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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 · Equity and access5

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

  • EthicsAdvancedMMI 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

    1. Start from a presumption of capacity: Down syndrome alone does not mean she can't make this decision.
    2. Assess capacity for this specific choice, with supports: plain language, time, visual aids, a trusted advocate.
    3. Meet with her alone to hear her wishes free of pressure, and screen for coercion.
    4. Acknowledge the family's worries and bring them into planning support for her, not into overriding her.
    5. 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".

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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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  • EthicsAdvancedMMI 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

    1. Say who really decides: transplant teams follow set criteria, not one doctor's judgment of who deserves it.
    2. Name those criteria: medical urgency, likelihood of benefit, compatibility, time on the list, and the ability to follow through after transplant.
    3. Reject social worth: being a surgeon doesn't earn a liver. Be careful about blaming either patient for their illness.
    4. Note that an overdose, such as acetaminophen, can cause acute liver failure with top urgency, while alcohol use may raise questions about relapse.
    5. 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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  • EthicsAdvancedMMI station Pharmacy

    A pharmacist has a personal objection to dispensing a legal medication. How should that be handled so the patient still gets care?

    Integrity · Autonomy and consent · Equity and access

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    Sample answer outline

    1. Name both values: the pharmacist's conscience and the patient's right to timely, legal care.
    2. The key principle: an objection must never become a barrier. The patient leaves with the medication or a guaranteed path to it.
    3. Plan ahead: tell the employer in advance and arrange another pharmacist on shift or a warm referral nearby.
    4. Treat the patient with dignity: no lecturing, no delay, no judgment.
    5. Note that laws and board rules vary by state.

    What makes it work

    • It resolves the tension with a practical system, not a slogan.

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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 it

    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.

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Interview Question Bank: 133 Questions with Sample Answers | Confetto