Tasers are under greater public scrutinty.

What are the medical, public health, public policy, legal

and practical issues involved? What is your position as regards the use of tasers by public officials
and in the private sector?

What is the role of Electronic Record Management in the management and care of patients in the
public and private sector now and in the future?

You learn from your best friend that she was involved in a hit and run accident one night when she
had too much to drink and had hit a person crossing the street. She feels badly about this incident.
What do you do if anything?

You discover that your boyfriend has a substance abuse problem. His conduct has never been
influenced by this since you have been together. How do you handle this?

A friend has accessed your laptop and discovered your draft for an essay that is due by you both
who are taking the same course. How do you handle this?

You witness two girls hitting a homeless woman and taking items that belong to her. The victim
has only a bleeding nose. You approach her after the incident and she tells you she is fine, this has
happened before by the same girls and it is no big deal. How do you deal with it?

A patient has just been diagnosed with cancer. The patient takes the news very badly and is
concerned with pain and the immediate treatment. You know that is it extremely likely that the
patient will die within 9 months regardless of course of treatment. What do you tell the patient,
what are your ethical obligations, your legal obligations?

You have 2 minutes to consider each question and to jot down notes. Expect to be interrupted,
challenged and pushed in your answer as they test your resolve to your argument and position. B
prepared for 1 or 2 stations to require written replies! Four Interviewers in each Station.

Sole Purpose: Determine your suitability as a desirable healthcare professional, gives insight into
your mind, your desired qualities, your abilities, your commitment to care for others, your empathy

MMI Reflects Non-Cognitive Qualities of Applicants - personal qualities, ethical considerations,

critical decision-making abilities, commitment to helping others, awareness of social issues, etc.
As each Interviewer introduces themselves, smile, shake hands and introduce yourself (even
though you all wear badges)

MMI Scenario Questions

Each situation is meant to highlight a specific area of your strength or weakness, e.g., Ethical
considerations and judgment Ethical thinking
(Ethical) critical decision making and problem solving skills
Effective Communication skills ability to convey information and ideas clearly is essential to
safe and effective healthcare. Listening and verbal skills are essential.
Knowledge of issues relating to healthcare and ability to dissect and analyze problem
Remember, in addition the written scenario, there will be additional prompt questions by the
interviewer so as to give them further insight into your thinking. You will need to
address these prompts as the interviewers are seeking further information from you. These
prompts have been given to the interviewers in writing as part of their instructions regarding
their communications with all interviewees.
If you have any doubts, seek clarification immediately, realizing that the clock is ticking.

Should you finish any answers early, you will need to remain in the room until the time limit and
you can use this time effectively by chatting with interviewers, telling them this was an interesting
experience, etc. They will make an overall assessment of your professionalism and this includes
your professional interpersonal and social skills, so do not sit like a bump on the log.

The interviewers mark you from a structured checklist ranging from excellent, good,
satisfactory to unsatisfactory. Below is also an additional List of Skills and Behaviours that
are specifically marked in one of the below categories:
4=Excellent,

3=Good,

2=Satisfactory,

1=Unsatisfactory

Top Score=20

- Has a sense of establishing the facts to ensure fairness

- Demonstrates an awareness of the dilemma from a range of perspectives

- Ability to balance conflicting interests to come to a judgment about what is right

- Appreciates the need for students to consider the consequences of personal behaviours

- Is able to draw lessons from experience to inform future learning

Excellent shows a degree of originality and creativity, including showing a good appreciation of
the general issues in the context of professionalism. There is good coverage of the topic with
relevant and reasoned argument. The answers demonstrate a clear view of how the various aspects
of the topic relate to one another. There is reasonable evidence of critical reflection on
professionalism on both the interviewee and that of others. The answers appear authentic and
honest.

Good is the same as Excellent without the originality and creativity.

Satisfactory the answers are relevant but do not address all aspects of the topic. There is
demonstration of understanding of the issue being considered and just enough evidence that a
reasonable argument has been advanced. There is evidence of critical reflection on
professionalism but the answers are more descriptive than analytical. The answers indicate a
modest understanding of the topic but appear authentic and honest.

Unsatisfactory the discussion is not always accurate and relevant and key points are missed. The
attempt at reasoned argument is of doubtful quality. Strategy is misfired.

