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Are you a philosophy major or applying from a service academy?
Do you have any insights into why this might have been a topic to bring up in a med admission interview?

You have identified a possible down side to bringing this up. What is the up-side? What would you hope to accomplish by reporting this?

Generally, if an interviewer is wildly inappropriate, you should report it to the person in charge of the admissions office.
 
misscookie said:
I recently interviewed and was very surprised that my interviewer asked me questions about justification for war, U.S. intervention in current political conflicts, drafts, etc. In preparing for the interview, I learned that my interviewer had a history in the military. I see medicine as an inherently political profession (I was prepared for questions on abortion, BLM, etc). I also know that some interviewers like to see applicants under stress. However, after talking with family and friends who are in medicine, they believe my interviewers questions were inappropriate. Do I bring this up with the school, if so, to who? A little bit worried that my chances may be hurt if I speak up, bc my interviewer was previously the director of admissions at a T10 and is the chair of a whole department. Any feedback is appreciated!
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It's a small world. I wouldn't bring it up.
 
misscookie said:
I recently interviewed and was very surprised that my interviewer asked me questions about justification for war, U.S. intervention in current political conflicts, drafts, etc. In preparing for the interview, I learned that my interviewer had a history in the military. I see medicine as an inherently political profession (I was prepared for questions on abortion, BLM, etc). I also know that some interviewers like to see applicants under stress. However, after talking with family and friends who are in medicine, they believe my interviewers questions were inappropriate. Do I bring this up with the school, if so, to who? A little bit worried that my chances may be hurt if I speak up, bc my interviewer was previously the director of admissions at a T10 and is the chair of a whole department. Any feedback is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Seems to me that the interviewer was trying to gage your knowledge of current events

Fair game.
 
They probably weren't inappropriate, but if you think they were, then report them. I will tell you that I often ask open ended questions, with no right or wrong answer, like you were asked. I want to see how many branches I can take you out on your decision making tree. How genuine were your responses? An interview is for me to get to know you and see if I would want you as my doctor. I look to see if the student can connect with me, express warmth, and provide genuine, unrehearsed answers. If your family and friends dont interview students, I would expect they are just being supportive. I bet you did fine.
 
Pitching again: Becoming a Student Doctor - HPSA includes an expectation that all future health care providers recognize the ability to be effective public health advocates requires some knowledge of political influences on health. We cover a number of different topics while maintaining some sense of balance that goes beyond the political rhetoric. You can take a position on a political position that affects health care or the way you will be challenged to care for communities.

Whatever your position is on war, our healthcare system takes care of veterans. In terms of history, our mistreatment of indigenous/Native American peoples/nations continues to be exacerbated to this day with underfunding of the IHS. Standing up for your patients and their health/well-being should not be something to shy away from.

But without knowing what the question is, there's no way we experts can determine whether the question was appropriate or not.
 
Also to make the point: you should not shy away from the impact of war on health. Read the introduction in the call for papers. Your interviewer is likely not as well versed in these points, and an effective method in responding is to be comfortable with this information... which is obviously too late in this case.

jamanetwork.com

Call for Papers on the Effects of War on Health and Health Care Delivery, Access, and Equity

The mission of JAMA Network Open is to improve health, health care, and health equity worldwide.1 War is the antithesis of health. It affects combatants and civilians, families, communities, institutions, and the environment. All of these become less healthy, each are wounded, and each can die...
jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com
 
I think a big part of being in the medical field is keeping up to date with recent developments, since new knowledge is always coming to light, new discoveries are always being made. Also, since cultural and global awareness are such important skills for a practicing physician to have in the 21st Century, and holistic care that accounts for a person's trauma and the social determinants of their health is becoming more emphasized, I would think it safe to assume that asking a question focused on a prominent current affair is kind of their way to gauge these aspects of you?
 
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