Ace Your Consultant Interview

Tessa Davis + Becky Platt
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Welcome to Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview - the podcast for doctors who want to take the stress and guesswork out of their NHS consultant interview prep. We know how overwhelming it can feel to prep for your consultant interviews when you’re already stretched thin. Each episode, we’ll break down what actually works - no fluff, no endless reading, just practical steps you can fit into a hectic week. You’ll hear honest advice, real stories, and the frameworks we use with our own students inside the Academy to help you show up confident, prepped, and ready to secure the job you want. If you’re a final year trainee or locum consultant and you want to prepare, not panic, you’re in the right place.

  1. 4d ago

    What to Do When You Get a Clinical Scenario in Your Interview

    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 openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep65 The best examples of working in a multidisciplinary team don’t come from a purely clinical case. They come from showing an appreciation of the MDT within the wider system. Tessa and Becky start with a question from an Academy student: what should you expect if your interview begins with an informal panel of service users? We explain why it’s a golden chance to show who you really are, how to treat it as a conversation rather than a performance, and why not knowing what’s coming is the same for every candidate. We also break down a strong MDT example built around a swarm review after a lipid overdose on a neonatal unit, and why structuring your answer around the themes of why the team worked well beats telling it chronologically. From there we tackle a question that’s coming up more and more, “how does PSIRF improve patient care?”, and a simple trick for understanding it if you’ve never been involved: sit in on your local PSIRF meeting. Finally, our tip of the week is about clinical scenarios. Consultant panels aren’t testing whether you can manage something on the shop floor, so “level it up” and think about the team, the system and the bigger picture. As one very experienced interviewer puts it, answer from the balcony, not the dance floor. 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

  2. Nov 2

    Do You Still Need Pre-Interview Meetings If You Already Work There?

    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 openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep64 The candidates who skip meet and greets with the panel because they already work in the department are missing out on some great intel. Tessa and Becky answer one of the most common questions we get: if I already see these people every day, should I still ask for pre-interview meetings? The answer is a resounding yes, and we explain how to ask, why you’ll be surprised how many people say yes, and what you gain over every other candidate who does it. We also share what it feels like on the other side, when a student gets the phone call that changes everything. We also review a golden example of a conflict involving a patient who declined chemotherapy while their family pushed back hard, and unpack why it might actually be a conflict with the family rather than the patient, and why it may work better as a trust values or advocacy example. From there we look at a common question, “how will I know in a year’s time that I’ve made the right appointment?”, and how to answer it with a few goals while showing you plan to settle in properly. Finally, our tip of the week is about what happens after your pre-interview meetings. Don’t just do them, document them. We walk through a simple table to capture who you met, their priorities and the “so what,” so you can use everything you’ve heard in your interview. 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

  3. Oct 26

    Why Prepping ‘Next Time’ Leaves You Panicking With Two Weeks to Go

    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 openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep63 The doctors who say “I’ll do it next time” are the same people who end up panicking with two weeks to go. Tessa and Becky break down the reasons doctors give for putting their prep off, from “I haven’t got time” to “it’s too early to start,” and why none of them hold up. We also tackle a question we get all the time: is it OK to go to a consultant interview just for practice? The answer is a firm no, and we explain why it wastes the panel’s time and doesn’t even give you a fair test of your performance. We also review a golden example for conflict with a colleague, a disagreement over antibiotics for an immunocompromised child, and ask the key question: is it actually a conflict? From there we look at a genuinely tough interview question, “what risks do you pose to the organisation if you’re appointed?”, and how to answer it without saying “none” or digging yourself a hole. Finally, our tip of the week: stop scripting your answers. Writing everything down feels safe, but it isn’t preparing you for the real thing, where questions come in unexpected versions and you have to answer on the spot. We explain what to do instead. 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

  4. Oct 19

    Four Myths Stopping You From Applying to the Academy

    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 openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep62 The biggest mistake people make in consultant interviews is thinking the job is already decided before anyone walks into the room. Tessa and Becky bust the four myths they hear from students week after week, that the job is earmarked for someone else, that being a good interviewee is something you're born with, that your CV isn't good enough, and that prep will take over your life, and explain why none of them actually hold up. We also review a golden example about working within an MDT that the student almost didn't use because she felt like it wasn't a success, and explain why changing your original plan based on team feedback is actually a stronger, more senior story than pushing a plan through unchanged. From there we tackle a genuinely tricky interview question, "tell us about a time you were uncivil", and how to find the balance between oversharing something awful and pretending you've never been anything but perfect. Finally, our most commonly delivered tip: take a pause before you start answering. We explain why that split-second silence, even though it feels excruciating in the moment, changes the entire quality of your answer, and why saying "thank you for the question" is not the same thing. 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