Strength of your arguments, your communication skills, how you defend your position n/w/s
provocation and the interviewers overall assessment of your performance and suitability to study
of medicine and being a doctor are all factors

Essential characteristics of Applicant:

Show ethical thinking and ethical decision making
Show professionalism, i.e. honesty, compassion, team working, ethical understanding knowledge
of health care system
Dress conservatively, and note that your body language is important throughout interview
Bond with Interviewers if possible, in appropriate fashion
Effective communicator ability to convey your ideas clearly and concisely
Listen to any explanations and statements given throughout the process
Eye contact and shake hands upon entering each MMI Good interpersonal skills with Interviewers
Always appear calm and in control
Show quiet confidence as a person

Think before opening your mouth

Understanding know why you are there
Ability to understand the principal issue of the situation and other important issues
Complete the answer before the time runs out
(wear watch in case no clock in sight)
Give an accurate overall portrayal of who you are
Be clear and unambiguous in your answers
Time Management is of the essence not all applicants finish all answers. The ability to
complete the task in a timely manner demonstrates an important skill
Maturity
Show no nervousness or anxiety no matter what
Thank Interviewers when each session is over (perhaps shaking hand again)

**Behaviours having the following attributes:

*Responsibility
*Integrity having moral courage and honesty, being deserving of trust
*Sensitivity to the needs of others kindness, empathy, understanding, benevolence,
recognizing the physical and emotional vulnerabilities of others in situations
*Understanding the difficulties of others
*Responding sensitively and appropriately to situations given
*Empathy
*Seeing the larger picture and the impact of the situation upon others of similar or other
vulnerabilities and upon the great community, seeing how to create practical or innovative
solutions

*Insight
*Information Manager sift the information given so as to focus on solutions to all issues,
including those not apparent on the surface
*Effective Decision maker being able to identify the problem, break it down and to identify
the steps in problem solving
*Self-directed Learner Inquiring mind to further knowledge and skills
*Ability to make a shared plan your solution may involve cooperation of many parties for its
success
*Understanding of health professionals in society
*Explanation in Context as a communicator, Interviewers must know clearly why you have
come to the decisions you have made, leave nothing for granted
*Ability to make shared plan in best interests of patient

People who will, in their professional relationships: Take responsibility for their actions
Act ethically
Act in a congenial and collaborative manner
Be reflexive
Be reliable
Be trustworthy and honest Demonstrate respect for others Have commitment to help others
Maintain confidences

Mental processes that include:

Ability to summarize your position as your first statements
Ability to assimilate and evaluate information in time sensitive fashion
Critical problem solving abilities in time sensitive manner
Prioritize and manage solutions in a sensible fashion
Ability to communicate decisions to others in appropriate manner
Ability to defend your position or ideas expressed be prepared for interviewers to rigorously
challenge you
Ability to apply your general knowledge

Seeking students who will: Be self-directed learners

Be an integral part of an interprofessional healthcare team
Be willing to self-assess Be willing to work hard Communicate effectively Demonstrate ethical
thinking Demonstrate ability to manage time Demonstrate ability to tolerate stress Demonstrate
good judgment Demonstrate insight and empathy
Recognize and respect the benefits of science and role of others healthcare disciplines

Common MMI Interview Weaknesses & Suggestions (as recorded at U of Manitboa)

Answers are superficial, dont have enough depth

Interviewers are more interested with your thought processes that tell them how you think or why
you have arrived at your conclusion than the factual answer
Answer as you would a written answer, i.e., introduce or summarize your position, develop it,
either list the alternatives or explain the logic of your position and sum it all up again
Dont bore them with the same content repeatedly, watch their body language for cues
Focus directly upon answering the question given to you, nothing else
Be prepared but dont be rehearsed, dont memorize, you need to come across as authentic,
genuine. You need to practice just as you do for MCAT
Interviewers may strategically try to push your limits to dig into your answer and try to see what
makes you tick. Do not take this personally, defend your position in a manner that lets them see
into your mind and your thinking. Do not allow
yourself to feel intimidated
Expect tough min-interviews and to be challenged constantly

Remember to consider the ripple effect of every scenario given to you, to the family, community,
persons who are similar, etc in your assessment and solutions

U of Calgary had one 8 minute station that allowed applicants to discuss why she should be
admitted to their med school!

In Australia, they scored interviewees on the following criteria: You need to be able to summarize
the main issues
show sensitivity, awareness of ethical and responsible duties always in any given situation

show sensitivity to how health professionals can manage personal & cultural beliefs nonjudgmental
confidence to think thru difficult social behaviours
[mine: always consider the ripple effects of the scenario and any action taken]

In a MMI, you may be given an action scenario with an actor and you are instructed to interact
with the actor (and not the evaluator), the point being to see how you would react to an
escalating crisis for example.

