Ethics Question

[Danielqta]

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I'm trying to think of how I would answer questions that interviewers may ask, and the school I am going to interview at next likes to ask ethics-based questions.

A common question I see pop up is the if your friend is cheating, what do you do question.

Of course, I want to answer honestly. I'm against cheating, but I'm not the type to rat out a person, especially a friend.

I'm just afraid this may be one of those cases where being honest might hurt my chances. What do you guys think?

 

[Dental2000]

First and foremost, you sit and talk to your friend and let him know what he did was unethical. Because you are an ethical person, you believe cheating, especially in professional school, is unethical.

Next you tell the person to go and be honest with the professor. The professor may appreciate it coming from him rather than someone else who might catch him in class. If you saw your friend cheating, chances are someone else also did or will at some point in time

When a person cheats, This is who he effects
a) He is cheating himself since he is not really letting the test reflect his knowledge on the subject
b) He is cheating the professor who is putting his/her time and effort to actually try and educate people as DENTISTS who will use this knowledge on other people. If the person hasn't gained the knowledge, then it reflects badly on the professor.
c) He is cheating his classmates (including you). Everyone else worked hard to get the grade they got and if someone gets higher than them because he/she cheated, it is unfair to them
d) Lastly and most importantly ( I really mean this as Importanto), He will be a licensed dentist after 4 years. Do you really want to put your health in someones hands who you know cheated his way through school? How do you know if this person knows what he is doing if he cheated on his exams in Dental School? You owe it to your future patients to be a responsible and ethical dentist. Cheating negates that.

I know it sounds Harsh, but now that we are (hopefully on Dec 1st) entering professional school, it is time to start acting and thinking like professionals.

 

[jeffity]

Just be sure to stress D. That's the 'correct' answer to the question. It goes back to the patient.

 

[2THDDS]

First and foremost, you sit and talk to your friend and let him know what he did was unethical. Because you are an ethical person, you believe cheating, especially in professional school, is unethical.

Next you tell the person to go and be honest with the professor. The professor may appreciate it coming from him rather than someone else who might catch him in class. If you saw your friend cheating, chances are someone else also did or will at some point in time

When a person cheats, This is who he effects
a) He is cheating himself since he is not really letting the test reflect his knowledge on the subject
b) He is cheating the professor who is putting his/her time and effort to actually try and educate people as DENTISTS who will use this knowledge on other people. If the person hasn't gained the knowledge, then it reflects badly on the professor.
c) He is cheating his classmates (including you). Everyone else worked hard to get the grade they got and if someone gets higher than them because he/she cheated, it is unfair to them
d) Lastly and most importantly ( I really mean this as Importanto), He will be a licensed dentist after 4 years. Do you really want to put your health in someones hands who you know cheated his way through school? How do you know if this person knows what he is doing if he cheated on his exams in Dental School? You owe it to your future patients to be a responsible and ethical dentist. Cheating negates that.

I know it sounds Harsh, but now that we are (hopefully on Dec 1st) entering professional school, it is time to start acting and thinking like professionals.

that is really a well-thought answer there.
It is a really hard question especially because it involves your friend.
But like the yale guy said, D seems like a pretty good response to the question asked.

 

[Danielqta]

First and foremost, you sit and talk to your friend and let him know what he did was unethical. Because you are an ethical person, you believe cheating, especially in professional school, is unethical.

Next you tell the person to go and be honest with the professor. The professor may appreciate it coming from him rather than someone else who might catch him in class. If you saw your friend cheating, chances are someone else also did or will at some point in time

When a person cheats, This is who he effects
a) He is cheating himself since he is not really letting the test reflect his knowledge on the subject
b) He is cheating the professor who is putting his/her time and effort to actually try and educate people as DENTISTS who will use this knowledge on other people. If the person hasn't gained the knowledge, then it reflects badly on the professor.
c) He is cheating his classmates (including you). Everyone else worked hard to get the grade they got and if someone gets higher than them because he/she cheated, it is unfair to them
d) Lastly and most importantly ( I really mean this as Importanto), He will be a licensed dentist after 4 years. Do you really want to put your health in someones hands who you know cheated his way through school? How do you know if this person knows what he is doing if he cheated on his exams in Dental School? You owe it to your future patients to be a responsible and ethical dentist. Cheating negates that.

I know it sounds Harsh, but now that we are (hopefully on Dec 1st) entering professional school, it is time to start acting and thinking like professionals.

Thanks, everyone! This is a very well thought out response. Definitely helps me formulate the answer I feel matches my own opinion.