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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.

133
questions: 48
sample answers: 3
formats: 11
programs

Ethical dilemma · MMI station · Intermediate9

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Competing duties with no perfect answer: consent, confidentiality, fairness.

EthicsIntermediateMMI 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
1. State the priority: patient safety. If the resident may be impaired, they should not see patients until that is resolved.
2. Don't assume. Speak to them privately and calmly, say what you noticed, and ask how they are.
3. If the concern stands, tell the attending or supervisor before the shift starts. You don't need proof to raise a safety concern.
4. Show care for the colleague: impairment can signal illness or crisis. Point to physician health and support programs.
5. 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.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI 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
1. 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.
2. Talk with them privately to check for pressure from family or community.
3. Explore what they will accept: bloodless surgery techniques, cell salvage, iron, medicines that boost blood production.
4. Document the conversation and their decision clearly, and keep caring for them fully.
5. 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.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI 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
1. Answer clearly: yes. Care is based on medical need, not moral worth. Justice and the duty to treat apply to everyone.
2. Acknowledge that discomfort is human; professionalism means not letting it change the care.
3. 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.
4. 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.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA
A family begs you not to tell their grandmother she has cancer because "it'll kill her faster." What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Cultural humility · Communication
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Sample answer outline
1. Listen to the family first: their fear and any cultural norms around sharing bad news.
2. Explain that the information belongs to the patient, and that you won't lie to her.
3. Ask the grandmother how much she wants to know and who she wants involved. Some people choose to let family decide.
4. Share news at her pace, with the family present if she wishes, and plan support together.
What makes it work
Asking the patient what she wants resolves the dilemma respectfully.
It honors culture without giving up honesty.
Avoid
Telling her bluntly against the family's wishes without asking her first.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
During rotations, you see one of your closest friends cover up a medical error they made with a patient. What do you do?
Integrity · Patient safety · Professionalism
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Sample answer outline
1. First check on the patient: are they at risk right now? If so, alert the team immediately.
2. Speak to your friend promptly and privately. Encourage them to disclose and offer to go with them.
3. If they won't, take it to your supervisor yourself. Patient safety outranks loyalty.
4. Acknowledge the pull of friendship and their fear, and point out that errors are reported to fix systems, not only to punish people.
What makes it work
It gives your friend the chance to do the right thing first.
Clear priorities: patient, honesty, then the friendship.
Avoid
Staying quiet to protect the friendship.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI station Dental
A patient insists on a cosmetic procedure you believe is unnecessary and could damage healthy teeth. They've already paid in full. What do you do?
Autonomy and consent · Integrity · Communication
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Sample answer outline
1. Understand their goal: what do they want to change about their smile, and why now?
2. Explain the risks honestly: removing healthy tooth structure is irreversible.
3. Offer conservative alternatives that meet the goal, such as whitening, bonding or orthodontics.
4. If you still believe it causes harm, decline and refund. Payment doesn't change your duty.
5. Document the discussion.
What makes it work
It separates the patient's goal from the procedure they asked for.
Being clear about the payment shows integrity.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI station Dental, MD, DO, PA
A patient asks you not to document their smoking habit because they don't want their insurance company to know. What do you do?
Integrity · Confidentiality
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How to approach ethical dilemma questions
1. Clarify the facts and what you would want to know before acting.
2. Name who is affected and the principles in tension: autonomy, doing good, avoiding harm, fairness, confidentiality.
3. Walk through realistic options, starting with the least drastic.
4. Choose a course of action, explain why, and say who you would involve.
We haven't written a sample answer for this one yet. Practice it out loud and the AI interviewer gives you feedback on your own answer.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI station Nursing, PA, MD, DO
A patient confides they stopped taking prescribed medications due to religious beliefs, but asks you not to tell the physician. Their condition is worsening. How do you respond?
Confidentiality · Autonomy and consent · Patient safety
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How to approach itHide
How to approach ethical dilemma questions
1. Clarify the facts and what you would want to know before acting.
2. Name who is affected and the principles in tension: autonomy, doing good, avoiding harm, fairness, confidentiality.
3. Walk through realistic options, starting with the least drastic.
4. Choose a course of action, explain why, and say who you would involve.
We haven't written a sample answer for this one yet. Practice it out loud and the AI interviewer gives you feedback on your own answer.
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EthicsIntermediateMMI station Vet
A cat needs emergency surgery to survive, but the owner can't afford it and declines treatment. The cat will suffer without intervention. How do you handle this?
Empathy · Equity and access · Communication
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How to approach itHide
How to approach ethical dilemma questions
1. Clarify the facts and what you would want to know before acting.
2. Name who is affected and the principles in tension: autonomy, doing good, avoiding harm, fairness, confidentiality.
3. Walk through realistic options, starting with the least drastic.
4. Choose a course of action, explain why, and say who you would involve.
We haven't written a sample answer for this one yet. Practice it out loud and the AI interviewer gives you feedback on your own answer.
Open the question page