Comments of MMI Survivors pubmed?? http://share.studentdoctor.net/inter...ck canada.aspx

grace, dignity and respect

U B.C. Be yourself and be aware. I didnt try to force answers, and I really just said the first thing
that came into my head. This keeps it natural and helps you from tripping all over yourself. I know
of people who prepared a lot for this (I dont even know how you could who were also accepted.
That being said, I think it never hurts to be thoughtful and articulate about yourself, medicine, and
the world around you.

U Alberta Medical School You need to sign a confidentiality agreement so that you do not give
away the questions to other potential applicants. You also are given 10 practice questions to
practice before the interview that are similar in style to the actual MMI questions. A
confidentiality agreement had to be signed for the practice questions.

Sept 07. 3 conflict management questions, 2-3 on healthcare and 1-2 on personal conflicts

a practice question. You are shift supervisor at McDonalds fast food restaurant. The owner of the
franchise has called you over. He is very upset as he has received 3 complaints in the last 30
minutes about the meat in the hamburgers being poorly cooked. There are two people (one male,

one female both 15 years old) who have been cooking the meat for the past two hours. The female
is the owners daughter. How would you handle the situation?

another practice question. You and 3 friends are watching a 70 yr old man prepare a hot-air
balloon. The balloon is ready and the man is holding one of the 5 released anchors ropes that are
all 6m long. His 10 yr old grandson is already in the basket. A gust of wind raises the balloon 2m
off the ground. The man shouts for help and you and your friends each grab close to the end of one
of the other anchor ropes. The balloon raises so high that even though you are holding onto the
ropes, you are lifted off the ground to a height of 7m. What would you do in this situation.

another practice question. Your older sister tells you that she values her career and is reluctant to
take time away to have a baby. Her husband agrees with her. They have arranged to conceive an
embryo through in vitro fertilization. A company in India will implant the embryo in a surrogate
mother from a nearby village who will be paid $5,000. Two weeks after the baby is born, the
company will deliver the baby to your sister and her husband. Your mother is opposed to this
arrangement whereas your father supports her decision. Your sister asks for your support. How
would you respond to your sister?

another practice question. Your best friend is an identical twin. The other twin has been sick with a
variety of illnesses most of their lives. Several times, the other twin has been so ill that your best
friend has supplied tissue (e.g., blood, bone marrow) sometimes to help their sibling stay alive.
The other twin now needs a kidney transplant to stay alive. Their parents have assumed
that your best friend will automatically donate the kidney as usual when tissue has been needed.
However, your friend is now balking at this automatic assumption of donation and is considering
saying no. What would you say to your friend to convince him to donate the kidney?

another practice question. Your best friend and partner are undergoing in vitro fertilization to have
a baby. The technique allows for the selection of certain characteristics for the child by identifying
them in the embryo before implantation. Your friend asks for advice on the characteristics they
should select. How would you respond to your friend?

another practice question. In the City of Plymouth in England, the City Council has introduced a
maximum speed limit for all vehicles of 30km/h (previous limit was 50km/h) within city limits
because this will reduce the number and severity of traffic accidents. The city councilors in
Edmonton wish to introduce the same restriction. Would you support such a policy here in
Edmonton?

next question. If, as part of the admission process, we were to interview your best friend what
would they say about you?

next. Your friend is of Chinese descent and fluent in Mandarin. You both want to get into
medicine. She registers for Mandarin 101, a course in Chinese language for beginners. The course
coordinator asks that students who can already speak just a little bit of Mandarin should leave
because this is a course for beginners. Your friend remains but makes a sufficient number of
deliberate mistakes in the classroom discussions, in the required homework and in the
examinations that she will not be detected and yet still receive an excellent grade. What would you
do in this situation?

next. Your friend tells you that a piece of expensive electronic equipment he had bought for
$3000 just two weeks ago had stopped working. The s tore where he bought it had a 7-day return
policy. Your friend goes to the store, buys a new piece of equipment and then returns the old
damaged equipment in its place for a full refund. The store is owned by your uncle who is
struggling to keep the business going. How would you deal with the situation?

