CAREERS: Aspiring doctors prepare for interview

RIPON Grammar School’s aspiring young doctors got a taste of the challenging application process when they took part in mini medical interviews at RGS, reports BOB WALKER

The sixth formers were given six situations to consider and respond to, with a minute to read the questions and five minutes to talk to one of our wonderful volunteer doctors about the scenarios they were faced with.

Not all the scenarios were medically related but are designed to demonstrate their ability to communicate in a range of situations, a very intensive session designed to mimic medical school interviews.

One of this year’s volunteers, Dr Kessell, a retired anaesthetist, interviews potential medical students for Newcastle University, making it an excellent opportunity for our students.

In addition to the six scenarios, students spent more than 40 minutes with Dr Chris Preece discussing a recent medical topic, and, in this case, it was the ethics of medics going on strike. This generated a range of views, which again was really useful for our students.

The afternoon concluded with all our volunteers giving specific feedback about their situations and Dr Preece giving all the students some really excellent advice in preparation for their potential medical school interviews.

Our sincere thanks go to Dr Chris Preece, Dr Helen Preece, Dr Nick Palmerley, Dr Gareth Kessell, Dr Richard Fletcher, Dr Charles McEvoy and Janet Probert for their invaluable and continued support of our students.