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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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PA · Integrity · Advanced3
Clear filters- 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 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 nowEthicsAdvancedMMI station PA
As a PA, you notice your supervising physician seems impaired during a shift. What do you do?
Patient safety · Professionalism · Integrity
How to approach itHide
How to approach ethical dilemma questions
- Clarify the facts and what you would want to know before acting.
- Name who is affected and the principles in tension: autonomy, doing good, avoiding harm, fairness, confidentiality.
- Walk through realistic options, starting with the least drastic.
- Choose a course of action, explain why, and say who you would involve.
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