If the Prime Minister of Canada were to ask your advice on one change that could be applied to the
healthcare system in Canada that would improve it enormously and have the greatest positive
effect, whay would it be?

next. The daughter of the interviewer is 16 years old. She is adamant that she have a tattoo next
week. The interviewer is against letting her daughter have a tattoo and this is causing much friction
in the household. What advice would you give the interviewer?

next. At the beginning of your last year of undergraduate studies, the Dean of your Faculty has
offered to all of you the opportunity to swallow a red pill. If swallowed, this pill would increase
enormously your ability to absorb all the educational material being presented to you in all your
courses. In fact, this pill would basically guarantee that you would receive an A+ in all your
future courses with a significantly reduced workload. Would you take the red pill?

The man who lives next door to you often rides his bicycle in the company of his two young
children but without a helmet. In fact, on several occasions you have seen him riding with his
helmet hanging by its straps from the handlebars. His young children sometimes wear a helmet,
sometimes not. If the man fell off his bicycle and hurt his head in a way that would have been
prevented if he had worn a helmet, would it be reasonable to ask him to contribute towards the
treatment cost for his injury?

next. In his recent novel I am Charlotte Simmons, Tom Wolfe bases on life at a typical university
in North America. He develops various characters and describes their lives, surroundings, beliefs,
and moral behaviour while they are at the university. Wolfe acknowledges that it is 40 years since
he himself was a student at university. Consequently, his children, currently at university, read the
drafts of the book as it was been written and ensured that the descriptions associated with life at
this fictitious university were appropriate for the modern day. What changes to the original script
do you think Wolfes children made?

next. Imagine your friends father is 70 years old and has lived in Edmonton his whole life. He is
taken to the emergency department at the University of Alberta Hospital. He has had good health
until now and this is the first time he has been to hospital of any kind since he was 20 years old.
What changes in the healthcare system and environment in the hospital do you think he would
notice?

different set of questions from elsewhere. Standard Interview. What experiences have you had (and
what insights have you gained from these experiences) that lead you to believe that you would be
a good physician.

Preferential Admission (Knowledge of the Heath Care System) Due to the shortage of physicians
in rural communities such as those in Northern Ontario, it has been suggested that medical
programmes preferentially admit students who are willing to commit to a 2 or 3 year tenure in an
under-serviced area upon graduation. Consider the broad implications of this policy for health
and health care costs. For example, do you think the approach will be effective?

Parking Garage (Communication Skills) The parking garage at your place of work has assigned
parking spots. On leaving your spot, you are observed by the parking attendant as you back into a
neighbouring car, a BMW, knocking out its left front headlight and denting the left front fender.
The garage attendant gives you the name and office number of the owner of the neighbouring car,
telling you that he is calling ahead to the car owner, Tim. The garage owner tells you that Tim is
expecting your visit. You enter Tims office.

Class Size (Critical Thinking) Universities are commonly faced with the complicated task of
balancing the educational needs of their students and the cost required to provide learning
resources to a large number of individuals. As a result of this tension, there has been much debate
regarding the optimal size of classes. One side argues that smaller classes provide a more
educationally effective setting for students, while others argue that t makes no difference, so
larger classes should be used to minimize the number of instructors required. Discuss your opinion
with the examiner

Circumcision (Ethical Decision Making) The Canadian Pediatric Assoociation has recommended
that circumcisions not be routinely performed. They base this recommendation on their
determination that the benefits have not been shown to to clearly outweigh the risks and costs.
Doctors have no obligation to refer for, or provide, a circumcision, but many do, even when they
are not clearly not medically necessary. Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) bo longer pays
for unnecessary circumcisions. Consider the thical problems that exist in this case. Discuss these
issues with the Interviewer.

Standard Interview. Why do you want to be a physician? Discuss this question with the interviewer.

Deterrent Fees (Knowledge of the Health Care System) Recently, the Prime Minister of Canada
raised the issue of deterrent fees (a small charge, say $10, which everyone who initiates a visit to a
health professional would have to pay at the first contact) as a way to control health care costs. The
assumption is that this will deter people from visiting their doctor for unnecessary reasons.
Consider the broad implication of this policy for health and healthy carecosts. For example, do you
think this approach will save health care costs? At what expense? Discuss this issue with the
interviewer.

Air Travel (Communication Skills) Your company needs both you and a co-worker (Sara, a
colleague from another branch of the company) to attend a critical business meeting in San Diego.
You have just arrived to drive Sara to the airport. Sara is in the room.

