If medical school interviews weren’t already intense, you face a unique challenge: the role-play and breaking bad news stations. In these scenarios, you’re not just discussing theory; you are on the spot, interacting with a patient, and your every word, gesture, and expression is being meticulously watched and assessed.

Why do medical schools introduce this high-pressure, unpredictable element into an interview?

It’s not to trick you - it’s to genuinely gauge your potential as a clinician. They are looking beyond your grades and work experience, and these stations are designed to

• To Test Your Empathy - Can you connect and actively listen under pressure?
• To Assess Your Composure - Can you stay structured and professional during a crisis?
• To See You Act, Not Talk - Can you apply communication theory authentically in real-time?

The good news? You can prepare for the unpredictable. You need a guaranteed structure that provides a scaffolding for your performance, allowing your genuine empathy to shine through.

To ensure you walk into that interview room with confidence and leave with the highest possible score on these critical stations, I’ve collated essential, step-by-step frameworks for both role-play and breaking bad news scenarios. These are the tools you can start implementing immediately to confidently respond in any situation and secure that coveted medical school offer.

Setting

• Introduce yourself, confirm patient identity and ensure you are in a quiet and private room
• Create an environment where the patient feels safe, respected and ready to receive news
• There should be a supportive atmosphere so the patient does not feel intimidated or pressured
• Show that you are physically and mentally present through your body language and that the patient has your full attention and care

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Perception

• This is the process of understanding the patient’s current state of knowledge and their readiness to receive more
• What is your understanding of why we’re meeting today and do you remember we carried out a few tests?
• The ICE acronym is useful to see how you go about the following steps
  • Ideas
  • Concerns
  • Expectations
• It is important to gauge their level of comprehension and ensure they have the capacity for this conversation
• Assess how the patient is coping with the situation, and it is a moment to listen actively

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Invitation

• Explain that you have some bad news and allow for permission or proceed
• This is the step where consent is key, and you need to ask for permission to proceed, showing respect for the individual’s autonomy and their right to guide the conversation about their health
• This also gives the patient a gentle warning that they are about to share significant information and it gives the patient a moment to mentally prepare themselves

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Knowledge

• Sensitively explain what has happened in simple terms to allow the patient to process
• Be clear when speaking to the patient, and do not drag out the process or give them false hope
• Make sure to mention any positives, such as treatments
• Chunk and check, so do not overwhelm the patient and give them the news slowly, checking that they understand what they have been told in between chunks of information

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Emotion

• Display empathy and active listening, and ask open questions like How do you feel and I’m sorry, I understand this must be difficult
• This is not just watching the patient’s reaction, but actively engaging with their emotional journey
• In this stage, you validate their feelings and reaffirm that they are not alone in this journey
• You need to be prepared to empathise with the patient after you have told them the news, using a 3-step process
  • Identify the emotion being experienced
  • Understanding the source and cause of the emotion being experienced
  • Validate the patient’s feelings by giving them time to express and recognise them, then respond in a manner that is demonstrative of your comprehension of the first two steps and the link between them

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Summary

• Conclude clearly about what you have just talked about, discuss plans moving forward and give leaflets, and they can call if they have any questions
• This is where hope is balanced with reality, and the patient is involved in decision-making about their treatment and care
• This final step ensures that the patient leaves the conversation with a clear understanding of their situation and a sense of control over their next actions

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Interviews can feel tough, but they are a skill and definitely something you can improve on, with practice! But it is important that you practice the right skills. So to help you with your interview preparation, I’ve created several different interview resources that you can use no matter which part of your interview preparation you are struggling with.

If you are struggling with the large amount of content medicine interviews have, then check out my medicine interview document. This document has 50+ pages of all the medicine interview content, ranging from the ethics and principles to NHS hot topics and research skills. All the notes are written in an active recall format, so you can actually work smarter for your interview preparation. And with over 30+ NHS hot topics and 100+practice MMI and interview questions, this can be your complete toolkit to help you prepare for your interviews strategically.

For the highest level of personalised refinement and guaranteed in-depth feedback, my 1-2-1 interview tutoring and mock interview sessions are essential. We can specifically focus on your weakest areas, refine your presentation skills, and conduct a mock interview tailored to the format of your most crucial university. Interview season is peaking, and slots are disappearing fast. Don't risk losing your chance at personalised, targeted preparation. Email me at loveleenj241@gmail.com to secure your limited spot!

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If you’re doing GCSE or A-level Biology or Chemistry and feel like you need that extra boost to secure those top grades, you’re in the right place! I offer tutoring that’s genuinely made a difference - my students have jumped from a grade 4 to an 8, and others have gone on to absolutely smash an A* in their exams. My classes stay intentionally small so I can really focus on you and what you need, but that also means spaces disappear pretty quickly. If you want to grab a spot before they’re gone, drop me an email at loveleenj241@gmail.com and let’s get you working towards that dream grade.

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As someone who received 4/4 offers and was in the first batch of offer holders at both King’s College London and the University of Birmingham, I’ve poured everything I know into creating the best possible interview resources, so you can achieve your dream of studying medicine. If you want to get your medicine offers, check out my interview resources on my website!

Additionally, you can check out my website for resources such as the A* AQA A-level psychology notes and my notes templated designed in an active recall format.

📸Here are the links to each of my social media pages, so make sure you follow! In all, I detail the advice and tips you need to help make your application to medicine so much easier! If you ever need any help, feel free to reach out to me at loveleenj241@gmail.com