Practice Interview Question Thread

[H2.]

Sister’s Play (Ethical Decision Making/Communication Skills)

Your sister Taylah aimed to be accepted by a drama school that was known to be extremely competitive. She was the director of a school play that was in an inter-school year 12 drama competition, and her teacher asked her to cast a mildly intellectually disabled girl Sarah in a minor but vital role. Sarah desperately wanted to be in the play, but even though she tried her best she just could not learn the lines and the performing day was looming in. Taylah was uncomfortable about dropping Sarah, as she had known Sarah for many years. What would you tell Taylah?

• Do you think it’s right of the teacher to ask Taylah to cast Sarah, as Taylah’s the director?
• Would you change your answer if you were very good friends with Sarah’s parents?
• Would you answer differently if the production is not a competition?
• What would be good ways to help Sarah?

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I wasn't aware the full scope of my couselling abilities, so I wasn't sure if I had the responsibility or competence of counselling the family/their marriage. In terms of legality in contacting the biological father, I'm not entirely sure, as I think it depends on the severity of this genetic disease causing a risk to the wellbeing of other people. Though in this case it isn't an acute condition, I still feel that I can request the contact details of the biological father through Linda.


From what I know of, the principle behind triaging scenarios is to form an ethical framework from which you order the patients. So if you had previously stated that outside of medical severity, you would prioritise patients on smoking status, familial responsibilities (with an explanation of why you value these specific attributes), then you can justify your order of patients.

You're right that, as a genetics counsellor, you wouldn't be in a place to offer relationship or marital counselling, that is a very different speciality of counselling/psychology and would be well beyond the scope of what you could offer.

 

[dotwingz]

Your sister Taylah aimed to be accepted by a drama school that was known to be extremely competitive. She was the director of a school play that was in an inter-school year 12 drama competition, and her teacher asked her to cast a mildly intellectually disabled girl Sarah in a minor but vital role. Sarah desperately wanted to be in the play, but even though she tried her best she just could not learn the lines and the performing day was looming in. Taylah was uncomfortable about dropping Sarah, as she had known Sarah for many years.

What would you tell Taylah?

Taylah is obviously concerned about her performance as a director in this competition might affect her chances for admissions at the drama school, and that Sarah might have a negative influence on this. I would probably structure a response to Taylah in 3 sections; Understanding why Sarah might be struggling, how to accomodate this, and how this might influence her chances at drama school. For one, Sarah might be struggling for a multitude of reasons above her mild intellectual disability and it is important to consider these closely. These may include a lack of experience in Performance, such as not knowing memory techniques, etc, stage-fright and anxiety which may be giving her cold-feet, or a lack of interest in the performance which may result in her not giving as much attention to the lines as other performers. I would encourage Taylah to talk to Sarah about her performance, offering her tips on memory and stage fright which would be an important factor in Sarah's performance. Next I would talk to Taylah about how to accomodate these before performing day. This may include teaching Sarah memory techniques or ways to manage her anxiety, or if the issue is based off her mild intellectual dissability then making accomodations such as a small tele-prompter in the front row, or a ear-piece headset which may help her remember her lines. Lastly, I would comfort Taylah in her concerns about her admissions, saying that the admissions faculty of the drama school would understand and appreciate her decisions and not base her performance of a director on the performance of individual performers, simply because many other schools would be experience similar casting difficulties.

• Do you think it’s right of the teacher to ask Taylah to cast Sarah, as Taylah’s the director?

Yes. I think its important that those with functional levels of dissabilities may be included, and i applaud the teacher for asking Taylah. Sarah might of been too nervous or self-conscious about her ability to act to apply or ask Taylah directly. From percieving the situation I dont feel the teacher strong armed Taylah into accepting Sarah, simply making her aware of Sarah's intention. Obviously, if Sarah expressed no interest in the performance to the teacher and the teacher asked regardless this would be wrong, potentially a tokenistic use of Sarah to gain further points in the competition, however by asking Taylah, who would still have to ask Sarah, the decision is placed in Sarah's hand. Lastly, it may be a point of concern that other students may be unfairly treated because of Sarah's position, and may be upset about potentially missing out on their preferred role in the performance.

• Would you change your answer if you were very good friends with Sarah’s parents?

