Exeter Prep

Question 1

Why Medicine

Answer 1

Medicine is a deeply satisfying career- realised by adopting caring role the satisfaction of helping others and how improving their lives improved my own self-confidence/worth
Challenges + stress- I believe by staying open and making connections with other people in my situation and people outside of medicine I can handle it and the challenges presented can be enjoyable
Intellectual- amount of knowledge available is endless, encourages lifelong learning and growth which I aspire to.
Deep scientific passion- interest in medicine has been deepened by reading books such as ‘The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat’, attending lectures on topics like the treatment of depression and reading articles on things like the progression and diagnosis of motor neuron diseases. These all fascinated me and inspired me to research further and learn more in the field.
Reviews- encourage reflection and constant personal + professional growth
Skills- suited to the career, by developing communication, empathy etc. I have equipped myself to become a doctor that can treat any patient at the highest standard of care possible.
Speaking to doctors- passion they have for the job being maintained throughout long careers and how the job never grows old I confirmed to myself that medicine is really the right path for me.

Question 2

Why exeter

Answer 2

Early clinical placements and a holistic approach to teaching professional skills
PBL- allows development of teamwork and independent learning skills while learning the content

Question 3

What do you know about the Exeter medical course, how is it taught?

Answer 3

Problem Based Learning-
Spiral curriculum-
Focus on small group learning
Integrated with clinical placements from the very beginning of the course

Question 4

Why not nursing or dentistry?

Answer 4

Very difficult both are very important and are needed for healthcare teams to function
I met a lot of nurses through my work
They were careers I considered as they are patient focused and have a lot of overlap with medicine
Work without any real occupational boundary
Responsibilities as a doctor, patient care decisions and problem solving
medical school training vs nursing degree
Leadership skills
Best illustrated with nurses I saw in the hospital
I would be a better doctor because of interest in medical research, problem-solving/leadership skills and some of the focus of my interests being a lot more suited to medicine

Question 5

What are your hobbies?

Answer 5

Cello
Hockey
Piano
Orchestra

Question 6

What are the negatives of a career in medicine?

Answer 6

Can be emotionally taxing
Long hours, can be hard to find a good work life balance

Question 7

Why should patients trust you?

Answer 7

Professional- experience in health care with vaccination centre
Empathetic- volunteering, make people comfortable and more open to communication

Question 8

What are your best qualities?

Answer 8

Communication
Empathy

Question 9

How do you manage stress?

Answer 9

Piano/cello
Friends in same situation and completely different
Hockey

Question 10

Can you provide an example of a time you’ve shown resilience?

Answer 10

Vaccination centre-

Question 11

Give us an example of a time you’ve shown teamwork

Answer 11

Hockey
Orchestra

Question 12

Tell us about an article you have recently read

Answer 12

Vagus nerve stimulation and freezing of gate in Parkinson’s

Question 13

What are the NHS values and why are they important?

Answer 13

working together for patients
respect and dignity
commitment to quality and care
compassion
improving lives
everyone counts
ensures quality of care and equality across the system to maintain the nhs constitution

Question 14

How do you deal with overpopulation?

Answer 14

Increase healthcare and quality of life, generally people with have fewer children

Question 15

What do you know about the local area?

Question 16

How does the healthcare system differ to other parts of the country?

Answer 16

Acute trusts share staff to tackle workload issues
Most hospitals organised by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS foundation trust
Reflected in training at Exeter in how you are moved around and get to experience healthcare in different settings

Question 17

Breaking bad news-

Question 18

Should euthanasia be legalised?

Answer 18

Autonomy- euthanasia should be legalised, you’re going against their decision if they want it, need to make sure it is not possible to coerce people
Beneficence- ending their suffering can be argued that you are doing what’s best for the patient
Non-maleficence- doing harm directly
Justice- illegal currently, legal in some countries, creates inequalities as only those who can afford to go to Switzerland have access to it

Question 19

Explain the concept of Gillick Competency and the Fraser guidelines

Answer 19

Gillick competency is the ability for an under 16 to make their own medical decisions without parental consent;
capacity is measured if somebody can retain info, understand it, use it to make decisions and communicate why they made the decision
Fraser guidelines are for specifically giving sexual health info, the advice/treatment should be given if they cannot be convinced to talk to parents and their health would be at risk if they are not given it