How do religious applicants express their opinions during interviews?

[Lunasly]

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Recently, a religious friend of mine got accepted to medical school. Of course, the acceptance was well-deserved as he was very hard working, but I know from speaking to him that he is against marriage between homosexuals, abortion, etc.

I always wondered how they would answer questions the may perhaps ask for your view on any of those subjects?

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EDIT: Sorry I should add that in Canada, many of the interviews are closed-file multiple mini interviews; that is, questions regarding ethics, recent politics, or our healthcare system are all fair game. I have heard that speaking about the right for gay marriage is fair game.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

As vaguely and non radically as possible.

 

[thlaxer]

Recently, a religious friend of mine got accepted to medical school. Of course, the acceptance was well-deserved as he was very hard working, but I know from speaking to him that he is against marriage between homosexuals, abortion, etc.

I always wondered how they would answer questions the may perhaps ask for your view on any of those subjects?

Most interviewers aren't going to ask these types of questions unless you bring it up. For someone with these views, if they are asked, they should be tactful about it and try to not appear hateful or ignorant. It's possible to be against gay marriage, abortion, etc. imo without appearing like a homophobe or bigot.

 

[Deekle]

If I'd been asked about it, (I wasn't.) I would have said something like "I choose not to support homosexual marriage or abortion, but respect the right of individuals to formulate their own opinions and make their own decisions."

In the end, it's not pertinent to the interview process. You treat people's illnesses regardless of what they believe. Just because we don't agree doesn't mean I can't interact with you at a personal or professional level. I don't always agree with my parents, siblings, wife or friends. That doesn't mean I don't still love and respect them, there are just certain things we don't discuss together in the interest of keeping the peace.

 

[NickNaylor]

Recently, a religious friend of mine got accepted to medical school. Of course, the acceptance was well-deserved as he was very hard working, but I know from speaking to him that he is against marriage between homosexuals, abortion, etc.

I always wondered how they would answer questions the may perhaps ask for your view on any of those subjects?

You almost certainly won't be asked about your views on hot political/social issues. If you are, I would send an email to the admissions office and let them know who asked you that stuff. Not only is it a no no, but it's hardly relevant to anything about your candidacy for medical school.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

 

[Law2Doc]

You almost certainly won't be asked about your views on hot political/social issues. ...)

I certainly had med school interview questions relating to how you would handle issues of an underage pregnant teen contemplating an abortion and not wanting you to tell her parents. This is absolutely fair game and not a "no no". There is nothing illegal about asking an interviewee to discuss how they would approach an actual patient care issue, controversial or not. They can't ask you about your personal religious views ( although you can volunteer them) but they certainly can ask you how you would deal with hypothetical patient scenario X, Y and Z. The best approach is to know the law in the jurisdiction, and indicate that though you might counsel the patient regarding A, B or C, you ultimately would follow the law, regardless of whether your personal views conflict. Hospitals want, above all else, for you not to create lawsuits against them.

 

[NickNaylor]

I certainly had med school interview questions relating to how you would handle issues of an underage pregnant teen contemplating an abortion and not wanting you to tell her parents. This is absolutely fair game and not a "no no". There is nothing illegal about asking an interviewee to discuss how they would approach an actual patient care issue, controversial or not. They can't ask you about your personal religious views ( although you can volunteer them) but they certainly can ask you how you would deal with hypothetical patient scenario X, Y and Z. The best approach is to know the law in the jurisdiction, and indicate that though you might counsel the patient regarding A, B or C, you ultimately would follow the law, regardless of whether your personal views conflict. Hospitals want, above all else, for you not to create lawsuits against them.

Abortion is one thing. That's medically relevant, as is healthcare reform. But gay marriage? There's no reason to ask an applicant their opinion on that topic unless he/she brings it up. Even with abortion/healthcare reform I was only asked a question or two on those topics in all of my interviews. I think people have realized there are more effective and less controversial ways of soliciting information about an applicant and work to avoid them if possible. At Pritzker specifically it is suggested that we stay away from these topics when interviewing applicants.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

 

[odysseus88]

Recently, a religious friend of mine got accepted to medical school. Of course, the acceptance was well-deserved as he was very hard working, but I know from speaking to him that he is against marriage between homosexuals, abortion, etc.

I always wondered how they would answer questions the may perhaps ask for your view on any of those subjects?

As others have said, this direct questioning regarding hot polarized issues would not come up.

Also, while I may not agree with your friend, his political views shouldn't directly impact his ability to practice medicine. Unless of course, he refused to prescribe birth control or refuses to deliver legitimate health care claiming religious objections.

 

[medkitty85]

Recently, a religious friend of mine got accepted to medical school. Of course, the acceptance was well-deserved as he was very hard working, but I know from speaking to him that he is against marriage between homosexuals, abortion, etc.