No. I felt my initial answer was accomodating and realistic of the importance of inclusion, particularly in a high school setting, where bullying may be an important factor in Sarah's inability to ask Taylah herself. It is still important regardless to consider the perspectives of other students who were hoping to potentially play the role that Sarah took, even as a good friend of Sarah's parents.

• Would you answer differently if the production is not a competition?

Probably not, Like i said before, Taylah's concerns about her percieved performance is negated by the Drama Schools understanding of the casting restrictions that schools may face. The school would be focusing on the performance of Taylah, not of the cast members. These plays are ultimatley about having fun and enjoying yourself, increasing bonding on a cohort level, and developing skills. It is important that everyone is understood, comforted, and included.

• What would be good ways to help Sarah?

[Question: would they still ask this of me if i brought it up in the first question] Depending on the time left on the station i would probably explain my initial answers and potentially include further solutions such as maybe helping Sarah move to a role with less lines, etc. I had 1:15 seconds left on my timer when i got to this part

 

[msia222418]

Hey guys, just a question on plagiarism scenario. A student you know cheats on an assignment by copying a previous student's work. They receive a better mark than you. How do you feel and what would you do?

Are we supposed to inform a lecturer about the situation or is it not our place to do so? Thanks.

 

[dotwingz]

Hey guys, just a question on plagiarism scenario. A student you know cheats on an assignment by copying a previous student's work. They receive a better mark than you. How do you feel and what would you do?

Are we supposed to inform a lecturer about the situation or is it not our place to do so? Thanks.

Academic Integrity is a pretty important aspect to tertiary study and medicine in particular. You could probably bring up asking them why they decided to cheat, family issues? stressed out? cant keep up? which you may be able to help with but in the end they cheated on the test which is strictly against the interest of the university. The student would be stressed about this, potentially ruining future career paths, so you could comfort him and tell him he could bring up the issues with the uni staff and they might be able to coordinate something with him to consider his issues, but be prepared to recieve sharp penalities such as removal from the degree. Depending on the severity of the cheating the student may simply face a 0 in the course, which could be used to comfort them, but that decision will be left to the university.

If you were on good terms/friends with the student you might want to encourage them to admit to the lecturer that they were cheating. If they express remorse or stress over this scenario you could offer to come with them, and talk to the university about the scenario that lead them to cheating. If they dont show any interest in reporting themselves, I would go to the university regardless and report them, because like i said before, Academic Integrity is vital in Medicine and University in General.

Also, be clear in expressing that these course of actions would occur regardless if they beat you, and that you might be feeling a little jealous, but you can manage these emotions and come to a conclusion that will both maintain the Academic Integrity of the University and your relationship with the other student.

 

[whoartthou]

help with this question!

You are working on a group project with 5 other students. One of the students doesn’t 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?

it looks like the project is already finished and that it might be a little late to talk to the person to get them to play their part, what would be the thing to do in this situation? It doesn't feel appropriate to let them take the credit because that seems like dishonesty from their part, but would telling the assessor be taking it too far as this could have been a matter solved within the team?

Actually regardless of what stakes are, it is the ideal response would be to report them to the assessor. Ideally, you would encourage them to do it themself instead of turning them in yourself. I can't disclose how I know but I know

Although there isn't always a black and white answer. There usually is a more right answer in most scenarios.

Academic Integrity is a pretty important aspect to tertiary study and medicine in particular. You could probably bring up asking them why they decided to cheat, family issues? stressed out? cant keep up? which you may be able to help with but in the end they cheated on the test which is strictly against the interest of the university. The student would be stressed about this, potentially ruining future career paths, so you could comfort him and tell him he could bring up the issues with the uni staff and they might be able to coordinate something with him to consider his issues, but be prepared to recieve sharp penalities such as removal from the degree. Depending on the severity of the cheating the student may simply face a 0 in the course, which could be used to comfort them, but that decision will be left to the university.

If you were on good terms/friends with the student you might want to encourage them to admit to the lecturer that they were cheating. If they express remorse or stress over this scenario you could offer to come with them, and talk to the university about the scenario that lead them to cheating. If they dont show any interest in reporting themselves, I would go to the university regardless and report them, because like i said before, Academic Integrity is vital in Medicine and University in General.