Aspartame (Critical Thinking) A message that recently appeared on the Web warned readers of the
dangers of aspartame (artificial sweetener Nutrasweet, Equal) as a cause of an epidemic of
multiple sclerosis (a progressive chronic disease of the nervous system and systemic lupus (a
multisystem auto-immune disease). The biological explanation provided was that, at body
temperature, aspartame releases wood alcohol (methanol), which turns into formic acid, which
is in the same class of drugs as cyanide and arsenic. Formic acid, they argued, causes metabolic
acidosis. Clinically, aspartame poisoning was argued to be a cause of joint pain. numbness,
cramps, vertigo, headaches, depression, anxiety, slurred speech and blurred vision. The authors
claimed that aspartame remains on the market because the food and drug industries have powerful
lobbies in Congress. They quoted Dr. Russell Blaylock, who said. The ingredients stimulate the
neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Critique this message, in
terms of the strength of the arguments presented and their logical consistency. Your critique might
include an indication of the issues that you would like to delve into further before assessing the
validity of these claims.

Placebo (Ethical Decision Making) Dr. Cheung recommends homeopathic medicines to his
patients. There is no scientific evidence or widely accepted theory to suggest that homeopathic
medicines work, and Dr. Cheung doesnt believe them to. He recommends homeopathic medicine
to people with mild and non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, headaches and muscle aches,
because he believes that it will do no harm, but will give them reassurance. Consider the ethical
problems that Dr. Cheung s behaviour might pose. Discuss these issues with the interviewer.

Student Created Mock Questions. A man has been responsible for taking care of his wife who is in
a vegetative state for 6 years after a car accident She can breathe on her own but that is the extent
of her abilities. He requests that her feeding tube be removed. What should you, as her physician
do?

One student suggests to check and see if there is an advance directive. What did the woman want to
do when she was still competent? Then, is there a substitute decision maker? Is it the husband or
someone else? If it is not the husband, go to the substitute decision maker. If it is the husband,
determine that he is acting in her best interests, and if this is so, then let him decide. But how do
you know his real motivation, is there an insurance policy, does he have a lover, is he burnt out,
does he want to save expenses? When in doubt, the answer is no, there is always the Court,
doctors are fallible humans and are not G-d.

Then there is the complicated part, by removing the feeding tube, the doctor is participating in
starving the patient to death. If she has some level of brain functioning, this is probably going to be
a prolonged, uncomfortable and painful process, and wil also be vey hard for all loved ones
to watch. It can be argued that it would be more humane to give the patient what is or tantamount
to a lethal injection which itself has its own legal and ethical considerations. Physician assisted
suicide is illegal in Canada, ethical considerations aside. Giving pain medication that may cause
the death of the patient is legal, and here to there are ethical considerations. Physician assisted
suicide is not an option - vulnerable people could be coerced or persuaded into this position.

A student is working in a clinic, where the office double book aboriginal patients. The student asks
their reasoning and the receptionist replies that These people never show up for their
appointments. How would you deal with this situation?

You are working on a group project with 5 other students. One of the students doesnt show up
for meetings or if they do show up - they are late and leave early. They have put no effort into the
group project but show up on the day of the presentation and try to take credit for the project. What
do you do in this situation?

Mrs. Jones has signed a donor card indicating that she is willing to donate her body to science
without notifying her husband and son. She gets into an accident and it is determined that she is
brain dead. The family doctor, who is on call that afternoon, reviews the chart and determines that
she would be perfect for medical students to practice the removal of organs for transplantation
purposes. The doctor then talks to the family to discuss the procedure and to confirm their consent.
They both oppose the procedure and refuse to allow their doctor to move
forward. The doctor points out that Mrs. Jones could be helping hundreds of people by educating
the medical students and that technically consent has already been provided. The husband
understands how beneficial the educational experience is but is too emotional to allow them to
continue. The son, a medical student, refuses because he knows the bodies are not treated with
dignity. If you were the doctor, how would you proceed? Why?

You are spending your evening as a JURSI in the hospital. It is late and you see a number of staff
duck into the supply closet with an empty bag and reappear in a few minutes with it appearing full.
You have heard other staff members discussing that supplies are missing on a regular basis that can
not be accounted for. After observing the actions of the other staff members, what do
you do?

You are a second year student shadowing a doctor in the O.R. Once the patient, an obese female
has been given general anesthetic and the procedure is under way the doctors start to make
comments about her weight and call her names that you find inappropriate but most of all
unprofessional. Do you talk to the doctor about his comments or do you keep your coments ot
youself? Why?

