The interview question bank

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

• EthicsAdvanced·MMI 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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  1. 1Acknowledge 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.
  2. 2Name the principles in tension: the parents' reproductive autonomy and the future child's interests (sometimes called the right to an open future).
  3. 3Explore the couple's reasons with curiosity instead of assumptions.
  4. 4Check the law and clinic policy where you practice. If you decline on conscience, say so openly and explain the options.
  5. 5Recommend 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.

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• EthicsIntermediate·MMI 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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  1. 1A 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. 2Talk with them privately to check for pressure from family or community.
  3. 3Explore what they will accept: bloodless surgery techniques, cell salvage, iron, medicines that boost blood production.
  4. 4Document the conversation and their decision clearly, and keep caring for them fully.
  5. 5Note 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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• EthicsAdvanced·MMI 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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  1. 1The child's best interests come first. Parents' right to refuse has limits when a child's life is at risk.
  2. 2Approach the mother with empathy, explore her beliefs and offer every acceptable alternative that is medically safe.
  3. 3Involve the senior physician, ethics and the hospital's legal team early. Courts can authorize treatment.
  4. 4In a true emergency, treat to save the child's life as the law allows.
  5. 5Protect 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.

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• EthicsIntermediate·MMI 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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  1. 1Listen to the family first: their fear and any cultural norms around sharing bad news.
  2. 2Explain that the information belongs to the patient, and that you won't lie to her.
  3. 3Ask the grandmother how much she wants to know and who she wants involved. Some people choose to let family decide.
  4. 4Share 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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• EthicsBeginner·MMI station · MD, DO, PA, Nursing, Residency

  A dying patient asks you to pray with them. You're not religious. What do you do?

  Empathy · Cultural humility · Communication

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  Sample answer outline

  1. 1Respond to the need behind the request: comfort and connection at the end of life.
  2. 2You can be present respectfully, by staying quietly, holding their hand or listening, without claiming a belief you don't hold.
  3. 3Offer the chaplain or their own faith leader.
  4. 4Keep your own views out of it; this moment is about them.

  What makes it work

  • Presence over performance: honest and kind at once.

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