I always wondered how they would answer questions the may perhaps ask for your view on any of those subjects?

I'm a Roman Catholic so when I was preparing for interviews I basically saw it as you get three options:

1) Pray they don't ask

2) When it comes up, handle the issue very very carefully. Try your best to give an answer that is so PC no one on planet earth could object and pray for it to work.

3) Spend a lot of time researching the other sides argument and try to lie as convincingly as you possibly can.

I picked a combination of 1 and 2 and it happened to work in my favor that 1 it was.

 

[sc4s2cg]

Abortion is one thing. That's medically relevant, as is healthcare reform. But gay marriage? There's no reason to ask an applicant their opinion on that topic unless he/she brings it up. Even with abortion/healthcare reform I was only asked a question or two on those topics in all of my interviews. I think people have realized there are more effective and less controversial ways of soliciting information about an applicant and work to avoid them if possible. At Pritzker specifically it is suggested that we stay away from these topics when interviewing applicants.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

I'm sure if interviewers really wanted they can ask about gay marriage in a hypothetical situation.

"Your patient requests to see his partner in the hospital. What do you do?"

Or any other number of insurance, etc. issues.

 

[SaintJude]

The notion that one's "religion" falls or stands on a few issues that have been part of human discourse for centuries--abortion, homosexuality--etc. is just an illusion that has arisen from the media's debate.

I am a Christian, but that is simply a "term". I could also say I am a Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish (in the religious) sense etc. and point to the same truth: The idea is to be fully present in the moment!! To live with the totality and conscious alignment with universal intelligence. Simply to awaken to the idea that you are more than your mind and body.

Faith separates the inner purpose (from where true happiness arises) from your outer purpose (which is merely what you do and is limited by your "physical form" and falls away as you age, get sick...etc)

That shouldn't be controversial..and if it is...well, take it up with the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa, someone who has a better grasp on this than I do ...lol

 

[tantacles]

The notion that one's "religion" falls or stands on a few issues that have been part of human discourse for centuries--abortion, homosexuality--etc. is just an illusion that has arisen from the media's debate.

I am a Christian, but that is simply a "term". I could also say I am a Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish (in the religious) sense etc. and point to the same truth: The idea is to live in conscious--simply to be fully present in the moment!!--with the totality and conscious alignment with universal intelligence. Simply to awaken to the idea that you are more than your mind and body.

Faith separates the inner purpose (from where happiness aries) from your outer purpose (which is merely what you do and is limited by your "physical form" and falls away as you age, get sick...etc)

That shouldn't be controversial..and if it is...well, take it up with the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa, someone who has a better grasp on this than I do ...lol

I'd say tl;dr, but honestly, it was really just ta;dc: too annoying; don't care.

 

[SaintJude]

haha, that's fine 🙂

 

[BA11]

The kind of interviewer who would ask such questions is likely looking for your response to being asked, not the answer to the question. Just don't freak out or act offended.

 

[skiing]

Religion is at its core a spiritual experience, a relationship with a higher being, rooted in historical tradition, evolving in cultural forms. Abortion, gay marriage, etc are political and social issues often conflated with religion and different people groups. The media and discussion in popular culture usually mixes the two in its diluted coverage of complicated issues.

I believe most people will offer a certain level of respect as long as you provide good reasons for your ideas and show respect (America is increasingly pluralistic, and institutes of higher education are liberal, and most people are just nice).

I follow a few rules:

1. keep it personal (nobody likes a preacher, but sharing your life story is fine, and this is only YOUR opinion after all. Share from the perspective of, in MY experience, blahblah)
2. keep an analytical perspective (nobody likes a prostletyzer, but we all flatter ourselves as smart thinking people and tend to like other thinking people. There are very good logical well-reasoned explanations out there for every view on social issues, and most people will offer respect as long as you follow #3)
3. keep the discussion to the social issue itself (it's hard for someone who doesnt have a spiritual background to relate to a spiritual argument, and vice-versa, so keep the discussion on common ground)
4. stay humble (nobody hates a humble person)

 

[SaintJude]

Religion is at its core a spiritual experience, a relationship with a higher being, rooted in historical tradition, evolving in cultural forms. Abortion, gay marriage, etc are political and social issues often conflated with religion and different people groups. The media often conflates the two in its diluted coverage of complicated issues.

I believe most people will offer a certain level of respect as long as you provide good reasons for your ideas and show respect (America is increasingly pluralistic, and institutes of higher education are liberal, and most people are just nice).