Two patients need a liver transplant, but there is only one liver available at the time. Tell the
interviewer how you would decide between a 64 year old politician who happens to be an
alcoholic or, a 26 year old mother of three who is on welfare.

NOTE: Quoting from Dr. Ogles An Introduction to Healthcare Ethics for Medical Students and
Residents:

SOCIAL MERIT (i.e., past contribution to society, current worth to society, potential for future
contribution, degree of responsibility towards dependents)

- this contribution is inappropriately rewarded by way of better access to resources

- social roles are not always a matter of conscious choice (so as to punish someone for it, it is not
fair)

- impossible to calculate the value of ones social value over another (e.g., which has more merit, a
water treatment plant worker or a highway worker?)

It is argued by a student that degree of responsibility towards dependents falls into the Social
Merit category and that it is unethical to base your decision on this criteria, although perhaps you
will decide to consider it. However, it is argued, this should not be the first and most important
thing you use to make your decision.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ILLNESS (lifestyle choices)

Problem with this:

- diseases are mutlifactorial and associations between lifestyle and disease are still largely
statistical

- genetics are often a dominant factor (and to discriminate based on genetics is danergous)

- difficult to draw the line (do you select out just smokers and alcoholics or those

who under-exercise, overwork, eat junk food or even drive motorcycles)

- lifestyle choices are partially attributable to factors other than personal choices that are
beyond anyones control (e.g., unavoidable life stressors)

COMPLIANCE

- It is reasonable to withhold liver from someone because of tissue mismatch or if

they clearly state they wont quit drinking but past behaviour is not necessarily an indication of
future behaviour (serious illness is often motivation enough to change), so motivation and good
intentions should be evaluated but dont automatically exclude someone based on this criteria

AGE

- When assessing benefit, it may be reasonable to include considerations of quantity of life

added as a result of therapy

- no two 70 year olds, for example, are alike, so it is not fair to base decisions automatically on
age

- age is a factor beyond someones control, so again it is unfair to make decisons based on such
things

- maybe obtaining healthcare services in later life is due entitlement for having paid to sustain the
system through preceding years

According to Hebert in Doing Right, you definitely cannot base your decision on a patients
ability to pay, a patients apparent contribution to his/her illness, or a patients past use of medical
resources. The only acceptable criteria for resource allocation among patients include:

likelihood of benefit to the patient

improvement in patients quality of life

duration of benefit

urgency of the patients condition

amount of resources needed for successful treatment

You are part of a committee to decide where the money for health care in our province is spent. It
is your turn to inform the committee of your opinion on what you think is the single most
important area requiring funding.

One possible answer suggested by a student. The most cost effective area of healthcare is prenatal, post-natal and maternal care. These services make the biggest impact upon the life-long
health of a person. In France, the dont really devote a lot of care for older people, e.g., organ
transplants go mostly to children under the age of ten, and they have an amazing pre-natal, postnatal and maternal care program. In the UK, nurses follow the mother home for the first month,
thereby ensuring the mother is fully competent and capable of providing for the newborn in all
respects, nipping any potential problems, including child neglect or abuse, in the bud. This
approach is highly cost effective as it ensures prevention first, taking a load of the healthcare
hospitalization system and use of all costly resources.

Discuss the social, legal, medical implications of a needle-exchange program with the interviewer.
Follow up question: What are some viable alternatives?

You tell a mother her two year old child has leukemia, but she refuses chemo but insists upon
seeing her family physician who is a naturopath. What do you tell her, how do you handle this so
that you may continue to have some influence as regards the treatment of her child? [The childs
life is in the balance as the naturopath will be unable to save the childs life and you have an
obligation to your patient, the child, who cannot make an informed decision. In pediatrics, its
beneficence and the rule of rescue that takes precedence.]

Possible standard questions in MMI (and in normal interviews):

Tell me about yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Why are you interested in
our program? What are you looking for in a program? Why should be choose you? What can you
contribute to our program? Describe your learning style. What do you see yourself doing in five
(ten) years? What do you think of the current and future state of healthcare? What do you do in
your spare time? How do you make important decisions? If you could not be a physician, what
career would you choose? How do you normally handle conflict? Pressure? Can you think of
anything else you would like to add? Why do you want to be a doctor? What makes you think
you would be suitable as a doctor? What are the negatives of being a doctor? If you had to
describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be? How do you handle adversity? How have you
overcome your weaknesses and what were your worst weaknesses? What makes you special? What
are your 2 best points? What are your 2 weakest points? What do you think will be your greatest
challenge in completing medical school or learning how to be a doctor? In your view, what is the
most pressing problem facing medicine today? How will you pay for medical school? If you could
do anything different in your education, what would you do? Why? What do you do to alleviate
stress? What are your hobbies (show how you develop qualities and skills that link to qualities of a
doctor, whether you mention the connection or not, interviewer will pick up on this)? Are you a
leader or a follower, give examples? What exposure have you had to the medical profession?
Healthcare experience? What did you do when you volunteered at .? What do you think you
will like most about medicine? About being a doctor? Least?

