Preparing for the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry interview

If you're preparing for an interview at the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry, you're aiming to join one of Scotland’s oldest and most forward-looking medical programmes. 

This guide provides the hyper-local detail and national insight needed to equip you for a confident, impactful performance in your Aberdeen interview.

1. The Aberdeen Med Interview: Format, Structure, and What They’re Really Looking For

Aberdeen uses a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, typical of many UK medical schools. However, their stations have evolved over time to highlight core themes that align with their institutional mission: empathy, integrity, clinical reasoning, communication, teamwork in remote and rural settings, and an understanding of the Scottish health context.

MMI Structure

• 7–8 stations, each about 6 minutes long (4 minutes to answer, 2 minutes switch).

• Stations may be scenario-based, policy/problem-solving questions, or role-play situations.

• Interviewers are usually faculty, clinicians, students, and laypersons.

• Robust emphasis on applicants’ awareness of medical practice in Scotland, particularly the North East and Highland regions.

Thematic Focus

• Social accountability — how will you contribute to the health needs of underserved areas?

• Innovation in medicine — Aberdeen’s focus on research (e.g., iCAIRD, rural digital imaging) and public health.

• NHS versus private care — understanding the tenets of Scotland’s healthcare model.

• Team-based care — the role of general practitioners and community nursing in frontier medicine.

Insider Tip: Reflect on how your values align with Aberdeen’s ethos of outreach medicine. Whether it's your commitment to general practice in underserved locales or curiosity about tech-enabled diagnostics in rural clinics, tailor your responses to their social mission.

2. Scotland’s Healthcare Policy: Decentralized Care in a Devolved Nation

Scotland’s NHS operates independently from England, with distinct priorities:

National Care Service (2024):

1. A landmark bill integrating health and social care—direct response to Scotland’s aging population (23% over 65). Controversy surrounds underfunding in Aberdeenshire, where care home closures increased 18% in 2023.

Drug Deaths Crisis:

2. Scotland has the highest drug mortality rate in Europe (1,330 deaths in 2022). Aberdeen’s Alcohol and Drugs Action program pioneers “safer consumption vans”—a likely ethics station topic.

Rural Generalist Scheme:

3. To address GP shortages in the Highlands, Aberdeen trains “rural generalists” with skills in emergency medicine + obstetrics. Mention their Cairngorm Wilderness Medicine Module to impress.

Tip: Cite the university’s Centre for Rural Health research on telehealth in Orkney when discussing policy solutions.

3. Current Events: Aberdeen’s Frontline Challenges

NHS Grampian’s Elective Care Crisis:

• 42,000+ await procedures—double 2019 numbers. The Baird Family Hospital (opened 2023) aims to cut waits but faces radiographer strikes.

Energy Transition Health Impacts:

• As Europe’s oil capital shifts to renewables, Aberdeen medics study offshore wind farm worker PTSD and decommissioning-related asbestos exposure.

Climate-Linked Illnesses:

• Rising North Sea temperatures correlate with Vibrio infections in Fraserburgh shellfish harvesters—a focus of Aberdeen’s Environmental Epidemiology Group.

Global Context: U.S. Parallels & Social Issues

Maternal Mortality Disparities:

• Scotland’s Black women face 2x higher postpartum hemorrhage rates (mirroring U.S. trends). Aberdeen’s MAMAS Initiative trains midwives in cultural safety—compare to U.S. doula programs.

Opioid Harm Reduction:

• While Scotland expands naloxone access, U.S. lawsuits against Purdue Pharma highlight transnational corporate accountability angles for MMIs.

Mental Health in Academia:

• Aberdeen’s Nightline peer support program (modeled on U.S. university systems) addresses student suicidality—a 45% rise since 2020.

Tip: Contrast Scotland’s government-funded rehab beds with U.S. privatized models to demonstrate systems thinking.

4. The 5 Questions University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “How does Aberdeen’s focus on ‘northern health’ align with your career vision?”

2. “A patient refuses a blood transfusion due to Jehovah’s Witness beliefs. How do you respond?”

3. “Design a community intervention for Aberdeen’s 34% childhood obesity rate.”

4. “Explain the significance of the 2014 ‘Golden Jubilee’ report to Scotland’s NHS.”

5. “If you were a medical instrument, which would you be and why?”