Radiology ST1 interview questions

Achievements

• Describe audit?
• Why do radiologists need to do audit?
• Describe your best audit and why?
• How would you plan an audit?
• Describe an audit cycle?
• What is a good audit?
• What problems are encountered in audit?
• If you were to design an audit how would you approach it?  Talk me through the stages.
• Critically appraise this audit (you are handed an audit).
• What’s the difference between audit and research?
• Is research important in radiology?
• What research methods do you know?  Explain them.
• What is your research experience?
• How would you plan a radiology research project?
• What is the value of doing research as an SPR?
• Talk us through your research.
• Who works in the radiology department?
• How would you organise the radiology department?
• What is teamwork?  How can we promote it?
• Is clinical governance important in radiology?
• What do you think of risk management?
• Tell us about your presentations.
• Any awards?
• Describe your teaching experience?
• As a radiologist whom should we teach?
• Describe your preferred teaching method and explain why?
• What would you like to teach junior doctors and why?
• Tell us about a recent radiology journal you have read?  What was its impact factor?

Abilities

• A clinician asks for an inappropriate investigation.  How do you handle this situation?
• You are alone on your first on-call and need help.  What do you do?
• What referral pathways are you aware of?
• Explain the 10-day rule.
• Explain the 28-day rule.
• What are the abnormalities on …..?
• Prioritise these scans.
• Discuss this scan and why you chose it.
• Comment on this PET-CT report. What improvements would you suggest?
• What do you think about the structure of this report?
• Do you know of any guidelines on how to deliver an effective radiology report?
• What is your understanding of CT scanning?
• What is your understanding of MRI?
• Explain how X-ray works?
• Explain how Ultrasound works?
• Why has this patient had this type of scan?
• Do you know why we use contrast?
• What further scan or radiological procedure would you like to do next?
• After reviewing this scan what would you immediately do next?  Who would you contact?
• You see a patient and perform an Ultrasound.  It shows liver metastasis and the patient is asking if the scan is normal.  How do you handle this situation?  Explain your reasons why.
• You scanned a patient for ?gallstones and found cholecystitis and an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).  How would you proceed?
• A pregnant lady had been exposed to radiation and she is now upset and concerned.  How do you handle this situation?
• A patient has been administered 3 x dose of radioactive agent during a nuclear medicine scan.  How would you proceed?
• A patient with learning difficulties requires a CT scan.  How would you handle this?
• Patient A had a CT scan that was meant for patient B.  Patient B had an Ultrasound scan that was meant for patient A.  How do you handle this situation?
• A nurse would like to discuss her father’s scan results.  How would you proceed?
• A colleague would like you to report their father’s MRI scan.  How would you proceed?
• A confused patient needs a drain.  A completed consent form is with the patient.  What would you do?
• What would you do if a patient were refusing an investigation?  Have you dealt with a similar situation in your training?
• What role does imaging have in an elderly confused patient?
• How would you investigate a child with a limp?  How would you investigate a child with a painful hip?
• You are having difficulty with a radiology colleague.  What do you do?
• A fellow doctor/ your consultant comes into work drunk.  What do you do?
• You are delivering a teaching session and a junior foundation doctor arrives 15 minutes late with a cup of coffee. How do you handle this situation?
• You are continually asked to report after hours and asked not to declare this on the hours monitoring.  What would you do?
• You report a plain radiograph and notice a solitary lesion in the lung.  The previous radiograph, which was reported a few months ago by your consultant, was suggestive of a mass, however no action was taken.  How would you proceed?
• You have an unkempt colleague who dresses in jeans to work.  How would you approach this situation?

Aspirations

• Why Radiology?
• Why have you decided to change from your chosen career path?
• What is it about your current job you do not like?
• Is there anything you would miss coming from a different background?
• How has your training so far prepared you for a career in radiology?
• What do you bring to radiology?
• Tell me about your experience so far and how it is related to radiology?
• Tell me about the radiology experience you have?
• What did you learn from your taster experience?
• What branch of radiology are you interested in?
• During your radiology training what other projects do you hope to achieve?
• Other than attaining your CCT what else do you hope to achieve during training?
• Describe an interesting case?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Name two good and two bad aspects about yourself.
• What are the qualities of a good radiologist?
• The NHS is in financial difficulty.  What impact would this have on radiology?
• What threats are there to Radiologists?
• Have you got a good idea what a radiologist does?
• How many sessions does a radiologist do?  What do they involve?
• What would you do as a first year registrar?
• Have you talked to any radiology trainees / consultants?
• Tell us about a radiologist that has inspired you.
• Recent advances in radiology?
• What were the significant radiological advances in the last 5 / 10 / 50 years?
• What is the future for radiology?
• What changes will there be during your training?
• What challenges face radiology?
• What are the difficulties that radiologists face?
• Are you aware of any innovations in radiology?
• What do you think of 24/7 radiology?
• How do you think ‘any willing provider’ has affected radiology?
• What do you think of outsourcing / teleradiology?
• What is your understanding of a radiology academy?
• Do you agree radiographers should have an extended role?
• What are your opinions on non-radiologists performing procedures?
• What do you know about skills mix?  Advantages / Disadvantages.
• Are you aware of any guidelines in radiology?
• Which organisations produce guidelines?
• How does defensive practice affect imaging?
• Have you noticed a conflict between radiology and surgery?
• Tell me about the radiology examination process.  Where did you get this information?
• Tell me about the training structure.
• Tell me about the role of workplace based assessments in radiology training?
• How do you assess a radiology trainee?
• Tell me about the IRMER regulations.
• How do you feel current changes in healthcare will affect radiology?
• Is clinical governance important in radiology?
• Have you seen a report get changed at some point?
• What is the purpose of discrepancy meetings?
• Do you think discrepancy meetings are useful?  How do patients benefit?
• Explain the role of the radiologist in the MDT?
• How do you handle stress?
• How do you de-stress?
• What is your understanding of the EWTD and its implications in radiology?
• Are communication skills important in radiology?
• Do you think foundation year 2 (FY2) doctors should apply for radiology?  Advantages / Disadvantages.

Portfolio

• Please direct me to your greatest achievement.  Explain why?
• Please show me the item you are most proud of.
• What is your best achievement and why?
• Please show me evidence of teaching.  Do you have any feedback?  How do you use feedback?
• What have you learnt from this course?  Have you reflected on this teaching?
• How would you improve your teaching methods?
• What taster experience have you done?
• Do you have evidence of a taster week?
• Did do an elective in radiology?
• What presentations have you done?
• Do you have any publications?
• Please guide me through your assessments.  360 appraisal, MSF etc…
• Direct me through your research / audit experience.
• Do you have any postgraduate exams?
• Why have you not done any postgraduate exams?
• Why have you done these exams MRCS/MRCP?