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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.
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MMI station · Residency · Autonomy and consent4
Clear filters- 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 nowRole-playIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency
Role-play: Your patient, played by an actor, refuses a procedure you have recommended. Talk with them.
Autonomy and consent · Communication · Empathy
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How to approach role-play questions
- Talk to the actor directly, as if it were real. Don't narrate what you would do.
- Introduce yourself and find out what they know and feel before giving information.
- Name emotions out loud, then share information in small pieces.
- Agree on a next step before time runs out.
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.
- Practice this question nowPolicyIntermediateMMI station MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency, Pharmacy
Should vaccination be mandatory for health care workers?
Autonomy and consent · Patient safety · Health systems
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How to approach policy and current issues questions
- Define the issue in one sentence so you and the interviewer agree on terms.
- Give the strongest arguments on both sides, with one fact you are sure of.
- Take a clear position and name its tradeoffs.
- Bring it back to patients and your future role.
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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