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The interview question bank
133 real interview questions for medical, PA, dental and other health programs, with sample answer outlines for 48 of them. Filter, open an answer, then practice it out loud.
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With sample answers48
Clear filters- Practice this question nowWhy medicine?IntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel MD, DO
Why do you want to be a doctor, and why not a nurse or a PA?
Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Open with the moment medicine became concrete for you: a specific patient, role or problem, in two sentences. Not a childhood wish.
- Name what draws you to the physician's role in particular: owning the diagnosis, managing uncertainty, leading the plan, the depth of training.
- Show you tested the choice: shadowing, clinical work or research that confirmed it, and one thing that surprised you.
- Address nursing and PA with respect. Both are essential; you chose the role whose scope and responsibility match what you want to carry.
- Close forward: the kind of doctor you want to be and who you want to serve.
What makes it work
- Evidence beats adjectives: one real story says more than five reasons.
- It answers the comparison directly instead of dodging it.
- It ends with direction, which invites a good follow-up.
Avoid
- "I want to help people" as the whole answer. Every health career helps people.
- Implying nurses or PAs are a lesser version of a doctor.
- Practice this question nowAbout youBeginnerTraditional one-on-one, Panel Most programs
Tell me about yourself.
Communication · Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Keep it to about 90 seconds and use present, past, future: who you are now, what shaped you, where you are headed.
- Pick two or three experiences that show different strengths, such as care, curiosity and leadership, instead of reciting your resume in order.
- Add one human detail (where you grew up, a family role, a serious hobby) so you are memorable.
- Land on why this path and this program, which hands the interviewer an easy next question.
What makes it work
- It is a guided tour, not a biography, so it stays short.
- Each experience is a hook the interviewer can ask about.
Avoid
- Reading your application back to them.
- Going past two minutes.
- Practice this question nowAbout youBeginnerTraditional one-on-one, Panel Most programs
Why do you want to attend our school?
Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Name two or three things specific to this school: a curriculum feature, a clinical setting, a patient population, a program or pathway.
- Tie each one to something you have already done or plan to do, so the fit runs both ways.
- Say what you would contribute to the class and the community, not only what you would take.
- If you talked to students or visited, say what you learned and why it mattered to you.
What makes it work
- Specific details prove you did the research.
- Linking features to your own story makes the fit believable.
Avoid
- Rankings, location or "great reputation" as your main reasons.
- Facts you could paste into any school's interview.
- Practice this question nowWhy medicine?IntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel DO
Why osteopathic medicine? Why a DO instead of an MD?
Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Show you understand osteopathic medicine: whole-person care, attention to the musculoskeletal system, and OMM as an added tool, with the same practice rights as MDs.
- Give your evidence: shadowing a DO, seeing OMM help a patient, or experience that matches the philosophy.
- Say how you would use the training, for example primary care in an underserved area or OMM in sports medicine.
- Be honest and positive: you chose the approach that fits how you want to practice, without criticizing MD training.
What makes it work
- It proves the choice is informed, not a fallback.
- A concrete OMM or shadowing story makes "holistic" mean something.
Avoid
- Implying a DO school is your backup.
- Using "holistic" with no example behind it.
- Practice this question nowBehavioralIntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel, MMI station Most programs
Tell me about a time you failed. What did you do next?
Resilience · Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Pick a real failure with stakes that was your responsibility. Not a disguised success like "I cared too much".
- Set it up in two sentences, then own your part plainly: what you did or did not do.
- Spend most of the answer on what you did next: how you repaired what you could, who you told, what you changed.
- Prove the lesson stuck with a later moment where you handled a similar situation differently.
What makes it work
- Ownership without self-punishment reads as maturity.
- The later example turns a lesson into evidence.
Avoid
- Blaming teammates or circumstances.
- A failure so small it shows nothing, or so large it raises red flags you can't resolve.
- Practice this question nowAbout youIntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel Most programs
What's the weakest part of your application?
Self-awareness · Integrity
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Sample answer outline
- Name it directly. Pick the one an interviewer would notice anyway: a low grade, a gap, thin research or clinical hours.
- Give one sentence of context, with no excuses.
- Show what you did about it and the evidence: later grades, a job, a new experience.
- Close with what it taught you that will make you a better student or clinician.
What makes it work
- Naming the weakness first shows honesty and takes the sting out of it.