I follow a few rules:

1. keep it personal (nobody likes a preacher, but sharing your life story is fine, and this is only YOUR opinion after all. Share from the perspective of, in MY experience, blahblah)
2. keep an analytical perspective (nobody likes a prostletyzer, but we all flatter ourselves as smart thinking people and tend to like other thinking people. There are very good logical well-reasoned explanations out there for every view on social issues, and most people will offer respect as long as you follow #3)
3. keep the discussion to the social issue itself (it's hard for someone who doesnt have a spiritual background to relate to a spiritual argument, and vice-versa, so keep the discussion on common ground)
4. stay humble (nobody hates a humble person)

👍👍

 

[LizzyM]

It is true that polarizing issues that are unrelated to the practice of medicine should be off limits in med school interviews. "How would you treat a patient who wants x" should also be off limits, in my opinion, because you are going to medical school and residency to learn how to interact with patients, there should be no expectation that you know how to do it properly.

There is a federal conscience law that permits providers to refuse to provide or assist in abortions and sterilizations. Providers are not required to provide referrals for these services, either.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/faq/providerconsciencefaq.html

Over time, providers who performed abortions have had a change of heart and have stopped providing them. In other cases, providers who refused to provide abortions have changed their minds after seeing patients who requested the procedure. I think it would be reasonable to treat the question as people treat the question of their preferred specialty.

 

[Lunasly]

It is true that polarizing issues that are unrelated to the practice of medicine should be off limits in med school interviews. "How would you treat a patient who wants x" should also be off limits, in my opinion, because you are going to medical school and residency to learn how to interact with patients, there should be no expectation that you know how to do it properly.

There is a federal conscience law that permits providers to refuse to provide or assist in abortions and sterilizations. Providers are not required to provide referrals for these services, either.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/faq/providerconsciencefaq.html

Over time, providers who performed abortions have had a change of heart and have stopped providing them. In other cases, providers who refused to provide abortions have changed their minds after seeing patients who requested the procedure. I think it would be reasonable to treat the question as people treat the question of their preferred specialty.

I guess it's different in the U.S., because in Canada, almost all of the interviews are closed-file multiple mini interviews. The majority of the questions are apparently ethical questions, questions concerning our healthcare, or questions about politics.

 

[LizzyM]

I guess it's different in the U.S., because in Canada, almost all of the interviews are closed-file multiple mini interviews. The majority of the questions are apparently ethical questions, questions concerning our healthcare, or questions about politics.

I think that there are ethical questions that you can/could answer without having attended medical school such as, "A patient needs a doctor's note to be able to cancel an expensive travel reservation. The patient does not have any problem that would preclude traveling but asks you for a note. What do you do?"

Then you can change the case to say that it is a "very wealthy patient". Then add "Who was in the hospital six months ago for a heart condition. " Would you change your answer if I told you that the paient donated enough money to add a new wing to the hospital?

The point is, would you lie? There are similar scenarios but for the most part, at my school, we are encouraged to come up with non-medical examples related to college life that get at the same moral/ethical questions.

 

[MedPR]

😕

I think that there are ethical questions that you can/could answer without having attended medical school such as, "A patient needs a doctor's note to be able to cancel an expensive travel reservation. The patient does not have any problem that would preclude traveling but asks you for a note. What do you do?"

Then you can change the case to say that it is a "very wealthy patient". Then add "Who was in the hospital six months ago for a heart condition. " Would you change your answer if I told you that the paient donated enough money to add a new wing to the hospital?

The point is, would you lie? There are similar scenarios but for the most part, at my school, we are encouraged to come up with non-medical examples related to college life that get at the same moral/ethical questions.

Seems like a trick question. Ethically the answer should be to not write them a bogus note. However, if the patient is going to donate enough money to vastly improve the hospital if you help them get out of their expensive travel reservation, you are being unethical but at the same time helping countless future patients and the hospital itself.

I know ethics is important, but I'm sure if you are being interviewed by, say a hospital admin, they might want you to answer "Yes, if the wealthy patient is going to improve the hospital in return."

 

[NickNaylor]

😕

Seems like a trick question. Ethically the answer should be to not write them a bogus note. However, if the patient is going to donate enough money to vastly improve the hospital if you help them get out of their expensive travel reservation, you are being unethical but at the same time helping countless future patients and the hospital itself.

I know ethics is important, but I'm sure if you are being interviewed by, say a hospital admin, they might want you to answer "Yes, if the wealthy patient is going to improve the hospital in return."

It's only a "trick" if your moral fiber is flexible. The right thing to do in both situations seems pretty obvious to me.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

 

[MedPR]

It's only a "trick" if your moral fiber is flexible. The right thing to do in both situations seems pretty obvious to me.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

There's no doubt that the right thing to do is obvious in both situations. But the right thing to do/say isn't always what your interviewer wants to hear. That's why I was saying it was a tricky question.

