Communication: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia
A difficult conversation, a handover to a consultant who is off site, and the family or patient who refuses care for cultural or religious reasons. Panels score structure and respect.
Updated 26 October 2026
How to answer
One real conversation, stepped through, with the outcome. For the family refusing analgesia or treatment, explore the belief, involve an interpreter or cultural liaison, explain without pressure, and find the acceptable option. Practise ISBAR until it is automatic.
Frameworks: SPIKES for difficult conversations; ISBAR for handover
- SBAR Situation: who the patient is and the one line problem, Background: the relevant history, Assessment: what you think is going on and how unwell they are, Recommendation: what you want the senior to do and when. Full guide →
- STAR Situation in a sentence, Task: what you had to do, Action: what you did in the first person, Result: the outcome with a number where there is one. Add Reflection for STARR. Full guide →
Describe a situation where you displayed effective communication with a patient or family.
One real conversation stepped through: what the person needed, how you adapted, what was hard, how it ended. For families, mention the interpreter if one was needed and what you did to check understanding.
How do you hand over a deteriorating patient to a consultant who is off site?
ISBAR in about forty seconds: identify yourself and the patient, the situation in one line, the relevant background, your assessment of how unwell they are, and what you want the consultant to do, stated plainly, including whether you need them to come in.
A family from a non English speaking background refuses opioid analgesia for a relative with severe cancer pain, fearing it will hasten death. How do you approach this?
The patient's wishes first, through a professional interpreter and in private. Then explore the family's fear without arguing, explain plainly that appropriate doses relieve pain without shortening life, bring in palliative care and a cultural or religious liaison, and find the option the family can accept. Say what you would do if they still refused and the patient wanted treatment.
- Often askedUsually asked by the head of departmentSPIKES
Tell us about a time you broke bad news.
SPIKES: the setting, what they already knew, what they wanted to know, the information in small pieces, the response to emotion, and the plan with a named contact. One real conversation, and what you would do differently.
How do you communicate with a patient or family who are angry about their care?
Listen first, acknowledge the feeling before the facts, apologise for the experience without prejudging what happened, explain what you are doing and what happens next, and agree the next contact. Know the complaints process and when to involve a senior.