Personal skills

Question 1

qualities of a good leader

Answer 1

• clear objectives and communicates them effectively
• delegates tasks to team members who have the right skill set (knows strengths and weaknesses of team)
• motivates and encourages members
• provides a supportive environment and encourages development
• praises members of the team, supports those who need help
• welcomes criticism
• takes responsibility for mistakes
• able to build a rapport and listen to teammates
• maintain harmony among the team. work well with different people and can be depended on to promote a +ve atmosphere

Question 2

qualities of a team player

Answer 2

• communicate contrictuvely
• listens carefully to others’ views
• enthusiastic and motivated
• has initiative and resilience to cope with setbacks and adapt to changing circumstances
• shares ideas and discusses problems to resolve them
• welcomes feedback
• takes responsibility
• accepts and learns from constructive criticism
• willing to change their views and compromise

Question 3

how would my friends describe me

Answer 3

• supportive and adventurous, with a good sense of humour
• teammates would say I am flexible and a good leader
• nurses at the care home would say I am caring and hardworking

Question 4

what are my strengths

Answer 4

• conscientious, hard working and motivated (good gases, music exams and predicted grades)
• very organised, lots of experience in multitasking (exams, piano, debate soc) used a diary to make sure everything runs smoothly
• communication skills (friends describe me as approachable with a good sense of humour)
• team player and leader - cricket/debate society
• empathetic, recently one of my friends’ grandma died; put myself in his shoes and was there for him
• sport/gym pushes me to the limit, what you have to do as a med student

Question 5

weaknesses

Answer 5

in the past I used to take constructive criticism too personally, however now I take it as a +ve and learn from it-

Question 6

do I work better by myself or as part of a team

Answer 6

both

• when it comes to work I study by myself and need to focus
• cricket debate practicals need to work in a team to get the best ideas forward

Question 7

how did I show good leadership?

Answer 7

captain of the cricket team

• I would lead by example
• I would set gaol for practise to accommodate everyones busy schedules
• I made sure I was approachable and I listened to different members of the team
• acknowledge I’m not right 100% of the time
• used humour to boost team morale
• accepted mistakes and use it to encourage and not to demoralise
• As the season progressed, we became more as a team and everyone was more confident than @ beginning

Question 8

am I a leader or a follower

Answer 8

I am happy to be a leader and to take the initiative and responsibility when required, also happy being delegated to and playing my part as a team player

captain of the cricket team

debate soc: hard working, enthusiastic with a good sense of humour
maintain harmony among the team. work well with different people and can be depended on to promote a +ve atmosphere

Question 9

when did you make a mistake as a leader
what was your greatest mistake

Answer 9

captain of the cricket team
one of my best friends was in the team and was regularly turning up late to practise
one time he came up late to practise and I became impatient and overreacted in front of all of the team
my behaviour was totally inappropriate
should have met up w him earlier and had a chat about why he was turning up late - might have had a legitimate reason
should have gave constructive criticism so we could move forward together

Question 10

resilience, what is it, how have you shown it

Answer 10

resilience is the ability to bounce back from tough times, being able to overcome obstacles and triumph in the face of adversity

as well as my academic duties, I am fully involved in sporting activities, music lessons, volunteering, societies at school and being a prefect. I am juggling all of these so have to be resilient

doctors need to be resilient to deal with the challenges of medicine

Question 11

what can go wrong in a team

Answer 11

ppl not pulling their weight
members can dominate
some don’t contribute
lack of clarity regarding goals that are set
lack of trust among the team members
ppl talk more than they listen
members not willing to take responsibility
lack of respect between ppl

Question 12

how have you dealt with conflict

Answer 12

in the care home
one of the patients who could walk demanded that she go out when she was unable to do so and started shouting
I listened carefully to what they had to say and allowed them to vent their anger as I can only imaging how helpless they were feeling
I put myself in her shoes and realised how difficult her situation was
I apologied for how she couldn’t do this
I help her hand and let her know everything was ok with a soothing voice
situation diffused and she had a smile on her face, was great to see

Question 13

if you were a doctor how would you like your patients to describe you

Answer 13

professional
caring
dedicated
focused
approachable
organised
good communication and listening
competent

Question 14

how good are your organisation skills

Answer 14

over the past year and a half, whilst studying for a levels, I did volunteering in a care home, regularly played piano, went to the gym 6 times a week and participated in many extracurricular. to achieve all of this I needed to have organisation skills

being this organised has helped me minimise stress by enabling me to achieve everything I have wanted to achieve
as a result, I feel equipped to deal with the pressure of studying medicine