Also, be clear in expressing that these course of actions would occur regardless if they beat you, and that you might be feeling a little jealous, but you can manage these emotions and come to a conclusion that will both maintain the Academic Integrity of the University and your relationship with the other student.

Pretty much what he said. Except I would like to raise the point of how do you know they have in fact cheated? I would let the university make the assessment before jumping to such conclusions. Are you being biased due to jealously?

You can extrapolate academic integrity to the future where they may break the law which will result in harm of people or their career etc.

 

[dotwingz]

Pretty much what he said. Except I would like to raise the point of how do you know they have in fact cheated? I would let the university make it's assessment before jumping to such conclusions. Are you being biased due to jealously?

You can extrapolate academic integrity to the future where they may break the law which will result in harm of people or their career etc.

Good point, I think I said this when talking to myself but i forgot to type it down. Thanks for the extra tips

 

[H2.]

If you were ever asked a question like "how would you persuade...?,"
I would imagine that "playing with people's emotions" to try and persuade would be looked down on by the interviewer. However, could you say that using emotives techniques like xyz could be an option (to add breadth to your reponse) and then later say that an evidence based or logical approach would be more appropiate/preffered.

 

[H2.]

PhD research (Ethical Decision Making)

You are a PhD student. Your research over the last three years has been groundbreaking and amazingly productive. You are to present your research at a conference in a month’s time to a forum of world leaders in your field. This will cement your career permanently. Your supervisor submits your research to a prestigious journal without your knowledge and/or consent. As a final confirmatory round of experiments, a key result indicates that your central hypothesis is no longer valid.

• What do you do?
• Was it right for your supervisor to submit your work?
• Should you attend the conference?
• Do you omit the results in your presentation?
• What other issues are related to this situation?

 

[whoartthou]

If you were ever asked a question like "how would you persuade...?,"
I would imagine that "playing with people's emotions" to try and persuade would be looked down on by the interviewer. However, could you say that using emotives techniques like xyz could be an option (to add breadth to your reponse) and then later say that an evidence based or logical approach would be more appropiate/preffered.

Depends on what you are trying to do? Motivational interviewing works for certain persuasions. Essentially don't manipulate but there is a fine line.

 

[UCAT 2019]

here's a scenario question i've come across a few times and wondering how people would go about it (what criteria do you go off if their medical conditions are all equally as severe - this question was initially who would you save if only 1 person, but i changed it to order them from 1-4 because in interviews they don't expect you to have medical knowledge so not sure what other criteria to base it off)

You work in a small hospital that doesn't have many resources at hand, including ICU beds. Four patients come into the ICU department needing serious management from life threatening health issues, however there is only one ICU bed available at the moment, so you will have to choose one person to save first, before helping another. Assume that all four patients are of equivalent medical severity. What order would you save the patients in?

•1. Anthony, a 16 year old male, was part of a car crash as the passenger. He was found, loosing blood profusely from his scalp at the scene. As well as this, both driver and passenger was found to be over the legal alcohol limit. He is a school student from the top school in the state and has also received a medical research scholarship that allows Anthony to go into the research pathway.

•2. Marcia, a 56 year old childcare worker, was part of a barbecue accident which resulted in burns to almost 90% of her body. She currently has three children who are all in university. You also find out that she has a DNR order (Do not resuscitate order), which means that in certain life threatening situations, the doctor in charge is legally not allowed to save the patient.

•3. Ashley, a 33 year old accountant, who was admitted due to a knife wound which she attained whilst she fought with her boyfriends-ex in her apartment. She has a punctured lung and a fractured rib from the scuffle. She also currently 25 weeks pregnant and if she were to die, the unborn child will too.

•4. Matthew, a 48 year old businessman, who was admitted due to an AMI. He has often had a bad habit of eating fatty fast food and smoking many packs of cigarettes. You also know that as a businessman, Matthew is a sponsor for the hospital and donates a large quantity of money each year to the hospital, and is willing to pay more if you save him first.