- Most of the time goes to the fix, not the problem.
Avoid
- Saying you can't think of one.
- A long list of reasons it wasn't your fault.
- Practice this question nowAbout youIntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel Most programs
We have 5,000 applicants for 150 seats. Why should we pick you?
Self-awareness · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Choose two or three strengths and back each one with a single piece of evidence.
- Connect them to what this school values: its mission, community, research or service.
- Say what you would add to the class: a perspective, a skill, a commitment others may not bring.
- Finish confidently and briefly. Don't compare yourself with other applicants.
What makes it work
- Evidence keeps confidence from sounding like arrogance.
- Framing it as fit with the school answers the real question.
Avoid
- A list of adjectives with nothing behind them.
- Putting other applicants down.
- Practice this question nowBehavioralIntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel MD, DO
What is the most significant challenge you have overcome, and how has it prepared you for a career in medicine?
Resilience · Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Choose a challenge you can talk about calmly. It doesn't need to be dramatic; it needs to show growth.
- Describe the obstacle briefly and what made it hard for you.
- Focus on what you did: the actions you took, the help you asked for, what you kept doing when it was hard.
- Link it to medicine: the specific capacity it built, such as persistence, asking for help or perspective, and where you will use it.
What makes it work
- The time goes to your actions, which is what the interviewer scores.
- A clear link to medicine answers the second half of the question.
Avoid
- Retelling a hardship with no reflection.
- Sharing something so raw you can't discuss it steadily.
- Practice this question nowAbout youBeginnerTraditional one-on-one, Panel MD, DO
What would you do if you do not get into medical school this year?
Resilience · Self-awareness
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Sample answer outline
- Show commitment and calm: you would reflect, ask schools for feedback and reapply.
- Name concrete steps aimed at your real weak spots: more clinical hours, a course, a stronger personal statement.
- Show you would keep doing meaningful work in the meantime, and why that work matters to you.
- Restate briefly why medicine remains the goal.
What makes it work
- A specific plan shows maturity and self-knowledge.
- It turns a stressful question into evidence of resilience.
Avoid
- Sounding desperate, or naming a different career as plan A.
- "I haven't thought about it."
- Practice this question nowBehavioralBeginnerTraditional one-on-one, Panel Most programs
Tell me about a meaningful interaction you had with a patient.
Empathy · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Pick one patient and one moment, and protect their privacy: no names or identifying details.
- Describe what they needed beyond the medical task, and what you noticed.
- Say what you did, even if it was small: listening, explaining, staying.
- Reflect on what it taught you about care, and how it shapes the clinician you want to become.
What makes it work
- Small, specific moments feel more genuine than heroic ones.
- The reflection shows insight, not just exposure.
Avoid
- Making yourself the hero of the story.
- Details that could identify the patient.
- Practice this question nowBehavioralIntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel, MMI station Most programs
Tell me about a time you worked on a team that wasn't working well. What did you do?
Teamwork · Leadership · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Set the scene fast: the team, the goal, and what was going wrong.
- Diagnose before acting: what you found out about why it wasn't working (unclear roles, conflict, workload).
- Describe your specific actions: a conversation, a new plan, sharing the load. Use "I", not only "we".
- Give the outcome honestly, including what didn't fully work.
- Close with what you do differently on teams now.
What makes it work
- Diagnosis before action shows judgment, not just energy.
- Honest results are more credible than a perfect turnaround.
Avoid
- Blaming one teammate for everything.
- Saying you just did all the work yourself.
- Practice this question nowBehavioralIntermediateTraditional one-on-one, Panel Most programs
Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone in authority. How did you handle it?
Professionalism · Communication · Integrity
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Sample answer outline
- Choose a disagreement about substance (a plan, a process, safety), not a personality clash.
- Show you checked yourself first: did you have the full picture?
- Describe raising it respectfully and privately, with facts and a suggestion.
- Give the result, and show you accepted the decision or escalated only when the stakes justified it.
- Reflect on what you learned about speaking up.
What makes it work
- It shows you can disagree without damaging the relationship.
- Proportion: escalating only when it truly matters.
Avoid
- A story where you were simply right and they were simply wrong.
- Practice this question nowEthicsIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
Before a shift, you notice your senior resident smells of alcohol. What do you do?