Question 15

advantages of working in a team

Answer 15

improves efficiency and quality of care delivered
spread and reduce workload
encourages creativity
provides a supportive environment; encourages leaning and development
improves team morale
reduces stress
rely on the support of others

Question 16

disadvantages of a team

Answer 16

some members may not respect others; reducing their confidence
if there is a weak leader there is a chance the team may not function
some team players may not like the rewards being shared w others
some team members rely of the energy and enthusiasm of others

Question 17

what makes a good team

Answer 17

good team members and a good leader
everyone pulls their weight
team members need to be enthusiastic, reliable and motivated
must have a good leader who leads by example
team communicates effectively with each other
everyone knows each others’ strengths and weaknesses
team members are punctual and reliable with deadlines
resilience to be able to cope with push backs

Question 18

what challenges will a career in medicine bring you

Answer 18

intellectually, emotionally and physically challenging
work experience where junior doctor’s bleeper was going constantly
work long and unsocial hours, doctors were often craving coffee sometimes to make sure that they were alert
being unable to treat a person, for example if they have an untreatable condition
deal with the stress of having to prepare and study for exams, whilst maintaining clinical duties
you must be continually updating your skills and knowledge
angry patients. old man who wanted an op but couldn’t get it straight away started shouting @ consultant

Question 19

pros of being a doctor

Answer 19

buzz of working as part of a team
continuous learning
being able to problem solve to diagnose a patient
enjoying the variety in the work and the intellectual challenges
many opportunities to show leadership skills
build a rapport this patients
leaving a positive, lasting effect on others
teaching opportunities

Question 20

how would you discourage someone from medicine

Answer 20

• 5 years of training
• hard work, stress, exams
• need to be organised, be able to multitask, be able to cope well under pressure
• lots of stamina and resilience

Question 21

what is empathy

Answer 21

being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes
creating a safe environment and making sure patient needs are met

Question 22

where did you see empathy/ why is it important

Answer 22

facilitates a more accurate diagnosis as patients will be more honest about their lifestyle
key component of the doctor/patient relationship
on ward rounds doctor clearly communicated everything to the patient constantly reassuring them, making the patient feel at ease
calms anxiety

overall, patient more at ease, doctor sees how patient is feeling and what the patient may be expecting in terms of clinical outcomeh

Question 23

why you

Answer 23

• well rounded, dynamic student with a realistic view of what medicine is about
• from my work experience I can appreciate the varied nature of medical practice. in the process, I develop a great understanding of the pace and pressure of working as part of a team
• the intellectual, emotional and physical challenges of medicine, the long hours and dealing with conflicting demands
• self discipline has been tested by having to divide my time between work, school, gym, music and clubs
• An appreciation of the communication skills and an understanding of the teamwork required in medicine
• caring compassionate person
• challenge and push myself

Question 24

what is it like to be a med student

Answer 24

have a good idea of what is in store for me
from attending open days, talking to students I have a good idea
work experience, the med students were very open about how hard and stressful the course can be
they talked about the workshops, lectures, seminars and clinical visits they had to attend
clear that they work alone and with others
being someone who can work in a team, lead, communicate, display empathy and the capacity to learn, I am ready to be a med student

Question 25

how can you multitask

Answer 25

during the past year and a half I’ve had to: study for my a levels, piano, debate, gym 6 times a week, be a prefect and volunteer.
I also allocated time to hang out with my friends and socialise
I use a diary so I ensure that everything runs smoothly
to achieve all of this, I needed to be very organised and I feel I have demonstrated good organisation skills

Question 26

what is my greatest accomplishment?

Answer 26

despite receiving top GCSE grades and a level predicted grades, I feel that my greatest achievement is my organisation and multitasking.

I have successfully been able to manage my time and organise my schedule.
I go to the gym 6 times a week, I have recently achieved my Grade 8 piano, I volunteer in a care home, I am a school prefect, I participate in debate society and play a range of sports.

I kept a diary which meant my stress levels were never too high so I could always perform to the best of my ability

being able to keep all of these up, as well as maintaining my grades is my greatest achievement

Question 27

whos part of MDT

Answer 27

doctor, nurse, healthcare assistant, patient, physiotherapies, radiologist, receptionists, anaesthisitics