A bit of a latecomer to this but... I'd really appreciate feedback and thoughts!
My logic: save the patients who need the most immediate treatment and have highest chance of survival
1. Anthony - as he is losing blood profusely from his scalp, it is necessary to alleviate this blood loss first by closing the wound. If this is not done, Anthony can die very quickly by blood loss. However, he likely has a high chance of survival as the given information suggests this is an isolated injury, meaning that the operation only has to be focused on one area, as opposed to the larger injury coverage of patients like Ashley and Marcia.
2. Ashley - 2 lives will be saved as she is pregnant, however, she is placed after Anthony as people can live on a punctured lung for longer than they can live with a bleeding scalp; same logic as with the fractured rib.
3. Matthew - heart attack indicates an increasingly deteriorating condition due to lifestyle of fast food and smoking. Higher chance of survival than Marcia, so should be saved before Marcia, but should not be saved before Ashley as the risk of losing 2 lives is too high, especially with Ashley being otherwise healthy with no underlying lifestyle causes for the medical condition. Ashley will therefore have a higher chance to survive if given the necessary treatment, as opposed to Matthew who might just revert to old unhealthy lifestyle.
4. Marcia - very low chance of survival due to immense 90% burn coverage. The implication of attempting to save her first but failing, means that valuable time will be lost to the other imminent life-threatening conditions, such as Anthony's scalp bleeding

 

[Crow]

A bit of a latecomer to this but... I'd really appreciate feedback and thoughts!
My logic: save the patients who need the most immediate treatment and have highest chance of survival
1. Anthony - as he is losing blood profusely from his scalp, it is necessary to alleviate this blood loss first by closing the wound. If this is not done, Anthony can die very quickly by blood loss. However, he likely has a high chance of survival as the given information suggests this is an isolated injury, meaning that the operation only has to be focused on one area, as opposed to the larger injury coverage of patients like Ashley and Marcia.
2. Ashley - 2 lives will be saved as she is pregnant, however, she is placed after Anthony as people can live on a punctured lung for longer than they can live with a bleeding scalp; same logic as with the fractured rib.
3. Matthew - heart attack indicates an increasingly deteriorating condition due to lifestyle of fast food and smoking. Higher chance of survival than Marcia, so should be saved before Marcia, but should not be saved before Ashley as the risk of losing 2 lives is too high, especially with Ashley being otherwise healthy with no underlying lifestyle causes for the medical condition. Ashley will therefore have a higher chance to survive if given the necessary treatment, as opposed to Matthew who might just revert to old unhealthy lifestyle.
4. Marcia - very low chance of survival due to immense 90% burn coverage. The implication of attempting to save her first but failing, means that valuable time will be lost to the other imminent life-threatening conditions, such as Anthony's scalp bleeding

I’ll let whoartthou comment on this if they like, but the answers to this type of scenario shouldn’t be medical knowledge dependent, as this isn’t something you’re expected to have at this stage.

 

[H2.]

Depends on what you are trying to do? Motivational interviewing works for certain persuasions. Essentially don't manipulate but there is a fine line.

Thank you. I was just looking for a general response. However, I came across this question in the context of trying to persuade a couple to immunize their child who are non-believers of vaccinations.

 

[whoartthou]

Thank you. I was just looking for a general response. However, I came across this question in the context of trying to persuade a couple to immunize their child who are non-believers of vaccinations.

In those circumstances the scenario should involve you discussing their reservations and emphasizing from their perspective. Some anti-vaxers are not true anti-vaxers in the sense that they have had previously bad experiences or are on the fence about the situation. It's about giving them the correct information and making them feel at ease that you are not trying to force them into vaccination. At the end of the day the doctor and parents are looking out for the health of the child. Always leave the door open for them to discuss any questions or concerns they may have.

If they are true anti-vaxers well to be completely honest there is absolutely nothing you can do. They will believe any conspiracy theory out there and they cannot be reasoned with. These patients are the most difficult to treat as they will question everything you recommend or suggest and there is no logic to their decisions. If these patients are presented to you all you can do is listen and be nice to them.