Professionalism · Patient safety
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Sample answer outline
- State the priority: patient safety. If the resident may be impaired, they should not see patients until that is resolved.
- Don't assume. Speak to them privately and calmly, say what you noticed, and ask how they are.
- If the concern stands, tell the attending or supervisor before the shift starts. You don't need proof to raise a safety concern.
- Show care for the colleague: impairment can signal illness or crisis. Point to physician health and support programs.
- Acknowledge your position as a trainee and follow the hospital's reporting policy.
What makes it work
- It balances safety, fairness and compassion instead of picking one.
- Escalation is proportionate and quick, because patients are at stake.
Avoid
- Saying nothing because they are senior.
- Confronting them in front of the team.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO, PA
Genetic testing shows the husband isn't the father. The wife begs you not to tell him. Then he asks you if anything came back abnormal. What do you say?
Confidentiality · Integrity · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Clarify the facts: who ordered the test, for what clinical question, and whose information this is.
- Answer his actual question truthfully: report the results relevant to the child's health. Non-paternity was an incidental finding, not what the test was for.
- Don't lie, and don't disclose what isn't yours to share. You can say you will go over the medical findings with both parents.
- Speak with the wife privately: understand her fears, check her safety, encourage her to consider disclosure, offer counseling.
- Involve genetics colleagues and ethics, and follow local law and policy, which vary.
What makes it work
- It separates honesty from full disclosure, which is the heart of the dilemma.
- It keeps the child's medical interests in view.
Avoid
- Telling the husband outright, or lying to him.
- Treating it as a simple yes or no.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO, PA
A 9-year-old with measles begs you for the vaccine. The parents still refuse. Do you vaccinate?
Autonomy and consent · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Spot the clinical detail: a child who already has measles won't be helped by the measles vaccine now. The priority is treating them, isolating them and protecting contacts.
- Explain the frame: a 9-year-old can't consent alone; parents decide unless their choice puts the child at serious risk.
- Explore the parents' reasons with respect and correct misinformation. The illness is a natural moment to revisit vaccines for the child's siblings and the child's other vaccines.
- Keep the child's voice in the room: acknowledge their fear and explain what will happen.
- Notify public health as required.
What makes it work
- Catching the clinical premise shows careful reading, which interviewers love.
- It respects parents while still protecting children and the public.
Avoid
- Vaccinating against the parents' wishes without legal grounds.
- Lecturing the parents.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO, PA
A patient with Down syndrome is pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Her mother and husband want her to have an abortion. What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Communication · Equity and access
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Sample answer outline
- Start from a presumption of capacity: Down syndrome alone does not mean she can't make this decision.
- Assess capacity for this specific choice, with supports: plain language, time, visual aids, a trusted advocate.
- Meet with her alone to hear her wishes free of pressure, and screen for coercion.
- Acknowledge the family's worries and bring them into planning support for her, not into overriding her.
- If capacity is truly lacking, follow legal surrogate processes and involve ethics, still centered on her values.
What makes it work
- It avoids the common trap of assuming disability means incapacity.
- It treats the family as partners without handing them the decision.
Avoid
- Siding with the family because they seem more "reasonable".
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO
A deaf couple doing IVF asks you to help them pick an embryo that will also be deaf. What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Cultural humility · Critical thinking
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Sample answer outline
- Acknowledge both views: many Deaf people see deafness as a culture and identity, not a disability. Others see choosing it as limiting the child's options.
- Name the principles in tension: the parents' reproductive autonomy and the future child's interests (sometimes called the right to an open future).
- Explore the couple's reasons with curiosity instead of assumptions.
- Check the law and clinic policy where you practice. If you decline on conscience, say so openly and explain the options.
- Recommend an ethics consultation, then give your reasoned position.
What makes it work
- It shows cultural humility without dodging a position.
- Naming the principles makes the reasoning easy to follow.
Avoid
- Calling deafness simply a defect.
- Ending on "it depends" with no view.
- Practice this question nowEthicsIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
A Jehovah's Witness patient refuses a blood transfusion they need to survive. What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Cultural humility · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- A competent adult can refuse even life-saving treatment. Your job is to make sure the refusal is informed, voluntary and consistent with their values.
- Talk with them privately to check for pressure from family or community.
- Explore what they will accept: bloodless surgery techniques, cell salvage, iron, medicines that boost blood production.
- Document the conversation and their decision clearly, and keep caring for them fully.
