Answering the ABORTION question at Interviews

[DrPhysician]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hello all,

I have an interview at a school which is very hardcore on ethical questions during interviews. One of the questions I am having trouble with is the one concerning abortion.

Can you all submit your opinions on how this should be answered (strategies, techniques, etc...) ??

Many thanks and much appreciation!

 

[Tired]

I have an interview at a school which is very hardcore on ethical questions during interviews. One of the questions I am having trouble with is the one concerning abortion.

Why are you chickensh*t over saying what you think? Intelligent people can disagree about an issue without it getting personal or insulting.

Or alternatively, you could be a p*ssy and do this:

Interviewer: So what is your opinion on abortion?

You: Whatever your's is, Sir.

Seriously, why are you even asking this question?

 

[armybound]

while I'm not as rude as Tired, I'd just say give them your honest opinion, there's no right or wrong answer.

my ethical question was regarding if I caught a classmate cheating on an exam, what would I do?

I found that one tough to answer. What are they looking for? A tattle-tell? Camaraderie?

 

[8744]

Hello all,

I have an interview at a school which is very hardcore on ethical questions during interviews. One of the questions I am having trouble with is the one concerning abortion.

Can you all submit your opinions on how this should be answered (strategies, techniques, etc...) ??

Many thanks and much appreciation!

I promise not to comment on this thread and swear that I will not spatter any more horse gore.

 

[docbest]

Just be sincere about your opinion. Tell them why you think it's right and why you think it's wrong depending on what you think. And if you have no opinion, just give them the two sides of the argument (make sure you say something). I once heard that you really don't know what the interviewers want, so be yourself.
Good luck though

 

[Tired]

while I'm not as rude as Tired, I'd just say give them your honest opinion, there's no right or wrong answer.

my ethical question was regarding if I caught a classmate cheating on an exam, what would I do?

I found that one tough to answer. What are they looking for? A tattle-tell? Camaraderie?

So you answer questions about "what you would do" based on what you think they want to hear?

God forbid you have a personal code of ethics.

 

[DrPhysician]

Why are you chickensh*t over saying what you think? Intelligent people can disagree about an issue without it getting personal or insulting.

Or alternatively, you could be a p*ssy and do this:

Interviewer: So what is your opinion on abortion?

You: Whatever your's is, Sir.

Seriously, why are you even asking this question?

There is no need whatsoever for hostility. The main reason I asked the question was to read the opinions of others on how to go about this subject in an interview (ie. whether one should remain neutral about the two sides of the issue, or whether one should state his own opinion and try to defend it with logical statements).

If you are so very offended by the asking of the question, then don't browse SDN forums (or if you insist on browsing these forums, try to convey your opinions in a civil, non-hostile manner. Thank you.).

 

[armybound]

So you answer questions about "what you would do" based on what you think they want to hear?

God forbid you have a personal code of ethics.

Nope, I gave them my honest answer. It just left me wondering if he'd like my answer. I wondered what his ideal answer would be.

After I gave mine, of course.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

Hello all,

I have an interview at a school which is very hardcore on ethical questions during interviews. One of the questions I am having trouble with is the one concerning abortion.

Can you all submit your opinions on how this should be answered (strategies, techniques, etc...) ??

Many thanks and much appreciation!

Honesty is best. You may also want to research abortion history so you have something to talk about. One interviewer asked me if I supported abortion to which I gave my answer. She asked this following question, "would you recommend a patient to a doctor that would perform an abortion." She confessed that she was looking to see if I was consistent in my views. Would I give an answer for a question and then change it for a similar but differently worded situation? Subtlety like that can be hard to predict. Thus it is very important you practice various questions and form a solid opinion on your own.

 

[Tired]

There is no need whatsoever for hostility. The main reason I asked the question was to read the opinions of others on how to go about this subject in an interview (ie. whether one should remain neutral about the two sides of the issue, or whether one should state his own opinion and try to defend it with logical statements).

If you are so very offended by the asking of the question, then don't browse SDN forums (or if you insist on browsing these forums, try to convey your opinions in a civil, non-hostile manner. Thank you.).

I wasn't being hostile, I was being descriptive. And I wasn't speaking about you personally, I was characterizing a particular question-answering style. Sorry if you were offended.

If you go in there trying to dance around straightforward questions, or attempt to answer them based on what you think they want to hear, they will smell you coming a mile away.

 

[Hurricane95]

Give your honest opinion. There is no right or wrong answer. The point is to support your answer and be able to defend it with logical arguments.

I don't agree with abortion as a means of birth control (I believe in preventing pregnancy, not terminating it) and I explicitly said so. I won't perform the procedure myself, but since I strive to properly care for my patients, I will refer her to a colleague who will help her out. That's a pretty standard argument used by lots of people. It's PC, backs your view and shows dedication to caring for your patients. They can't push the issue any further if you say it's against your beliefs. And yes, I was accepted at every interview where I was asked about the issue, even with the interviewer who was pro-choice.