 

[whoartthou]

A bit of a latecomer to this but... I'd really appreciate feedback and thoughts!
My logic: save the patients who need the most immediate treatment and have highest chance of survival
1. Anthony - as he is losing blood profusely from his scalp, it is necessary to alleviate this blood loss first by closing the wound. If this is not done, Anthony can die very quickly by blood loss. However, he likely has a high chance of survival as the given information suggests this is an isolated injury, meaning that the operation only has to be focused on one area, as opposed to the larger injury coverage of patients like Ashley and Marcia.
2. Ashley - 2 lives will be saved as she is pregnant, however, she is placed after Anthony as people can live on a punctured lung for longer than they can live with a bleeding scalp; same logic as with the fractured rib.
3. Matthew - heart attack indicates an increasingly deteriorating condition due to lifestyle of fast food and smoking. Higher chance of survival than Marcia, so should be saved before Marcia, but should not be saved before Ashley as the risk of losing 2 lives is too high, especially with Ashley being otherwise healthy with no underlying lifestyle causes for the medical condition. Ashley will therefore have a higher chance to survive if given the necessary treatment, as opposed to Matthew who might just revert to old unhealthy lifestyle.
4. Marcia - very low chance of survival due to immense 90% burn coverage. The implication of attempting to save her first but failing, means that valuable time will be lost to the other imminent life-threatening conditions, such as Anthony's scalp bleeding

Universities have moved away from these questions because at the end of the day it will help immensely if you had medical knowledge.

The defintion of DNR is that you do not resuscitate the patient if they go into cardiac arrest. All other measures in keeping them alive are determined by their advanced care directive if they had one or their next of kin. Just because they have life threatening injuries doesn't mean you cannot treat the patient.

In these kind of scenarios, the order would either score you minimal or no marks. It's testing your biases, sensitivity, ethical reasoning etc.. It doesn't matter if the wound or injury was self-inflicted your duty of care as a doctor is to provide equal access to care where possible. Just because a patient "ate fatty foods" or if the incident was "an accident" doesn't justify who gets seen first. It's always going to be treating the most severe injuries first as per the Triage system set up in emergency departments.

From a medical perspective imo the burns victim is probably most severe or the pregnant lady (depends on the situation). Again its very circumstantial as vital sign stability is the key component to assessment. If they are stable then you can treat the problem temporarily to buy you more time until it can be treated later. For example with the bleeding, pressure and retraction of the skin/tissue over the bleed will stem the flow of blood. I've seen AMI patients walk around for days before presenting to ED and on the other hand I have had to perform CPR on those that have arrested.

 

[UCAT 2019]

Universities have moved away from these questions because at the end of the day it will help immensely if you had medical knowledge.

The defintion of DNR is that you do not resuscitate the patient if they go into cardiac arrest. All other measures in keeping them alive are determined by their advanced care directive if they had one or their next of kin. Just because they have life threatening injuries doesn't mean you cannot treat the patient.

In these kind of scenarios, the order would either score you minimal or no marks. It's testing your biases, sensitivity, ethical reasoning etc.. It doesn't matter if the wound or injury was self-inflicted your duty of care as a doctor is to provide equal access to care where possible. Just because a patient "ate fatty foods" or if the incident was "an accident" doesn't justify who gets seen first. It's always going to be treating the most severe injuries first as per the Triage system set up in emergency departments.

From a medical perspective imo the burns victim is probably most severe or the pregnant lady (depends on the situation). Again its very circumstantial as vital sign stability is the key component to assessment. If they are stable then you can treat the problem temporarily to buy you more time until it can be treated later. For example with the bleeding, pressure and retraction of the skin/tissue over the bleed will stem the flow of blood. I've seen AMI patients walk around for days before presenting to ED and on the other hand I have had to perform CPR on those that have arrested.

That's great advice, I appreciate it. Thanks so much!

 

[Smelly Boy]

I saw someone post this question (pasted below) & thought I’d have a go at It (EDIT: thank you to everyone who takes their time to read this & a special thank you to those who provide feedback )



QUESTION

You are working on a group project with 5 other students. One of the students doesn’t 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?





answer:

This sounds like a case of not addressing an issue (poor contributions from the group member) for a while!



If I found myself in this situation, the actions I’d take would involve:

1 - completing the presentation first

2 - speaking to the person & getting an idea of their circumstances

3 - getting them to come clean to the tutor/doing it on their behalf if they refuse to

4 - think of a future plan to ensure this doesn’t happen again



Completing presentation:

I’d recommend to my group to do this first so that our presentation isn’t adversely affected by going to the trouble of addressing this big problem right before the presentation. Regardless of what happens, I feel that it’s important that the group presents as best as they can.



