Livesley, MMed Sci (ClinEd), MCh Orth, FRCS Orth Preface Although the application and interview processes for junior doctors have often been in a state of rapid change, those for Consultant posts have been more predictable and generally remain true to historical values. The post remains exalted in the eyes of medical and non-medical professionals alike. It is therefore paramount that every single potential interviewee gives the interview due respect and sees it as the gateway to the pinnacle of a doctor’s career. Preparation should be meticulous. Although most doctors do invest considerable time, effort and money in academic progression, it is probable that many do not spend the equivalent or sufficient time preparing for that all important Consultant interview. Most interviewees are eli gible and skilled doctors who are well regarded by colleagues. They generally have the ability to build excellent relationships with patients. However, these attributes may not be apparent if the performance during the interview is below standard through lack of preparation. In this book, a few recommendations are dedicated to prepar ation prior to application, together with some advice on researching and visiting prior to shortlisting. The main remit however, is to help guide you, the prospective interviewee, through the interview process itself. This includes advice with regard to: formal visits; presentations; interview behaviour traits; general principles for answers to commonly asked xiv Preface xv questions pertaining to factual knowledge, opinion and scenarios. Interviewers will inevitably take to candidates who possess the capacity for self-reflection, and who can handle clinical and non-clinical stressful situations. Moreover, as many on the Panel will carry some of the Trust’s burdens and anxieties, they will have an affinity for candidates who also have a sound working knowledge of Primary Care Trusts, Foundation Trusts, Government targets, complaints, risk, audit, research, education, training, appraisal, job planning, validation, law and ethics. Therefore a great portion of this book contains summaries and questions related to these ‘hot topics’. Some chapters (particularly those relating to technique) are brief; on occasions they are not much more extensive than the summary page! This is a deliberate effort to keep things simple and reassure. The chapters relating to the hot topics are more traditional in size. Specific detailed advice for academic appointments, for instance Senior Lecturer posts, is not within the remit of this book. Although this book is not absolutely comprehensive, the information and guidance given here will hopefully go a long way towards equipping the candidate with facts for prepar ation and insight into behavioural skills. I hope that this will in turn empower you to acquire the confidence to succeed. Happy reading. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my father for teaching me to respect all those around me, Alasdair Short for introducing me to the highest clinical standards, John Coakley for showing me how to relax and most of all, Naomi for giving me perspective. Matt Green and Developmedica need a medal for their patience and for making it all happen. Sarah Christie, an expert (non-medical) performance coach, has worked very hard to produce the chapter on ‘The difference that makes the difference’. xvi
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