The medical school interview frequently involves questions about ethical issues. In both the traditional interview and the multiple mini interview, you may be asked to state your position on topics such as euthanasia, abortion or stem cell research, all of which have ethical implications. Alternatively, you may be given a hypothetical ethical scenario and asked to make a decision.
Medical schools ask these questions because they are interested in the critical-thinking process you employ to arrive at a decision or state your position. Navigating through ethical scenarios can be challenging if you aren’t equipped with the right tools. Here are four approaches that can help you successfully work your way through such scenarios during your medical school interview.
[Learn to navigate challenging ethics questions during medical school interviews.]
1. Develop a logical construct: Before the interview, develop a set of guiding principles — or logical construct — that you can apply in every ethical scenario or question you face.
These guiding principles could be to minimize pain and suffering, to cause the least harm, to take into account the wishes of those affected or to always be fair. Once you have defined these guiding principles, you can apply them to myriad situations.
Consider active euthanasia, which is the process of actively assisting a suffering patient who wishes to end his or her life. Your interviewer may ask you about your views on euthanasia or give you a specific scenario and ask whether you would assist a patient requesting euthanasia.
You can use the guiding principles you have developed to work through such a question. For example, you may apply the concept of harm and discuss which option minimizes harm caused to the patient.
Depending on how you define “harm,” you may arrive at different decisions. The key is to demonstrate your thought process. The interviewer wants to see how you arrive at your decision more so than knowing what decision you would ultimately make.
A logical construct can serve as the “how” that gets you to your position. Make sure you discuss the different guiding principles with your interviewer as you apply each to an ethical scenario. In so doing, you will show your interviewer that you are capable of thinking critically.
[Discover six ways to ace scenario-based questions in medical school interviews.]
2. Consider legal issues in your responses: Any time you are given a scenario and asked to make an ethical decision, consider the legal aspects of your decision.
As noted in the example above, if you are asked whether you would be willing to help a patient undergo assisted suicide, it is prudent to show your interviewer that regardless of your personal position, you would always act within the confines of the law. This does not mean that you have to speak with knowledge about specific laws — it just means you should acknowledge that you would take into account the law, whatever it might be.
3. Acknowledge pros and cons: One of the main reasons ethical situations are difficult is because there are almost an equal number of pros and cons to most positions, and one side does not clearly outweigh the other.
For example, in the case of active euthanasia, the pros may be that euthanasia helps relieve a terminally ill patient of his or her physical pain and gives the patient some control over when and how he or she dies. On the other hand, the cons may be that it is an act of killing and may promote a system that can potentially be abused.
With these ethical quandaries, point out that you recognize the pros and cons of each option. If you hold strong beliefs, be sure to acknowledge the cons of that belief because it makes you come across as open-minded and understanding of views different than your own.
[Learn to be authentic and thoughtful during medical school interviews.]
4. Take the middle ground: When it comes to taking positions on ethical issues, don’t support extreme positions. For example, when considering euthanasia, avoid saying you are absolutely for or against it, regardless of the circumstance.
If you consider the nuances and subtleties of the issue in your answer, you will show that you used critical analysis and that you understand the gray areas of the topic.
For example, you may say that you favor euthanasia but only if the patient is severely ill with a terminal disease and the patient has the mental capacity to make a decision about assisted suicide.
As you begin to prepare for ethical questions, one of the most important points to remember is that the end position you take is not as important as the approach you employ. Using these strategies, you can effectively approach these seemingly challenging questions and show consistency in your thought process.
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Master Ethics Questions in Medical School Interviews originally appeared on usnews.com
