General medicine: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia
The general medicine questions that sit on top of the specialty training core: clinical scenarios, the system and governance questions specific to the specialty, and presentation titles.
Updated 28 October 2026
The structures these questions are marked on
- SAFER See the patient, Assess systematically with ABCDE, Fix what you can and decide, Escalate with a clear request in SBAR or ISBAR, Review: the patient told, the handover, the documentation and what you would do if the first plan failed. Full guide →
- The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. Full guide →
Motivation
Evidence of commitment over enthusiasm: rotations, courses, audits, exams sat. Know the programme's stages, exams and rural requirements. Say what you would bring to a rural site, not just that you are willing to go.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of department
Why general medicine, and why this unit?
Evidence: the general medical terms, the acute take, the complex patients, the research, the audit. Then this unit: its model of care, its catchment, its teaching, in terms that show homework. Say why general medicine rather than a subspecialty, in terms of the patients.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
What do you know about advanced training in general medicine, dual training options and the research requirement?
The length, the core and the elective years, the dual training with a subspecialty or with geriatrics, the rural requirements, the research project, and the assessments. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
- Often askedUsually asked by the head of department
General medicine carries the acute take and the patients nobody else wants. How will you sustain a career in it?
A real strategy: the acute load and recovery, the meaning in the complexity, the balance of acute and clinic work, life outside, and what you would do if you noticed the signs of burnout.
Clinical scenario
Systematic assessment, treat what you can, escalate early and clearly even when the consultant is distant, use retrieval and telehealth where they apply, and say what you would do afterwards. A safe answer that asks for help beats a clever one that does not.
You are leading the medical take in a regional hospital. Twelve patients are waiting, two are unwell, and the emergency department is asking for decisions. How do you run it?
Triage by acuity with the observations, see the sick two first or allocate them, delegate the rest with clear instructions, keep the board moving with decisions, communicate with the emergency department and the bed manager, and escalate early when the take is unsafe. Say what you would do about the queue and the single consultant on call.
A 68 year old is referred with a temperature, a heart rate of 120 and a blood pressure of 85. Talk us through your management.
The sepsis bundle within the hour, the source sought, fluids with reassessment, the lactate, the consultant and intensive care if the pressure does not respond. Then the ISBAR handover.
A patient with hyponatraemia of 118 is drowsy. What do you do?
Severe symptomatic hyponatraemia: hypertonic saline by the guideline with close monitoring and the rise limited, the cause sought with the osmolalities and the urine, the fluid status, and the consultant and intensive care involved.
A patient with a paracetamol overdose presents eight hours after ingestion. What do you do?
The timing and the dose, the level against the nomogram, the acetylcysteine by the guideline, the liver watched, the psychiatric assessment once medically fit, and the criteria that would prompt the transplant centre call. Say what you would do if the patient wanted to leave.
A 75 year old with diabetes, heart failure and kidney disease is admitted with a fall on twelve medications. How do you approach the admission?
The cause of the fall, the medications reviewed and the culprits stopped, the conditions assessed against targets, the goals of care, the team including the pharmacist and the allied health, and the plan that the patient and the GP can follow. Prioritise; not everything is fixed this admission.
A patient presents with a first seizure and is now alert. What do you do?
The witness history, the examination, the glucose and the bloods, the ECG, the CT, the decision about admission, the neurology referral, and the driving advice which is a legal obligation. Say what would make you admit.
A patient from a remote community presents with rheumatic heart disease and a new murmur. What do you do?
The echo, the cardiology involvement, the secondary prophylaxis and the register, the endocarditis considered if febrile, and the plan with the community health service and the Aboriginal health workers so that the prophylaxis continues at home. Say why rheumatic heart disease persists in Australia.
System knowledge
Know the programme's requirements in detail. Name three current pressures and link each to your specialty. Be able to explain clinical governance and the standards most relevant to your work in a sentence each.
What are the main pressures on general medicine in Australian public hospitals, and how do they affect this unit?
Access block and the medical take, the ageing population and multimorbidity, the regional workforce where general physicians carry the hospital, the shift of chronic care to the community, and the effect on training. Link each to this unit.