- Note how it differs for a child or for an unconscious patient without an advance directive.
What makes it work
- It respects autonomy while doing everything else possible.
- Showing the contrast with a child proves you understand the limits.
Avoid
- Trying to persuade them out of their faith.
- Treating the refusal as a reason to step back from their care.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
A mother refuses a life-saving blood transfusion for her 4-year-old because of her religious beliefs. What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Cultural humility · Patient safety
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Sample answer outline
- The child's best interests come first. Parents' right to refuse has limits when a child's life is at risk.
- Approach the mother with empathy, explore her beliefs and offer every acceptable alternative that is medically safe.
- Involve the senior physician, ethics and the hospital's legal team early. Courts can authorize treatment.
- In a true emergency, treat to save the child's life as the law allows.
- Protect the relationship: this family will still care for the child afterward.
What makes it work
- It shows exactly where autonomy ends: a parent deciding for a child.
- It handles the family with compassion, not force alone.
- Practice this question nowCurveballAdvancedMMI station, Traditional one-on-one MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
What would you do if a patient died because you misdiagnosed them?
Integrity · Resilience · Patient safety
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Sample answer outline
- Disclose honestly and promptly to the family with your supervisor: what happened as far as you know, and a sincere apology.
- Report it through the hospital's safety system so it can be reviewed and prevented.
- Support the family: answer questions, stay available, follow up.
- Take care of yourself: clinicians are often called second victims of errors. Seek support instead of hiding.
- Learn from it: what you would change in your practice.
What makes it work
- It puts honesty and the family first, then the system, then you.
- Acknowledging your own wellbeing shows maturity, not weakness.
Avoid
- Defensiveness or minimizing.
- Practice this question nowCurveballBeginnerMMI station MD, DO, PA
A pregnant patient wants her C-section a week early because she "can't raise a Gemini." What do you do?
Communication · Autonomy and consent · Patient safety
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Sample answer outline
- Take her seriously and ask what's behind it. There may be anxiety, family pressure or cultural meaning.
- Explain in plain words why an early delivery without a medical reason carries risks for the baby, such as breathing and feeding problems.
- Find the shared goal: a healthy start for her child.
- If there's no medical reason, decline kindly, offer what you can, and document the conversation.
What makes it work
- Respect without mockery turns a funny prompt into a test of communication.
- Autonomy has limits when a request causes harm without benefit.
Avoid
- Laughing it off or lecturing.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO, PA
A 12-year-old asks you for birth control and begs you not to tell her parents. What do you do?
Confidentiality · Patient safety · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Notice the age. At 12, sexual activity is a safeguarding concern in most places, so the child's safety comes first.
- Before she shares more, explain honestly what you can keep private and what you can't.
- Talk gently and privately: who she is involved with, whether she feels safe, any signs of coercion or abuse.
- Follow mandatory reporting duties where they apply, with your supervisor and child protection services.
- Still meet her health needs: information, protection, and encouragement to involve a trusted adult.
What makes it work
- It recognizes the safeguarding issue many applicants miss.
- Being honest about the limits of confidentiality keeps her trust.
Avoid
- Promising total secrecy.
- Treating it like the same request from a 16-year-old.
- Practice this question nowEthicsIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
A convicted child molester comes to your ER needing emergency surgery. Do you treat him the same as everyone else?
Professionalism · Equity and access
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Sample answer outline
- Answer clearly: yes. Care is based on medical need, not moral worth. Justice and the duty to treat apply to everyone.
- Acknowledge that discomfort is human; professionalism means not letting it change the care.
- Handle the practical side: security and staff safety, and letting a colleague step in if someone truly can't give good care, as long as treatment isn't delayed.
- Note that punishment belongs to the justice system, not the hospital.
What makes it work
- A clear position up front, then nuance.
- Honesty about feelings makes the commitment believable.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO
A patient with severe depression and no terminal illness asks for medical assistance in dying. It's legal where you work. What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Empathy · Patient safety
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Sample answer outline
- Respond with compassion. Take the request seriously as an expression of suffering, and assess suicide risk now.
- Assess capacity carefully: depression can affect decisions, but it does not automatically remove capacity.
- Review treatment so far and offer the best available psychiatric care. Many jurisdictions require this before mental illness alone can qualify.