Why do you want to be a doctor?

Grade 12, Freshman year enjoy the sciences, human anatomy and physiology, intellectually
stimulating, solving puzzles and making decisions, never gets boring, field changes quickly,
fascinating cases, meeting different people and hearing their stories, satisfaction from helping
someone, so many different facets/specialties,
2nd-4th year More concrete, specific after volunteering at the orphanage, work with vulnerable
population, children, want to participate in medical trip with LWB someday, inspired by cleft
lip/palate surgeons,
Very tiring/difficult road parents were against it, told me all the harsh realities of the profession,
yet I still stand by my decision,
Why not nursing more control, I want to understand what Im doing, more freedom/authority,
Of course job stability and the ability to provide a good standard of living for myself and my
family are big bonuses.
What are your 2 best points?
Im a quick learner and adapt easily to new situations. Examples from KGH, lab, LWB
How will this help me as a physician: I will be able to adapt to life in medical school and as a
physician.
Im optimistic and bounce back quickly from setbacks and failures. Instead of panicking or
becoming depressed I try to think of potential solutions. Examples from LWB
How will this help me as a physician: doctors deal with sad situations, poor prognoses, ineffective
treatments, death, every day. Being mentally strong prevents burnout and disillusionment
What are your 2 weakest points?
I dont stand up for myself to avoid confrontation. Examples from KGH, LWB, school
Ive been a go with the flow type of person ever since I was a kid. This is a problem because
sometimes I dont get to contribute my opinions and get overloaded with responsibilities, and it
may be harmful for myself and my patients later on. Ive begun to work on this (KGH, LWB).
What do you think will be your greatest challenge in completing med school or learning how to be
a doctor?
Learning how to deliver bad news to patients and family members
In your view, what is the most pressing problem facing medicine today?
Overutilization prescribing more drugs, doing more tests, referring to more specialists than what
might be necessary or even beneficial for the patient. We want to do everything we can with all
the technology we have, but it might not be in the patients best interest.
How will you pay for med school?

OSAP, LOC, borrow from parents, scholarships

If you could do anything different in your education, what would it be?
I would get involved in research earlier in my undergraduate career. I really enjoyed the work I
did in my lab, and I would have liked to start in 1st or 2nd year. It would also have been nice to be
able to explore different areas of research more thoroughly so I could get an idea of what I am
most interested in.
Tell me about yourself.
How did you get here?
Why would you be a good doctor?
What do you feel are the most important qualities in being a good doctor?
What are your hobbies?
Are you a leader or a follower? Why?
What exposure have you had to the medical profession? Discuss your clinical experiences.
Discuss your volunteer work.
What do you think you will like least about medicine?
What do you think you will like most about medicine?
There are 1,000 applicants as qualified as you. Why should we pick you?
Expect questions about what you think about ethics and healthcare (e.g., abortion, cloning,
euthanasia, purchasing body parts for transplant, etc)
Be prepared to discuss weaknesses and strengths of the healthcare system.
How are you a match for our med school?
Would you perform abortions as a doctor? Under what conditions?
What are 3 things you want to change about yourself?
How would you describe the relationship between science and medicine?
Which family member or mentor has influenced your life so far and why?
What are your specific goals in medicine?
What do you intend to gain from a medical education?
What steps have you taken to acquaint yourself with what a physician does?

What do you think about euthanasia?

