Multiple Mini Interviews ( MMI ) 2011

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I am relatively new to SDN but I have found it difficult to find direct, applicable and up to date information/resources. So I chose to provide this info on the relatively new interview format for medical schools known as Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI).

Brief Background (varies slightly by school to school): Instead of traditional 30-60 min interview, there are approximately 10 10-minute “Stations” (rooms) with a prompt describing a situation The situation could:

1) present a ethical problem
2) provide a setting that you are asked to improv with
3) present a traditional question such as why medicine.

You are given a few minutes to review the prompt and then walk into the room to answer the question or improv.

So the question is: How do you prepare for this?

I found this UBC medical student’s blog particularly useful

http://zeroratio.blogspot.com/search...max-results=18

The author provides practice MMI questions (both ethical and scenario improv) and very useful tips on how to prepare for the MMI.

He also provides a link to the 10 practice MMI questions that were published by the inventers of the MMI system (Eva KW, Rosenfeld J, Reiter HI, Norman GR. (2004). An Admissions OSCE: The Multiple Mini-Interview. Medical Education 38: 314-326. Blackwell Publishing)

http://www.medicine.usask.ca/pt/admission/Practice_MMI_QuestionsUofS.pdf

He also recommends reading a book on ethical dilemmas that physicians commonly face, namely “Doing right a practical guide to ethics for medical trainees and physicians” by Philip Herbert.

This will expose you to the types of prompts that you may be presented with and it may help you configure your moral compass.

You might also want to search for ethical dilemmas online. I found these questions interesting:

http://ww.scu.edu/ethics/publication...al-ethics.html

That's all I have for now.

My advice is: Don’t feel that preparing for this format is impossible or unfair. If anything you expose yourself to important situations that may come up in your future career and you may find yourself with a newfound perspective and appreciation of certain issues.

Good Luck!

.

Life is good preparation for mmi. So are acting classes. Funny but true.

Also of interest, I have an MMI question a day blog (mmiqd). Link is below.

Does anyone know which schools do MMI for interviews?

Originally Posted by casedentalmed

Also of interest, I have an MMI question a day blog (mmiqd). Link is below.

Ah, I was wondering when you'd pop up again. Welcome back!

Originally Posted by Myuu

Ah, I was wondering when you'd pop up again. Welcome back!

I've been in the other forum... for obvious reasons.

The MSAR should notate who is doing MMI's as of the last cycle. Many more are considering adopting the MMI as part of the overall transition to new admissions requirements in 2015. Many dental schools are also adopting MMI (but not ours).

I suggest a medical ethics class (or just ethics if your school doesn't offer medical ethics). We learned how to approach abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and several other dilemmas that doctors face. The class teaches you both sides of the argument so you can make a better educated standpoint. I had a couple of MMI stations that pertained to topics I learned about, so I think that gave me a leg up, but just knowing how to go about arguing for your position is a valuable skill learned in that class. I'm pretty sure that's the only way to really prepare for MMI. You can read practice questions to get into the MMI mindset, but most likely your interview day is going to consist of completely different questions.

Originally Posted by weezynation

Does anyone know which schools do MMI for interviews?

I know Cincinnati and Duke do them.

I think the attitude surrounding MMI is frequently...wrong. I feel as if pre-meds preparing on this forum focus on the little issues (What questions will I be asked? How should I answer this ethical issue? How can I best refute this point if they ask me about it?) as opposed to the big picture - What is the MMI trying to do? Let me clarify a few points.

You don't have to act. You just have to be yourself, and be reasonably comfortable and interested in having a conversation with a stranger for a few minutes.

You don't have to get the "right answer." You just have to think, communicate and listen.

You don't have to awe your interviewer with your cleverly nuanced answers. You just have to come across as a person that would make a good doctor. (It is up to you to ruminate on what that may mean.)

I did the MMI at duke, and some parts were pretty rough.
I think the best way to prepare is to have some knowledge of medical ethics (patient first, etc), but at the same time be able to think logically and explain yourself very well. The MMI favors people who can think on their feet and make quick decisions, so you can't really prepare for the content of it that much. Communication -- clear and logical -- is key.

Schools that I know do MMI: Duke, Stanford, UCLA, UC Davis, Cincinnati, Vtech Carilion

Originally Posted by I like meowmix

I did the MMI at duke, and some parts were pretty rough.
I think the best way to prepare is to have some knowledge of medical ethics (patient first, etc), but at the same time be able to think logically and explain yourself very well. The MMI favors people who can think on their feet and make quick decisions, so you can't really prepare for the content of it that much. Communication -- clear and logical -- is key.

Schools that I know do MMI: Duke, Stanford, UCLA, UC Davis, Cincinnati, Vtech Carilion

Add OHSU and Arizona to that list.

Originally Posted by Bro Dude

Add OHSU and Arizona to that list.

Per Dr. Winn, Assoc. Dean of Admissions, U-Colorado SOM will be joining the MMI train for the 2012-13 cycle.