- Follow the legal process: safeguards, independent assessments, waiting periods, multidisciplinary review.
- Be open about your own values; if you object, refer without obstructing.
What makes it work
- It treats the person, not just the request.
- It shows you know the extra safeguards for mental illness.
Avoid
- Dismissing the request outright, or approving it without assessment.
- Practice this question nowCurveballBeginnerMMI station Most programs
Three patients arrive: one an hour early, one an hour late, one on time. Who do you see first?
Critical thinking · Communication
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Sample answer outline
- Ask for the missing information: is anyone sick? Clinical urgency outranks arrival time.
- If all three are stable, see the on-time patient first. It is fair and keeps the schedule.
- Fit in the early patient if a slot opens, and see the late patient if time allows, or rebook them kindly.
- Tell everyone waiting what to expect.
What makes it work
- Asking about urgency first shows clinical instinct.
- It turns a trick question into a clear rule: need first, then fairness.
- Practice this question nowCurveballBeginnerTraditional one-on-one, MMI station MD, DO
What song would you play in the OR, and why?
Self-awareness · Teamwork
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Sample answer outline
- Pick a song you actually like and say it without overthinking.
- Give a reason that shows something real about you: a memory, a mood, what helps you focus.
- Earn a bonus point by thinking of the team: volume, everyone's focus, and the patient if they're awake.
- Keep it under a minute and enjoy it.
What makes it work
- Curveballs test composure and personality, not the right answer.
- The team detail quietly shows good judgment.
- Practice this question nowSituationalBeginnerMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency, Pharmacy
A patient demands antibiotics for a cold and threatens to leave you a 1-star review if you say no. What do you do?
Communication · Professionalism
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Sample answer outline
- Acknowledge that they feel awful and want relief. Ask what worries them most.
- Explain in plain words that antibiotics don't work on viruses and can cause harm: side effects and resistance.
- Offer a real plan: symptom relief, what to watch for, and when to come back.
- Stay calm about the review. It doesn't change your clinical judgment.
What makes it work
- Empathy first lowers the temperature before you say no.
- A plan gives them something instead of only a refusal.
Avoid
- Giving in to keep them happy.
- Arguing or getting defensive.
- Practice this question nowSituationalBeginnerMMI station Most programs
Your classmate posts a patient's X-ray on Instagram with a funny caption. What do you do?
Confidentiality · Professionalism
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Sample answer outline
- Recognize it as a privacy breach and a professionalism issue, so act quickly.
- Talk to your classmate privately and ask them to take it down now. Explain that even "anonymous" images can identify a patient.
- If they refuse, or it has spread, tell the course lead or privacy office. The school may need to act.
- Keep it proportionate: it may be a lapse in judgment, not malice. Suggest a refresher on social media policy.
What makes it work
- Speed and privacy first, then fairness to the classmate.
- Clear escalation if the direct approach fails.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO
A patient asks you to amputate their perfectly healthy leg because it "doesn't feel like theirs." Do you?
Autonomy and consent · Empathy · Critical thinking
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Sample answer outline
- Recognize body integrity dysphoria: a real, distressing condition, not a whim.
- Weigh autonomy against nonmaleficence. Doctors are not obliged to perform procedures that cause serious harm without clear benefit.
- Explore their experience, assess capacity, and refer for psychiatric support. Check for any risk of self-harm.
- Decline the surgery for now, kindly and clearly, and stay involved in their care.
What makes it work
- It treats the patient's distress as real while holding a clear line.
Avoid
- Mocking the request or ending the visit.
- Practice this question nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station MD, DO
One liver, two patients: a 60-year-old surgeon who drinks, and a 25-year-old who overdosed. Who gets it?
Equity and access · Critical thinking · Health systems
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Sample answer outline
- Say who really decides: transplant teams follow set criteria, not one doctor's judgment of who deserves it.
- Name those criteria: medical urgency, likelihood of benefit, compatibility, time on the list, and the ability to follow through after transplant.
- Reject social worth: being a surgeon doesn't earn a liver. Be careful about blaming either patient for their illness.
- Note that an overdose, such as acetaminophen, can cause acute liver failure with top urgency, while alcohol use may raise questions about relapse.
- Conclude that you'd follow the criteria and support both patients.
What makes it work
- It moves the question from "who deserves it" to "how fair systems decide".
Avoid
- Choosing by age or profession alone.
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