Ethics and professionalism: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia

The difficult supervisor, the impaired colleague, the patient who refuses treatment, open disclosure, and cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Cultural safety is an explicit criterion in most programmes.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

For the supervisor, stay professional, use the supervisor of training and the college channels, and keep patients safe. Define cultural safety as the patient's experience and give your own actions. Know mandatory notification and open disclosure.

Frameworks: ETHICS for dilemmas; STAR for cultural safety examples

  • 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 →
  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of departmentETHICS

    You are a first term registrar. Your supervisor is hard to approach, often unavailable, and makes decisions you do not always agree with. How do you manage this professionally?

    Patient safety first: if a decision is unsafe you act on it regardless of the relationship. Then a direct, respectful approach: ask for regular meetings, raise disagreements as questions, reflect on whether the problem is availability or clinical judgement. Then the channels: the supervisor of training and the network. Keep your own conduct impeccable throughout.

  2. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the independent chair or consumer representativeETHICS

    What does cultural safety mean to you, and how do you provide culturally safe care to 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, interpreters. One example makes it real.

  3. Often askedUsually asked by the director of medical servicesETHICS

    A colleague appears impaired or unwell at work. What do you do?

    Patient safety first: they must not see patients, said kindly, and removed from the clinical area. Then a senior, the hospital's process, and mandatory notification to AHPRA if the impairment risks public safety. Support the colleague and keep it confidential.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the staff specialist colleagueETHICS

    A patient with capacity refuses treatment you believe they need. How do you proceed?

    Confirm capacity, make sure the refusal is informed, explore the reasons, offer alternatives, involve a senior, document and respect the decision while leaving the door open. Say what changes if capacity is in doubt.

  5. Often askedUsually asked by the head of departmentETHICS

    A consultant asks you to do something you believe is unsafe. What do you do?

    Clarify what is being asked and why, state your concern, ask for the reasoning. If still unsafe, decline politely, document, and escalate to another senior or the head of department. Patient safety comes before hierarchy.

  6. Often askedUsually asked by the director of medical servicesETHICS

    What is open disclosure, and when is it required?

    An open discussion with the patient and family about an adverse event: what happened, an apology, what will be done. Required for any harm, and good practice for near misses. Say who leads it, that it is a process rather than one conversation, and give an example if you have one.

Other topics

Contribute to the bank

Recently interviewed? Tell us what you were asked. Australian interview questions are rarely published, and every reported question improves the ranking that decides what appears here and what comes up in practice.