Ethics and professionalism: RMO and Registrar Interview Questions Australia
An error you made, a mistake your consultant noticed, the nurse who insists on a medication you do not know, the wrong patient given antibiotics, and cultural safety. Panels test honesty and a safe response.
Updated 26 October 2026
How to answer
Own the error, say what you did at the time and what changed. For the medication you do not know, do not give it until you have checked; say how you would check. For the wrong patient, assess the patient, tell your senior, report the incident and know that open disclosure follows. Define cultural safety with your own actions.
Frameworks: ETHICS for dilemmas; STAR for the error
- ETHICS Establish the facts and capacity, Think through the four pillars and name the tension, Hear the other side fairly, Identify two or three options, Choose a patient centred action with the next step, Safeguard and document. Full guide →
Describe an error you made in your practice and what you did to fix it.
Own a real error, say what you did at the time including telling the patient and your senior and reporting it, and what changed afterwards. The worst answer has no error in it.
Describe a situation where your consultant noticed you had made a mistake. How did you react?
How you felt, what you said, what you did about the mistake, and what you learned. Panels score the absence of defensiveness and the evidence of change. Thank the consultant in the story if it is true.
What does cultural safety mean to you, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients?
Define it as the patient's experience, not your intention: care the person feels is safe and respectful. Then your actions: asking about cultural needs, involving the Aboriginal liaison officer early, family involvement, flexibility about discharge and place of care. One example makes it real.
A nurse insists you give a medication to a patient you do not know, and you do not know the medication. What do you do?
Do not give it until you know what it is and have seen the patient. Look it up, check the indication and the dose, see the patient, ask the registrar if unsure. Explain the delay to the nurse respectfully; they are usually right that it is needed, and you are right to check.
A nurse tells you a patient was given antibiotics that were meant for another patient. What do you do?
Assess the patient for harm and treat it, tell your senior, report the incident, make sure the patient is told through open disclosure, and check the patient who was meant to receive the drug. Support the nurse. Say what you would do to stop it recurring.
What is open disclosure, and when is it needed?
An open discussion with the patient and family after an adverse event: what happened, an apology, what will be done. Required whenever there has been harm. Say who leads it, that your senior is involved, and that it is a process rather than one conversation.
What are this hospital's values, and how do you demonstrate them?
Name the values accurately, then one example per value from your own practice. Read them before the interview; getting them wrong costs more than not knowing them.