What do you think is the most pressing issue in medicine today?
Do you think a physician should tell a patient he has 8 months to live?
What will you do if you dont get into medicine?
What are your positive qualities and what are your shortcomings?
What is your relationship with your family?
Describe your personality.
What do you think about (some current event)?
What are the best and worst things that ever happened to you?
What do you see yourself doing in medicine in 10 or 15 years from now?
Is medicine a rewarding experience? Why?
If your best friends were to describe you, what would they say?
What are some of the things you will have to give up as a doctor?
Would you share your religious beliefs with your patients?
How do you help people who dont want to be helped?
If Im to talk to the Admissions Committee tomorrow, why should I tell them to let you in?
In what field do you think the next major advancement in medicine will come?
Why didnt you go into social work if you like working with people?
Would you prefer to provide less effective medicine to more people or more effective medicine to
less people?
Who is your hero and why?
How can you tell if someone is truly compassionate?
What scares you the most about our medical school?
Why did you apply here?
What is your first school choice?
Why choose medicine over some other career in health?

What field of medicine interests you the most?

What has been your biggest failure and how did you handle it?
How do you feel about animal research?
How do you work under pressure? Give an example.
Whats your cause?
What have you learned from your failures? Give examples.
What have you done that shows initiative? What did you gain from that experience? How were
you most/least satisfied with that endeavour?
Why study medicine when you have so many talents?
What is the biggest problem facing medicine?
What is the most important development in the world in the last 25 years?
How do you respond to criticism? Describe a situation where your work was criticized. What was
your immediate reaction to the situation?
What type of impression do you feel youve left me in this interview?
Who should definitely not be cloned?
What is the hardest question youve been asked at any interview?
If you were a car, what kind of car would you be and why?
Do you think doctors should lie to patients?
If man colonized the moon and you were chosen to direct the first lunar hospital, what would be
your 3 most important priorities for that hospital?
If my grandmother walked into your practice and told you that she was ill because she had a hex
placed on her, what would you tell her and how?
What would you do if you got in everywhere and what would you do if you got in nowhere?
Tell me about yourself.
What is the one thing that distinguishes you from other candidates?
Describe a situation where you felt like a fish out of water.
So you like helping others, why not be a policeman?
What are the negative aspects of being a doctor?

I heard that you want to go into medicine for the money, please comment.
Are you a friendly person?
How will your weaknesses play a role in medicine?
How do you deal with adversity?
What is the biggest thing you have overcome in life?
How do you cope with grief?
Who has been the most influencial in your life? How? What has been the effect?
What did you most dislike about undergraduate studies?
What effect does and will science have upon medicine?
What experience have you had working with people? W
What do you know about our school and program?
Give a specific medical scenario, how would you treat the patient?
What are some current controversial areas of medicine? What are your thoughts?
What makes a good physician?
Your patient is terminally ill, looks at you with hope, what do you tell him?
How might you calm a nervous patient?
What would you do if a superior doctor gave you an order that you know will harm the patient?
Your supervising physician comes to work drunk, what do you do?
Give me an example of how you will handle a stressful situation.
How do you deal with a patient who treats you badly?
Tell me about the last time you felt anger on the job.
What qualities do patients appreciate in doctors? Colleagues?
Why is research important? What are the benefits of research?
What would you do if you caught your roommate cheating on his med school application?
What do you think of the priority system for organ recipients? And also the system for allocating
money for medicine?

If somebody was writing a book about you in 15 years, what would you want to be included in
this book?
Do you think there should be mandatory HIV testing for couples wanting to be married?
Discuss a book you have recently read for pleasure. Why does this book interest you?
How do you think your role as a physician fits in with your role as a member of the community?
Would you practice in the inner city? What do think happens to people who practice there
(attitude, changes, etc)?
If there was an accident on the highway, would you stop and help the victims, knowing that doing
so might lead to a malpractice claim against you?
You are treasurer of a university Club controlling club money and you are one of 3 members of
the Executive. There is going to be a Meeting in another city with similar clubs from other
universities. The club has enough money to covert the costs of only 3 members. There are 8 club
members and everybody wants to go and for the club to pay their expenses. What do you do?
Potential answer: As treasurer, I have a responsibility of trust, so I need to disqualify myself as a
recipient unless all members are treated equally. The fact that I have a closer relationship with the
Executive members is not a consideration for paying their way. I would consider subsidizing the
expenses of only members who have been active in our activities and therefore, who would likely
contribute to our future activities. I would give special consideration to an active member who had
compelling financial needs and not otherwise. If there were 5 active members only, including
myself, and no students in financial distress, I would divide the money for expenses equally
amongst us all but, I would create a budget for the effective use of the money, including our
staying in a dorm at a hostel and traveling in one car if possible to cut down on transport expense
(if not, we go by bus which is the cheapest). We each bring our own food OR are responsible
financially for our food, as we each pay for our food in our city and we need to eat no matter
where we are.