 

[NickNaylor]

There's no doubt that the right thing to do is obvious in both situations. But the right thing to do/say isn't always what your interviewer wants to hear. That's why I was saying it was a tricky question.

You're trying to gain entry into a profession that generally prides itself on being, at least ostensibly, trustworthy and morally upstanding. What do you think they want to hear?

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

 

[MedPR]

You're trying to gain entry into a profession that generally prides itself on being, at least ostensibly, trustworthy and morally upstanding. What do you think they want to hear?

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos and brevity)

You're right, and I know what they probably want to hear. I just wanted to offer a possible situation where confusion may arise especially if they lead you down a path. If any ethical/moral questions come up in my interview I will certainly provide the most ethical answer, and I'm 99% sure I'll mean it too.

 

[dr zaius]

It is true that polarizing issues that are unrelated to the practice of medicine should be off limits in med school interviews. "How would you treat a patient who wants x" should also be off limits, in my opinion, because you are going to medical school and residency to learn how to interact with patients, there should be no expectation that you know how to do it properly.

There is a federal conscience law that permits providers to refuse to provide or assist in abortions and sterilizations. Providers are not required to provide referrals for these services, either.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/faq/providerconsciencefaq.html

Over time, providers who performed abortions have had a change of heart and have stopped providing them. In other cases, providers who refused to provide abortions have changed their minds after seeing patients who requested the procedure. I think it would be reasonable to treat the question as people treat the question of their preferred specialty.

I had an interview with about 5 or 6 ethics questions related to patient autonomy, HIPAA, etc. I never understood the point in asking an interviewee these questions. It's like an attending pimping a pre-med. One question was about a Jehovah's Witness woman and child in a car accident requiring blood transfusions along with some other complicating details. Unless you happen to have had a medical ethics class you probably won't know the right answer and, more importantly, how does this help assess the applicant for matriculation?

 

[MedPR]

I had an interview with about 5 or 6 ethics questions related to patient autonomy, HIPAA, etc. I never understood the point in asking an interviewee these questions. It's like an attending pimping a pre-med. One question was about a Jehovah's Witness woman and child in a car accident requiring blood transfusions along with some other complicating details. Unless you happen to have had a medical ethics class you probably won't know the right answer and, more importantly, how does this help assess the applicant for matriculation?

I thought most pre-meds take, or are required to take, medical ethics? Regardless, any hospital volunteering or work experience requires HIPAA training. You should also know as common sense that the patient has final say in anything that happens. Can't treat if they don't let you.

 

[235788]

Recently, a religious friend of mine got accepted to medical school. Of course, the acceptance was well-deserved as he was very hard working, but I know from speaking to him that he is against marriage between homosexuals, abortion, etc.

I always wondered how they would answer questions the may perhaps ask for your view on any of those subjects?

---

EDIT: Sorry I should add that in Canada, many of the interviews are closed-file multiple mini interviews; that is, questions regarding ethics, recent politics, or our healthcare system are all fair game. I have heard that speaking about the right for gay marriage is fair game.

I was never asked any questions like this. Only political questions asked to me were about reform.

 

[Lunasly]

Does anyone know of a website with a list of ethical questions similar to what LizzyM posted?

 

[username456789]

Does anyone know of a website with a list of ethical questions similar to what LizzyM posted?

http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html

 

[LizzyM]

At the top of this page their is a button for "interview feedback". If you go through the questions asked item for various schools you'll find some of the interesting questions but it is a very tedious search. Maybe a new thread asking recently admitted applicants what their most interesting or challenging ethical question will give you some ideas.

 

[dr zaius]

I thought most pre-meds take, or are required to take, medical ethics? Regardless, any hospital volunteering or work experience requires HIPAA training. You should also know as common sense that the patient has final say in anything that happens. Can't treat if they don't let you.

Do the majority of pre-meds know the intricacies of JW blood transfusions? About card carrying, transfusing a minor, or transfusing the incapacitated woman in an emergent situation when she has no card, her husband says not to via cell phone prior to her needing the transfusion but can now no longer be reached?

Ethics was not a requirement for any medical school I applied to. Even so, what value is added to the interview in asking these questions? Questions giving insight into your integrity and honesty, sure...questions about patient autonomy, maybe...but a 15 year old wanting an abortion?

 

[Lunasly]

At the top of this page their is a button for "interview feedback". If you go through the questions asked item for various schools you'll find some of the interesting questions but it is a very tedious search. Maybe a new thread asking recently admitted applicants what their most interesting or challenging ethical question will give you some ideas.

Thank you for the recommendation. I just started the topic:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=918897

 

[plumhill]

Does their personal opinion really matter? I mean, obviously I disagree heavily with their views, but everyone has a right to their opinion provided it does not affect how they care for their patients.