 

[soonerfan77]

I found that one tough to answer. What are they looking for? A tattle-tell? Camaraderie?

I would speculate that they are looking for people who truly invest themselves into medicine? You may see "tattle-tell", but they may see "an individual who is so concerned about the care of the patient that SHE/HE is willing to keep a fellow-colleague-to-be from short cutting the education". It is a very integral element of becoming a doctor. 😎

 

[soonerfan77]

There is no need whatsoever for hostility. The main reason I asked the question was to read the opinions of others on how to go about this subject in an interview (ie. whether one should remain neutral about the two sides of the issue, or whether one should state his own opinion and try to defend it with logical statements).

If you are so very offended by the asking of the question, then don't browse SDN forums (or if you insist on browsing these forums, try to convey your opinions in a civil, non-hostile manner. Thank you.).

Well said. 😎

 

[Tired]

Nope, I gave them my honest answer. It just left me wondering if he'd like my answer. I wondered what his ideal answer would be.

After I gave mine, of course.

Sorry, guess I'm over-reacting again, my bad. I like your approach.

 

[pretenda]

army bound,

I got the exact same question. I was just like Id throw the ball in their court. I approached it the same way that if you caught your best friends girlfriend/boyfriend cheating on them what would you do? Youd tell them you knew and the rest was up to them.

 

[drpatelplasticsurgery]

Hello all,

I have an interview at a school which is very hardcore on ethical questions during interviews. One of the questions I am having trouble with is the one concerning abortion.

Can you all submit your opinions on how this should be answered (strategies, techniques, etc...) ??

Many thanks and much appreciation!

i'm judging from your MDapps profile that your upcoming interview is at EVMS.

i interviewed there in early September and was accepted. i put up my interview feedback on this website. definitely check all the feedback for EVMS out; everything you need to rock your interview is there. in particular, i recommend reading over the Kaiser Family Foundation website for info on healthcare finance (http://www.kff.org) as well as the University of Washington Topics in Bioethics website to cover your bases on hot topics in medical ethics (http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html).

i was presented with the 14- or 15-yr-old girl who comes to you for an abortion by herself. i first asked whether she was an emancipated minor, and was told she wasn't. i forget what Virginia's law is for minors seeking reproductive medical care, but run a google search - most jurisdictions require the consent of one or both parents, or else they merely require that the parents be notified. many other EVMS interviewees' had gotten the additional information that the baby was her father's, in which case you would alert social services. i believe i also pointed out the option of a court-ordered abortion in the event the parents didn't consent, but it were medically necessary in order to salvage the teenager's life (same reasoning people use to get a temporary restraining order or an injunction - to prevent irreparable harm).

i didn't give my stance on abortion - i even explicitly stated to them that b/c of the political nature of the topic, i was not going to give them my stance on abortion. i gave the interviewers the appropriate legal courses of action in Virginia, then finally added that it's within a physician's rights, whether or not based on any moral objection toward the practice, NOT to perform an abortion if (s)he so desired. right there that avoids the dilemma of whether you would do an abortion for an underaged girl, no matter how heinous the circumstances.

just tell them what the patient's legal rights and medical options are, depending on that patient's age and whether she were the victim of rape or incest. anticipate whatever curveballs they plan to throw at you as you answer their hypothetical.

 

[Sondra]

I don't believe their is a right or wrong answer. There is personal belief, and a personal responsibility to respect the beliefs of others.

I would answer honesty, and state that everyone is entitled to their own decision based on their circumstances, beliefs, upbringing, whatever.

 

[BuckeyeForBass]

Give your honest opinion. There is no right or wrong answer. The point is to support your answer and be able to defend it with logical arguments.

I don't agree with abortion as a means of birth control (I believe in preventing pregnancy, not terminating it) and I explicitly said so. I won't perform the procedure myself, but since I strive to properly care for my patients, I will refer her to a colleague who will help her out. That's a pretty standard argument used by lots of people. It's PC, backs your view and shows dedication to caring for your patients. They can't push the issue any further if you say it's against your beliefs. And yes, I was accepted at every interview where I was asked about the issue, even with the interviewer who was pro-choice.

I was asked the same question, gave the exact same answer, and the interviewer seemed to like the answer. (accepted there later)

 

[armybound]

I would speculate that they are looking for people who truly invest themselves into medicine? You may see "tattle-tell", but they may see "an individual who is so concerned about the care of the patient that SHE/HE is willing to keep a fellow-colleague-to-be from short cutting the education". It is a very integral element of becoming a doctor. 😎

I gave him a pretty long-winded answer. It basically started with "If I wasn't sure that they were cheating, I wouldn't want to jeopardize their future by running straight to the professors, though I might give them a heads up on what I thought I saw.. if it seemed like they were tempted, I'd approach them and offer to help if they need help studying or learning the material. If I could tell for sure they were cheating I'd have to approach the faculty, as I would not want to trivialize the hard work the rest of us are putting in to our education by allowing cheaters to get through. That's not good for the patients and it's not good for the institution."