Abstract
When the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme was proposed in 2003, it was designed to ensure that ‘the end product of the training process, whether a Hospital Doctor or a General Practitioner, should be a high-quality, well-trained and accredited doctor who can deliver the care and treatment to patients in the modern NHS’ (Department of Health, 2003). Currently we are at the stage where interviews and recruitment for August 2007 have been completed, and recruitment for 2008 has commenced. It is vital for candidates to have an insight into the interview mechanism. In this article, the structure, types of questions, competencies tested and the methods used for selection such as Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, clinical vignettes, audit and research, teaching and presentation skills are discussed, so that candidates are able to better prepare themselves.
Highlights
The minimum standard time allocated for a selection interview is 30 minutes of face-to-face conversation
The MMC interviews use structured tools that are designed to measure a variety of skills and abilities using a standard set of questions; this has proven to be a valid method in candidate selection (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998)
The tools for the MMC interviews are a series of questions based directly on person specification, which is derived from a thorough analysis of the skills required for the post in question and is the cornerstone of the selection process
Summary
Preparing for the MMC interviews: a practical guide for trainees education & training. The structure, types of questions, competencies tested and the methods used for selection such as Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, clinical vignettes, audit and research, teaching and presentation skills are discussed, so that candidates are able to better prepare themselves. Modernising Medical Careers is a move from timebased to competency-based training. With the change in training scheme throughout the UK, trainee preparation is extremely important. Interviews, the second stage of the recruitment process, play a pivotal role. Familiarity with the structure and methods of the interview may aid potential candidates in preparation. I hope that the tips included here could be used by trainers to conduct mock interviews in their workplace
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