1. Higher Training Interviews
Vicki Clark, ST4 Adult Psychiatry
June 2016

2. General
National Recruitment now carried out by the North West Deanery, Health Education North West.
Must have passed CASC to apply
Intakes in February and August.
Applications through the online system, Oriel ( ).
Standardised application and longlisting process.
All eligible candidates will be interviewed (no short listing).
Interviews in Manchester (Etihad Stadium)
Can apply for up to 2 specialities

3. Oriel
Oriel is the UK-wide portal and recruitment system for post graduate specialty medical, dental and public health education and training applicants.
Oriel enables applicants to register for training, view vacancies, apply, book interviews and assessment centres, and manage offers - all within a single, central location.
Centralised ‘one-stop shop’ system with an improved user interface and recruitment journey for applicants.
No longer requires details of other degrees, audits, prizes, presentations, achievements outside psychiatry.

12. application
All applicants are assessed against the nationally agreed ST4 Psychiatry Person Specifications
Eligibility criteria, minimal requirements:
Medical Degree,
GMC registration,
Eligibility to work in the UK,
English language skills,
Career progression
Achievement of core competencies
Fit to practice

13. Sub-preferencing is a process of ranking specific posts or sectors within a LETB or Deanery offers are made on the basis of your interview ranking and your sub-preferencing of available posts.
It is therefore a very important step in the process and you should carefully consider which posts you would be willing to take up. .
Mark as ‘Wanted’, ‘ Not Wanted’ or ‘ No Preference.’

14. Preparing for interview
Prepare all documents needed and copies showing you meet ST4 eligibility criteria.
Basic structure has been kept essentially the same, so no great changes between rounds.
Station requirements published at least 1 week before the first interviews (may be a month prior to your interview)
Three very different stations with different structures and different roles of the people in the room.
Portfolio and preparedness for the specialty, and Audit and Leadership respectively, can be planned well in advance.  
Prepare Portfolio with evidence of claims made in application.

15. 3 stations of 15 minutes (warning at 14 minutes) -
Portfolio Station (/20)
Leadership and Audit Station (/20)
Clinical Station (simulated clinical scenario, /20).
15 minutes is both “long” (no need to rush) and “short” (i.e. plan what must be dealt with).
All three sections scored equally, by two interviewers.
At present a pass (10/20) is required for two stations, (Portfolio and Clinical) while Audit and Leadership contributes to the overall score. Advice: don’t waste time and effort worrying  about this!

16. Station 1 -Portfolio
QUESTION- Using your portfolio, explain to the panel why you should be chosen for a long-term career in (Speciality) Psychiatry and how you meet the Person Specification.
Demonstrate what you have achieved during core training.
Think carefully about how you present your portfolio.
A formal presentation to the interviewers against a clear list of headings, without interruption.  The candidate should lucidly fill the 15 minutes.
Need to sell yourself.
Practice ++ against the clock.
Not directed, led by you.

17. Need to have good knowledge of the layout of your portfolio to navigate through it quickly.
If applying to more than one speciality, tailor your portfolio and the content of your presentation for each portfolio station you attend.
In addition to the evidence you provide, you will also be assessed on the organisation and presentation of the documentation you have provided.

18. include Introduction- Clinical and Personal Skills-
CV (breadth of experience) and PDP
Qualifications
Clinical and Personal Skills-
Use Assessments, Supervisor Reports
References
Patient and Colleague Feedback
Awards
Psychotherapy
Reflections

20. Research and Audit- Teaching – Evidence of Research Skills
Literature searches
Critical Appraisal
Journal Club Presentations
Training
Direct involvement in research projects
Evidence Based Practice
Publications (e.g. Articles , Case Report)
Evidence of Audits (completed cycles, presentations, where has this information been used?)
Posters
Teaching –
Presentations, feedback, certificates, acknowledgements

22. Learning and Personal Development-
Leadership-
LEADER Assessments
Involvement in non clinical work, such as chairing team meetings
Quality Improvement Projects, Trainee representative work
Supervising junior colleagues
Learning and Personal Development-
Training, CPD, Conferences, Courses
Achievements outside of medicine

23. Station 2- Audit and Development of Leadership
2 Questions – 7.5 minutes each (portfolio not allowed)
 The candidate makes an initial summary presentation, answering the question, and then speaks to examples with probes from the interviewers, which can be personal experience (usually) or wider examples.
QUESTIONS
Tell us your understanding of how audit influences clinical practice. Use examples to demonstrate this.
Demonstrate understanding of audit and quality improvement initiatives, not to evaluate the quality of your audits.
The College curriculum for training contains leadership competencies. What do you understand by the term Leadership?

24. Station 3- speciality Specific Communication skills
Assesses effective communication, meeting an actor.  Both candidate and actor are in role from the beginning and the interviewers play no part for the whole 15 minutes.
Scenario in GA and OA:  meeting a relative dissatisfied with a patient’s assessment or treatment. The focus is on communication. (The forensic scenario is reported as more “clinical” but managing communication remains the focus.)
No need to  be rushed, particularly in establishing effective genuine communication, staying “in the room”,  and here and now, with the relative, and then agreeing what the key issues are, needing review and agreement/understanding including some wrapping-up (around 14 minutes.)

25. Preparation: thinking through the main themes after on-line publication, and points within them, accepting that it cannot be wholly predictable.
Communication with this person  is the focus (rather than managing the clinical situation)  establishing an effective alliance, and managing any annoyance or hostility. However, dealing with the clinical issues  is part of effective communication (e.g. gaining further history information,  or re-assessing diagnosis or plans.)
Practice: Full simulation practice; best done in a group of at least three, so that the roles of relative, ST4 doctor and interview can be rotated and then discussed in detail.

26. summary Prepare early Get your portfolio organised
Practice time management
Practice with colleagues/seniors with feedback
Use Person Specification
Good Luck!