Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)
NHS INTERVIEW MASTERCLASS — DAY 2
"The 'I' vs 'We' Trap"
Most internationally trained clinicians fail the NHS interview — not at the clinical questions. They fail it the moment they say "We."
"We managed the emergency." "We implemented the protocol." "We improved the patient outcomes."
You are being humble. You were raised to credit the team. In your culture, in your training, in your clinical environment — "we" was the right word.
But the NHS interview panel is not hiring your team. They are hiring you.
And when you say "we" in the Action section of your STAR answer, the assessor picks up their pen — and scores you zero on the Autonomy competency. Not because you did not do the work. Because you did not claim it.
Here is what I teach every client I prepare:
The STAR method has four parts — Situation, Task, Action, Result. The only part that is entirely yours is the A. And in that A, there is only one acceptable pronoun.
I.
"I initiated the ABCDE assessment." "I escalated using SBAR to the registrar on call." "I made the decision to pause the procedure."
Not because your team did not help. But because the panel needs to see that when pressure arrived — you led. You decided. You acted.
That is what they are scoring. That is what gets the job offer.
This week I am giving you everything. Day 2 is about the STAR method — the framework that sits underneath every NHS interview question, at every band, in every specialty.
Master this and every other question becomes easier.
📩 Want my "I-Action Verbs" list for 2026 — 40 clinical leadership verbs that score maximum points in the Action section of every STAR answer?
Send me a DM with the word "ACTION" and I will send it directly.
Like this post and share it with every international clinician preparing for NHS interview right now.
Post 2 drops at 9AM — and it is about the one thing that makes a panel remember your answer three days later.
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