  5. Oct 12

    The 4 Fears Every Doctor Has About Interviews (But Never Says)

    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 openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep61 Tessa and Becky asked doctors what actually scares them about the interview process, and four fears came up again and again: freezing on a question, rambling without structure, embarrassment in front of future colleagues, and ending up in the wrong location for their family. None of it is about being good enough as a doctor, it's about interview prep skills, and every one of these fears is fixable with the right training. We also break down whether the panel can see what you wrote on your shortlisting or application form (spoiler: assume it's a clean slate), and review a golden example of conflict with a patient involving an angry man with a diabetic foot ulcer who didn't want to be admitted. From there we tackle a genuinely tricky EDI question, "how has EDI impacted you as an individual", and why the safer, stronger answer focuses on your impact on others rather than oversharing something personal about yourself. Finally, our very 2026 tip of the week: don't start your presentation with AI. We explain why plugging your presentation title into Claude or any AI tool gets you a generic vision for the service with zero connection to your own USPs, and why AI is a great tool to refine your work later, but a terrible one to build it from scratch. 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

  6. Oct 5

    From Terrible Interviewee to Interview Coach: Tessa's Story

    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 openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep60 Tessa spent years as the nervous interviewee who completely froze, failing to get into paediatric training more than once because her interview technique let her down. Tessa and Becky share the origin story of how that experience turned into the system that's now helped thousands of doctors land their dream jobs, and why being good at interviews isn't a trait you're born with, it's a skill you build like any other. We also review a duty of candour example involving a bladder injury during a right hemicolectomy, and unpack the tricky question of whether it works when the mistake was your own. From there we tackle a genuinely deep interview question, "what would you like your legacy to be, years or decades later, when you leave this job", and how to answer it without falling back on something vague like "a good doctor who cared about patients." Finally, our tip of the week: keep your game face on. Don't undermine a good answer with an eye roll or a wince at the end, because your read on how it's going is almost never as accurate as you think, and the panel will believe whatever your face tells them. 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

  7. Sep 28

    What to Wear to Your Consultant Interview

    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://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep59 What should you wear to your consultant interview? Tessa and Becky tackle the question they get asked all the time, and the answer isn't as strict as you'd think. Smart, interview-appropriate, and free of anything that distracts the panel (jangly bracelets and novelty ties included) matters far more than looking corporate, and you should still feel like yourself in the room. We also break down a mistake example involving a CT head scan requested on the wrong patient, and explain why this one is too significant to use as a mistake story, and why it's actually a strong duty of candour example instead. From there we tackle a genuinely tricky interview question, "tell me about a time you underestimated the emotional impact of something you said or did on a colleague", and why the best answers flip it into something positive rather than throwing yourself under the bus. Finally, our tip of the week: practise questions in a run, not just one at a time. A real interview is 40 minutes long, and the tiredness that sets in by question seven is something you need to feel in practice, not for the first time on the day. 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

  8. Sep 21

    Print Your Slides, Tech Fails More Than You Think

    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://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep58 Tech failure when you go to do your presentation is more common than you'd think, so be prepared. Tessa and Becky talk through exactly how to make the most of just a few weeks, for anyone who feels like they've started prepping too late, and share a real story of a candidate who turned three weeks of panic into a job offer. We also break down a conflict example involving a declined referral between specialities, and explain why being clinically right is almost never the point, over-explaining the medicine just distracts from showing you can actually resolve a disagreement. From there we tackle a genuinely interesting interview question on the NHS and environmental sustainability, and where to actually look if you've got nothing to say about it yet. Finally, our tip of the week could save your entire presentation: always have a printed backup of your slides and notes, because when the tech goes down (and it will), staying calm can work in your favour more than the slides themselves ever would. 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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About

Welcome to Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview - the podcast for doctors who want to take the stress and guesswork out of their NHS consultant interview prep. We know how overwhelming it can feel to prep for your consultant interviews when you’re already stretched thin. Each episode, we’ll break down what actually works - no fluff, no endless reading, just practical steps you can fit into a hectic week. You’ll hear honest advice, real stories, and the frameworks we use with our own students inside the Academy to help you show up confident, prepped, and ready to secure the job you want. If you’re a final year trainee or locum consultant and you want to prepare, not panic, you’re in the right place.

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