Respiratory medicine: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia
The respiratory 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 respiratory medicine, and why this unit?
Evidence: the respiratory terms, the bronchoscopy or sleep or lung cancer clinic time, the research, the audit. Then this unit: its subspecialty strengths, its research, its catchment, in terms that show homework.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
What do you know about advanced training in respiratory medicine, the sleep medicine option and the research requirement?
The length, the core years, the sleep medicine dual option, the procedural requirements, the research project, and the assessments. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
- Often askedUsually asked by the head of department
Respiratory medicine carries a large share of the acute take and the chronic disease burden. How will you sustain a career in it?
A real strategy: the acute load, the balance of acute and clinic and procedural 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.
A patient with COPD is drowsy with a saturation of 94 on high flow oxygen. What do you do?
Hypercapnia from oxygen until proven otherwise: a gas now, controlled oxygen to the target range, nebulisers, steroids, antibiotics if infected, and non invasive ventilation by the criteria with intensive care aware. Say what would make you call intensive care and what the ceiling of care discussion involves.
A patient with severe asthma is tiring, silent chested, saturating 88 on high flow oxygen. What do you do?
Intensive care now: nebulisers, steroids, magnesium, a gas, the anaesthetist and intensive care called immediately. Say that you would not leave the bedside.
A 65 year old smoker presents with haemoptysis and a chest X ray showing a mass. What do you do?
Lung cancer until proven otherwise: the urgent CT, the staging, the bronchoscopy or biopsy route, the lung cancer multidisciplinary team, and the conversation with the patient. Say what would make the haemoptysis an emergency.
A patient presents with a large pleural effusion and breathlessness. How do you approach it?
The history and examination, the ultrasound guided aspiration with the full analysis, the transudate and exudate differential, the drain if needed, and the pleural service. Say what you would do if it were an empyema.
A patient with interstitial lung disease deteriorates acutely. What do you do?
The infection, the embolus, the heart failure and the acute exacerbation considered, the investigations, the treatment of what is found, the ceiling of care discussion, and the interstitial lung disease team.
An Aboriginal patient from a remote community presents with bronchiectasis and recurrent exacerbations. How do you plan their care?
The acute treatment, then the long term plan with the community health service and the Aboriginal health workers, the physiotherapy and the airway clearance taught, the vaccinations, the housing and the smoking addressed, and the telehealth follow up. Say that the plan has to work where the patient lives.
A patient with obstructive sleep apnoea is a commercial driver and refuses treatment. What do you do?
The fitness to drive standards and the patient's obligation to notify, your own obligations in the state, the treatment explained again, the documentation, and respect for the patient's distress about their livelihood.
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 respiratory services in Australian public hospitals, and how do they affect this unit?
The winter load, lung cancer pathways, the chronic disease burden including bronchiectasis in Aboriginal communities, sleep service waiting lists, workforce, and the effect on training. Link each to this unit.