Nephrology: Registrar Interview Questions Australia
The nephrology 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 7 November 2026
The structures these questions are marked on
- CAMP Clinical experience, Academic work including audit, research and teaching, Management and leadership roles, Personal: who you are as a colleague and what you will find hard. For the CV walkthrough. Full guide →
- 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.
Why nephrology, and why this unit?
Evidence: the terms, the cases, the research, the audit. Then this unit: its subspecialty strengths, its research and its catchment, in terms that show homework.
What do you know about advanced training in nephrology, its requirements and the research project?
The length, the core and elective years, the procedural or clinic requirements, the research project and the assessments. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
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.
A dialysis patient arrives with a potassium of 7.4 and broad complexes on the ECG. What do you do?
Calcium for the membrane, insulin and dextrose, salbutamol, and urgent dialysis. Say why the ECG changes make this immediate.
A patient has an acute kidney injury that is not improving with fluids. What do you do?
The cause sought including obstruction and nephrotoxins, the fluid status, the urine, the ultrasound, and the indications for urgent dialysis.
A transplant patient presents with fever and a rising creatinine. What is your approach?
Infection versus rejection versus obstruction or drug toxicity, the drug levels, the ultrasound, the biopsy decision, and the transplant team.
An older patient with end stage kidney disease is unsure whether to start dialysis. How do you approach the conversation?
Conservative care as a real option, what dialysis would involve for this patient, their goals, and shared decision making with the family.
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.
How do you see kidney care for Aboriginal patients in remote communities, and what should the unit do?
The burden of disease, dialysis far from country, satellite and home dialysis, and partnership with community controlled services.