A polytrauma patient is brought to the ED by ambulance following a high-speed road traffic collision. The paramedics hand over using ATMIST and report that the patient was the unrestrained driver, the car rolled, and extraction took 45 minutes. Talk me through your approach from the moment of arrival.

Tips to guide your answer

- ATMIST handover: Age, Time of incident, Mechanism, Injuries found/suspected, Signs (observations), Treatment given

- C-ABCDE: catastrophic haemorrhage control first, then Airway with cervical spine protection, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure

- Massive haemorrhage protocol: activate with switchboard, 1:1:1 ratio of packed red cells, FFP, and platelets

- Damage control resuscitation: permissive hypotension (target systolic 80 - 90 in penetrating, 90 - 100 in blunt), avoid hypothermia, correct acidosis and coagulopathy

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How to approach this Emergency Medicine interview question

This prioritisation question is common in Emergency Medicine NHS interviews because it reveals how you think under interview pressure, not just what facts you can recall. Use "A polytrauma patient is brought to the ED by ambulance following a high-speed road..." as the anchor for a concise answer with a clear opening, a clinical or professional structure, and a reflective close.

What the panel is testing

A strong prioritisation answer makes risk visible. State what you would do first, what can wait, what can be delegated, and who needs to know. Panels want to hear escalation and reassessment, not just a ranked list. For emergency medicine, keep the answer time-aware. Panels expect prioritisation, early senior involvement, concise handover, and awareness of department flow without losing sight of the individual patient.

Triage by acuity, time-critical risk, and what can safely be delegated or delayed.
Say who you would update, what information you need, and when you would escalate.
Keep the answer operational: document, hand over, review again, and avoid leaving hidden risk.

How to structure your answer

For a prioritisation prompt, aim for a short opening sentence, then two or three evidence-led points, then a final reflection. If you use STAR, keep the result and reflection as strong as the situation. If it is a clinical scenario, say what you would do now, what you would do next, and how you would keep the patient safe while help is coming.

Open by naming the main issue in the question.
Give a structured response rather than a memorised script.
End with escalation, documentation, learning, or follow-up.

Common mistakes to avoid

The weakest answers usually stay too vague, ignore the specific role, or miss the safety issue hidden in the question. Do not use this page to memorise a perfect paragraph. Use it to rehearse the shape of a safe answer, then adapt it to your own experience and the post you are applying for.

ATMIST handover: Age, Time of incident, Mechanism, Injuries found/suspected, Signs (observations), Treatment given
C-ABCDE: catastrophic haemorrhage control first, then Airway with cervical spine protection, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure
Massive haemorrhage protocol: activate with switchboard, 1:1:1 ratio of packed red cells, FFP, and platelets