a couple of points to make:
- if you let him get away which what is essentially not completing the course requirements, that is not fair to other students who completed them, nor is it fair to other students who did NOT complete them and have to repeat the year themselves. Not only this, but what he did was dishonest - not an admirable quality for a future doctor. It may have been a better approach to speak to the course conveners and see if some kind of make-up class could have been taken, or something like that.
- his 'exceptional standing in the community' and his educated professional parents should NOT be taken into consideration when making the decision. If this was considered, it would just add to the issue that class and 'supposed' prestige can have an influence on success, or more specifically, what you can get away with. i.e, people should not be allowed to bend the rules simply because of their social status!
- on the flip side, was he really sick? are there doctors records to show that he was, even if theres no signed certificate? or was he REALLY missing classes because of another reason? surely the doctor could weigh in at this point to advise....
hmm thats all i can think of for now..... but as far as I can see, i guess the real issues are about honesty and fairness here. It is a harsh punishment, though.
Good post to open the thread, I think you've defintely shown you're able to think about issues with some depth and realise there's always more to a problem than what is presented at the surface.
What might be helpful for next time in this thread (and in interviews) is to present an opinion an argue rather than simply list points. Important, always, is to make sure you're answering the question and to do so you need to be able to say I think this and these are the reasons.
First of all I think it's important to establish whether or not the student actually did meet the requirements. If, as he says, the doctor was merely too hard to find and he did meet the requirements, then the penalties should be much less severe than if he didn't complete them at all.
At the same time however, if the doctor truly was too hard to find, then how reliable is their input on whether the student met his attendance requirements going to be? Was the doctor always that busy and difficult to find or was the student merely lazy? More specifically, did the student absolutely have to have the form in that day? Could they not have gotten the form signed in the weeks leading upto that moment? With something so important why did they not allocate time to this endeavour and try harder to find the doctor? Here is where the parent's would come in, if at all. Is the student this unorganised in their other endeavours, or only in their university studies?
I then the comittee would need to consider, if they really were trying so hard to find the doctor and could not, whether or not their placement has been worthwhile. Surely without the help and ability to refer to a doctor(since they aren't there or are too busy) then the student would largely have been left on their own and thus without the mentoring that you're apparently supposed to receive from the doctors.(Feel free to clear me up on that one, not sure on the level of autonomy a 4th year has..)
I think regardless of all the above however, forging a doctor's signature signifies a distinct lack of honesty that cannot be allowed to carry over into their later career. If the precedent for letting them get away with it is set now, then what prevents further illegalities from occuring? What stops other students from doing the same and complaining that the 'doctor was too hard to find'? The precedent that would be set by letting him get away with it could be exploited by too many and in far, far worse ways(assuming he actually completed his placement) and thus I believe there should, undoubtedly, be consequences. Since this is essentially fraud, I think it is fair that the student should be forced to deal with legal consequences that would apply to this sort of situation, that is, if the doctor decided to press charges then they should not be protected by the university. When considering making them repeat the year though, I think all the above questions need to be assessed first, along with whether this is financially viable for the student or whether this is action is going to prevent them from completing their degree due to financial issues.
Okay, so I asked more questions than submitted answers.. is that okay?
Nice answer, Benjamin. A very considered response, identifying important contingency factors and the need for more information. I think the same feedback as above applies to you though, it's better practice for interviews if you present an argument and defend it. Similar to what I was saying to Dr. Worm in the old question time thread, it's comparatively easier to list a bunch of thing upon which something depends than it is to give a position. You've already realised this, as per the last sentence in your post.
Quick note about the committee considering whether the placement was worthwhile, I think it's a good idea to address those issues that are important but not immediately obvious (makes you sound like an abstract thinker) but this is probably outisde your scope. Good general advice for all scenario questions is to avoid or acknowledge where you're out of your depth (and you sort of did this anyway).
The final paragraph is good because you start to identify more of a position, but you need to be careful about being too harsh. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you answer sounds more considered if you can show that you're thinking about the student's well-being as well.
It's easy in these sorts of questions to feel like you have to take the strict moral approach without exception but I think its best to answer honestly (general advice specific to no one in particular).
There is a major ethical consideration here, to the point where the student is willing forge a doctors signature. Although it may seem a relatively minor fault it does have some far reaching consequences:
1. The fact he forged the signature for what seems like a superficial reason, 'cause the doctor was busy', it does raise questions about the students ability to essentially keep within barriers. Getting ahead of yourself, which can be seen as a form of arrogance, reflects negatively on your work ethic and emphasizes your subconscious lack of respect for other medical practitioners. This is one reason he should be punished, forced to repeat the year at full fee, in order to hopefully teach him a very valuable lesson.
2. The medical student is there at the 'kindness' (couldn't think of another word) of the doctor, so forging the doctors signature is similar to living in another persons house and trashing the place.
3. Not only does the student show a lack of respect, he also subverts the role of a doctor within society i.e. someone who should be assertive/truthful and reliable (what we would like to have in doctors). The medical student has failed to consistently uphold these values and hence may even be a hazard to his patients (by taking risks). Hence, in my position as a board member I would vote FOR the student to repeat.
Like the post before the parents should have no standing in the decision, unless they are directly involved. This situation is firmly between the doctor and the student. Also it is not the doctors job to constantly be available to sign the medical students roster, hence it is the medical students responsibility.
What I like about your post is that you're the first and one of the few to identify just how serious it is to forge a doctor's (or anybody's) signature. Think of the criminal repercussions of forging a signature on a prescription pad for example. So well done on that, this is a good quality answer.
The feedback from both the posters before you applies as well, while you did actually adopt a position (which was good) you should be careful about simply listing points and then giving a conclusion. This can come across as beig 'impersonal', which means you're all about the set-in-stone ethical argument and not considering the person its centred around. Also, it'd be good if you considered the merit in this student not repeating the year to balance your argument and not come across as being too harsh.
Another general piece of advice (specific to no one and always relevant) is to avoid being to one-sided in any ethical scenario. Have an opinion, sure, but don't lean significantly toward one side because the interviewer might have a different opinion to you. And in any case there is no right answer to these questions so the best response will usually be one that looks at both sides of the coin.
**note: Please feel free to question feedback, ask for clarification, or anything else. It may be helpful to you.