- Stages
- 4
- Typical timeline
- 4 to 12 weeks
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Format
- Application, portfolio review, structured interview stations
Interviews for junior doctor posts, such as clinical fellow jobs and specialty training, combine clinical scenarios, ethics and professionalism, and questions about your portfolio and motivation. Specialty training interviews often use structured stations scored against national criteria. Expect to prioritise unwell patients, handle ethical dilemmas such as consent and confidentiality, discuss audit and teaching, and reflect on a mistake. Panels look for safe clinical reasoning, clear escalation, good communication, reference to GMC guidance and genuine reflection.
How NHS hires
NHS roles are usually advertised on NHS Jobs or Trac and recruited against a person specification, so the supporting statement matters. Interviews are typically values-based panel interviews, and clinical roles often include scenario questions and numeracy or drug calculation tests. Each trust has its own values, which are worth linking your answers to.
The interview process, stage by stage
- ApplicationApplication form and portfolio evidence.
- Portfolio stationDiscuss achievements, audit, teaching and research.
- Clinical stationPrioritisation and management of clinical scenarios.
- Ethics and communication stationEthical dilemmas, professionalism and communication.
How you're scored
Safe assessment, prioritisation and escalation.
Applies GMC guidance and ethical principles.
Clear, empathetic communication.
Evidence of interest in the specialty.
Likely Junior Doctor interview questions
You're called to three unwell patients at once. How do you prioritise?
A strong answer includes: Triage by severity using available information, see the sickest first, delegate, escalate to seniors and keep communication clear.
A patient refuses a blood transfusion. What do you do?
A strong answer includes: Assess capacity, explore reasons and alternatives, respect a capacitous refusal, involve seniors and document.
Tell me about a clinical mistake and what you learned.
A strong answer includes: Honest account, duty of candour, how you reported it, the learning and changes to your practice.
Every question for this interview, with what strong answers include. Free with an account for the first few; all of them with Pro.
Common mistakes
- Trying to manage beyond your competence instead of escalating
- Ignoring GMC guidance in ethics answers
- Reflections with no learning
- Portfolio claims you can't discuss in depth
Questions to ask them
- What does supervision and teaching look like?
- How are rotas organised?
- What opportunities are there for audit and research?
- How is wellbeing supported?
Candidate experiences
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Share your interviewFrequently asked questions
What is the NHS Junior Doctor interview process?
NHS roles are usually advertised on NHS Jobs or Trac and recruited against a person specification, so the supporting statement matters. For Junior Doctor roles, interviews usually cover application, portfolio station, clinical station, ethics and communication station. Timelines are typically 4 to 12 weeks, but they vary by team and level.
How do I prepare for a Junior Doctor interview at NHS?
Learn how NHS works and who its customers are, then prepare for the core Junior Doctor rounds: clinical reasoning, prioritisation, communication. Practise the likely questions out loud, prepare specific stories with results, and have thoughtful questions ready for your interviewers.
What is asked in a junior doctor interview?
Clinical prioritisation scenarios, managing an unwell patient, ethical dilemmas involving consent, capacity and confidentiality, a mistake and what you learned, teamwork, audit and teaching, and why this specialty or post.
How do I answer clinical prioritisation questions?
Identify the sickest patient first using a structured approach, explain your reasoning, delegate appropriately, escalate to seniors early and say how you'd document and follow up.