Leadership and teamwork: Specialty Training Interview Questions

Assessors ask for one example of teamwork and one of leadership, at your level, with your own role clear. They are scoring whether you understand what a team needed from you, not whether you were in charge.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

One specific example in STARR form, your actions clear, the outcome given and a line of reflection. Include a time you followed well. Show respect for nursing and allied health colleagues; that is where many answers lose marks.

Frameworks: STARR

  • 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 →
  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    Tell us about a time you worked well in a team. What was your contribution?

    STARR with your contribution clear: what the team needed and what you provided. Include what a nurse or allied health colleague contributed. A line on what you learned about when to lead and when to follow finishes it well.

  2. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    Tell us about a time you led a team or took charge of a situation.

    An example at your level where you took charge: an arrest call before the registrar arrived, a ward round that was falling apart, a rota problem. Say what you decided, how you communicated it and the outcome. Reflect on what you would do differently.

  3. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    What makes a good team in a clinical setting?

    Shared goals, clear roles, psychological safety, communication that is structured, and respect across professions. Give one example of a team that worked and one that did not, and say what the difference was.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    Describe a time you had a disagreement with a colleague and how it was resolved.

    A real disagreement, addressed early and in private, with the focus on the issue and the patient rather than the person. Say how it was resolved and what the relationship was afterwards. Avoid disagreements where you were plainly right.

  5. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    Tell us about a time you had to delegate.

    An example where you delegated with clear instructions, checked it was done, and supported the person. Say what you learned about delegating well, including what you would not delegate.

  6. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    How do you work with nursing staff when you are the most junior doctor on the ward?

    With respect and curiosity: they know the ward, the patients and the systems better than you. Describe asking for their view, acting on it, and being reliable. Give one example of a nurse who taught you something that mattered.

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