Medical How should I answer controversial question during interview for Jesuit school?

[Goro]

Hello,

I have an interview coming up at a school that preaches the Jesuit tradition. I'm not an extremely religious person although I did grow up with religion in my life. I'm scared to get questions regarding abortion and embryonic stem cell research because although I can formulate an answer that expresses my understanding of both sides of the argument, I'm not sure which side to choose if I am asked to take a stance. For example, if I choose pro-choice, would that red flag me if my interviewer is strictly religious and sees abortion as murder?

Should I just respond conservatively for these type of ethical questions for religious schools?

Thanks for your help.

Tell the truth

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[southerndoc]

I agree, tell the truth. Be yourself.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

100% tell the truth and be able to have a reason so you can have a conversation about it.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

1) You should be able to have a reasonable discussion on anyone regarding these topics. Being a physician does not mean you cannot. If anything, you will be expected to talk about it, even to those whose opinions are in direct contrast to yours. How you think a physician should handle such conversations is how you should.

2) Have you asked students attending the schools on your list whether such questions have ever come up in interviews? What about vaccinations (for a more contemporary "divisive" opinion)?

 

[lord999]

The specific advice I have in this is that it is actually VERY unlikely you will be asked those sort of dog whistle questions in an interview as someone would be likely reported as such to regional accreditation afterwards for being biased as you think (religious discrimination cannot be that overt).

Here's how I would think about this, have those answers ready and tell the truth diplomatically, but only allow yourself as much give as you would do for four years at the institution. There are certain ones out there that are kind of well-known for having an intolerant policy (one in CA is in severe trouble right now for this). If you are asked those dog whistle questions and you are confident that you would walk away, I would have them reported to their regional accreditation body as such as they would be pretty overt given the institutional ethics.

What can be asked and you should prepare for such a question type is:

"Identify a time when a situation conflicts with your sense of ethics. What was the situation, and how did you resolve it?"

Which I would answer conservatively to avoid self-inflicted damage.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

My go-to is always to be truthful to myself and engage in an open discussion about the topic if asked, but now I am hesitating because I did speak with a small handful of students about their interview, and they kept stressing to remember that this is a Jesuit school that preaches Jesuit ideals, so that gave me the impression to remain a bit more conservative in my answers.

If it hasn't been a huge problem attending your current Jesuit-based undergraduate, you shouldn't have a big problem talking about how you feel like you feel like you belong and can thrive. That said, only a handful of schools that I am aware of will really push a religious philosophy hard in its medical curriculum, but you should be pretty aware of that before applying. On the other hand you should be familiar with the Jesuit philosophy that works well for medical school when it comes to service to others.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Also remember that being pro-choice doesn’t mean you’re pro-abortion. You can answer truthfully without sounding like you’re promoting the use of abortion as a form of birth control.