Gastroenterology 11th April 2024

Gastroenterology ST4 Interview Guide 2024

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about the Gastroenterology ST4 application and interview. We cover the key application dates, the different interview questions and the scoring process, allowing you to prepare well and perform to the best of your ability.

Gastroenterology is a popular pathway, so you can expect to face a lot of competition. In round 1 of 2023, there were 309 applications for 111 posts, resulting in a competition ratio of 2.78. This means almost three people applied for each post. The ratio for round 1 of 2022 was similar, at just over 3 applicants per post. However, round 2 of 2022 was even more competitive, with 120 applications for 14 posts! This led to a competition ratio of 8.6, making it more of a challenge to secure a round 2 post.

Gastroenterology ST4 Application

Before you can be selected for an interview, you must submit your application form. The application form covers a variety of key areas, including your:

• Qualifications
• Eligibility
• Language skills
• Health
• Career progression
• Fitness to practise

Once submitted, your application form will be assessed, determining whether you are a suitable candidate for interview. The assessors will make their decision based on how you meet a variety of essential and desirable requirements. The selection criteria include areas such as:

• Qualifications*
• Career progression
• Clinical experience
• Clinical skills
• Academic skills
• Personal skills
• Professional integrity
• Commitment to specialty

*Note: You must have successfully completed MRCP – Part 1 and Part 2 – by the offer date to be able to take up a post.

Boost your Gastroenterology ST4 application by Training in Teaching

A master’s in teaching can earn you up to 3 application points, which might be challenging before your interview. However, for 1 point, you only need to provide formal evidence of attending a teaching course. Check out our Teach the Teacher course if you want to boost your Gastroenterology ST4 application score.

Teach the Teacher Course by Medibuddy

This two-day CPD-accredited online course will earn you 12 CPD points on completion. It’s entirely flexible, so you can complete it in two days or multiple sessions over a longer period. On completion of the course, you’ll receive a certificate for your portfolio that is accredited for CCT, interviews and appraisals.

Find out more

You can find more information about the contents of the ST4 Gastroenterology application form as well as your eligibility in the person specification.

Gastroenterology ST4 Key Dates

The following is an overview of the Gastroenterology ST4 2024 recruitment dates:

It’s worth noting that Gastroenterology ST4 also took part in a second round of recruitment for 2023, with interview dates taking place on 23 – 24 October 2023.

Gastroenterology ST4 Interview Format

The Gastroenterology ST4 interview is split across two separate stations. Each station consists of two questions, meaning you will have to answer four in total. You will have between 5 to 10 minutes to answer each question, and when combined with the time between the stations, you can expect the interview to take around 40 minutes.

Below, we cover each question and what you can expect to be assessed on, we’ve also included some examples from our interview question bank, which we have launched for the 2024 interviews.

Station 1 Question 1 – Clinical Scenario

Before this question, you will be given a clinical scenario and a short amount of time to review it. The information regarding the scenario will be limited, only lasting for a couple of sentences, and will cover a hypothetical situation in which you’re involved.

The following is an example from our Gastroenterology ST4 interview question bank:

After reading the scenario, go over the information and prepare to answer several questions. You should use your experience to consider:

• The steps you would take
• The potential treatments
• What further information you would gather
• How you would communicate with patients, family members and colleagues

For this part of the interview, you will be marked based on how you handle the clinical scenario, as well as how you communicate throughout the station. This question will last approximately 7 minutes.

Station 1 Question 2 – Presentation

This question requires you to give a four-minute presentation on one of two topics. You can either prepare a presentation on:

‘An interesting case I have been involved in’.

OR

‘An interesting recent development in gastroenterology’.

When preparing the presentation, you should consider the following points:

• Clarity and relevance – The topic you choose should revolve around Gastroenterology. So, you must present with clarity, communicating the contents of the presentation effectively.
• The four-minute time limit – Your presentation can’t last longer than four minutes. If you go over this deadline, you will be stopped to allow time for the discussion. Therefore, you need to get your main points across in good time.
• No resources allowed – You can’t share your screen or use any visual representations like PowerPoint. However, you can use cue cards as prompts.

After the four-minute mark, the interviewers will discuss the contents of the presentation with you. Here, you will have to answer questions about your main points.

You will be scored on both your presentation and the following discussion. Therefore, you should do your best to get across your understanding of the subject, as this will contribute to your total mark.

Station 2 Question 1 – Suitability & Commitment

This part of the interview examines your suitability and commitment to Gastroenterology and will last approximately seven minutes. The question allows you to expand on the information you provided in your application form.

Below you’ll find an example of the type of question you may be asked in this section of the interview and how to approach it. This is taken from our Gastroenterology ST4 interview question bank.

Station 2 Question 2 – Medical Registrar Suitability

The final question of the Gastroenterology ST4 interview focuses on the non-clinical aspects of being a medical registrar. This covers two of the Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) from the Internal Medicine Stage 1 Curriculum:

• Managing an acute unselected take
• Managing a multi-disciplinary team, including effective discharge planning

The interviewers will start the discussion by asking you a question, so you won’t have any time to prepare before the station. You can expect this question to last for around 8 minutes. You will be required to describe your experience of managing a team that’s caring for acute medical admissions, giving examples in the process.

How is the Gastroenterology ST4 Interview scored?

Each of the four questions uniquely assesses you, allowing you to earn marks in the different areas of the interview. Both interviewers will score you independently, basing your marks on a specific framework.

A score of 3/5 is considered satisfactory, reflecting the score of a trainee ready to progress to the next stage of their specialty. If your performance exceeds this level, interviewers can give you a score of 4/5 or 5/5. But, if your performance isn’t at the expected level, you can receive a score of 1/5 or 2/5. These scores are then combined to determine the success of your interview performance.

Our Gastroenterology ST4 interview question bank provides high-quality questions and explanations covering all elements of the interview to help you perform as well as possible. You can learn more about our Gastroenterology ST4 interview question bank here.

Good luck!