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Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview · Monday · 18 min

What to Say When You Don't Understand the Panel's Question

Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I’ll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open https://info.medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep51 The biggest mistake candidates make with patient conflict examples is treating it like a complaint story rather than a relationship story. Tessa and Becky tackle a question every nervous candidate worries about: what do you actually say if you don't understand or don't hear the panel's question? We explain exactly how to ask for clarification without it costing you points, and why guessing and rambling through a four minute answer on the wrong topic is far riskier than just asking. We also review a golden example involving a mum who became visibly upset during a consultation, and explain why the instinct to frame this as a conflict misses what actually makes it work. From there we dig into a hypothetical interview question, "how would you handle a situation where a patient's family disagrees with the treatment plan you're recommending", and the key difference between answering a hypothetical well versus accidentally turning it into a single specific story. Finally, our tip of the week: how to flex your five golden examples so you're never caught out by an unexpected version of "tell me about a time when". We break down a tricky real example, being asked about a time you underestimated the emotional impact of something you said, and show exactly how experienced candidates adapt an example they've already prepared rather than panicking and searching for a brand new one. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

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show notes

Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I’ll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open

https://info.medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep51


The biggest mistake candidates make with patient conflict examples is treating it like a complaint story rather than a relationship story. Tessa and Becky tackle a question every nervous candidate worries about: what do you actually say if you don't understand or don't hear the panel's question? We explain exactly how to ask for clarification without it costing you points, and why guessing and rambling through a four minute answer on the wrong topic is far riskier than just asking.

We also review a golden example involving a mum who became visibly upset during a consultation, and explain why the instinct to frame this as a conflict misses what actually makes it work. From there we dig into a hypothetical interview question, "how would you handle a situation where a patient's family disagrees with the treatment plan you're recommending", and the key difference between answering a hypothetical well versus accidentally turning it into a single specific story.

Finally, our tip of the week: how to flex your five golden examples so you're never caught out by an unexpected version of "tell me about a time when". We break down a tricky real example, being asked about a time you underestimated the emotional impact of something you said, and show exactly how experienced candidates adapt an example they've already prepared rather than panicking and searching for a brand new one.

Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

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