Speaking to the person:

Assuming I’m the group leader and the group agreed that the person has poorly contributed, I’d want to speak to the person in a private, one-on-one and non-confronting setting. This is important as I’ll have the chance to understand the circumstances surrounding the person’s behaviour. Sometimes ‘life’ happens to people & it’s difficult to deal with these events. At other times, people may struggle with the content and, as a result, become reserved as they don’t think they can contribute anything meaningful. Not everyone is forthcoming to look for help and so they sometimes foster maladaptive behaviours such as not contributing to group work & keeping quiet about their issues.



I’d be ready to offer my help in appropriate capacities (e.g. letting them join my study group if they’re struggling with the content) but also realise that I have my limitations (I can’t provide counselling, for example) & so itd be best to refer them to people that can help this person (e.g. counsellors, lecturers, tutors etc.). I’d also check if they’re experiencing something similar in other courses they’re completing and try to provide my assistance where appropriate.



There could also be the possibility that the person was lazy & in that case, I’d move on to the next action I’d take.



Speaking to the tutor:

Once I have a picture of what had been causing the poor contributions, I’d try & get the person to come clean & Let the tutor know that they poorly contributed due to reasons x, y and z. I’d let them know that if they don’t come clean then I’ll have to do it on their behalf as it’s not fair on the group. I’d also offer to go with them to the tutor to give them some support while they do the right thing.



Future plan:

I’d involve my group (including the person who poorly contributed if possible) in the creation of a future plan which we all agree on. This plan would include how we’d want to approach future projects:

• having everyone contribute to the project
• Letting the group know if something tough is going on in your life so that appropriate changes can be made.
• Looking out for each other so that we can identify issues early & help each other stay on top of our game

Having everyone sign, demonstrating their agreement to the plan, would be a good way to build a more solid & collegial group. It would also aim to minimises occurrences like this happening again.

 

[H2.]

Universities have moved away from these questions because at the end of the day it will help immensely if you had medical knowledge.

The defintion of DNR is that you do not resuscitate the patient if they go into cardiac arrest. All other measures in keeping them alive are determined by their advanced care directive if they had one or their next of kin. Just because they have life threatening injuries doesn't mean you cannot treat the patient.

In these kind of scenarios, the order would either score you minimal or no marks. It's testing your biases, sensitivity, ethical reasoning etc.. It doesn't matter if the wound or injury was self-inflicted your duty of care as a doctor is to provide equal access to care where possible. Just because a patient "ate fatty foods" or if the incident was "an accident" doesn't justify who gets seen first. It's always going to be treating the most severe injuries first as per the Triage system set up in emergency departments.

From a medical perspective imo the burns victim is probably most severe or the pregnant lady (depends on the situation). Again its very circumstantial as vital sign stability is the key component to assessment. If they are stable then you can treat the problem temporarily to buy you more time until it can be treated later. For example with the bleeding, pressure and retraction of the skin/tissue over the bleed will stem the flow of blood. I've seen AMI patients walk around for days before presenting to ED and on the other hand I have had to perform CPR on those that have arrested.

It says in the scenario assume all four patients are of equal medical severity. Hence, isn't this an ethical dilemma, not based on medical knowledge?given the triage system cannot work in this case.

 

[whoartthou]

It says in the scenario assume all four patients are of equal medical severity. Hence, isn't this an ethical dilemma, not based on medical knowledge?given the triage system cannot work in this case.

Then really it is not a realistic question because you can't be biased in your choice therefore, any reasoning would be invalid.

 

[H2.]

PhD research (Ethical Decision Making)

You are a PhD student. Your research over the last three years has been groundbreaking and amazingly productive. You are to present your research at a conference in a month’s time to a forum of world leaders in your field. This will cement your career permanently. Your supervisor submits your research to a prestigious journal without your knowledge and/or consent. As a final confirmatory round of experiments, a key result indicates that your central hypothesis is no longer valid.

• What do you do?
• Was it right for your supervisor to submit your work?
• Should you attend the conference?
• Do you omit the results in your presentation?
• What other issues are related to this situation?

Can someone please briefly outline how they would approach these questions?