MMI tips?

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lahaiesi

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  1. Medical Student (Accepted)
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Hey guys! I have my first MMI this week so I'm getting a little nervous. I've never gone to a MMI before so I'm not sure how to prepare. Does anyone have tips on how to get ready for this type of interview? Thanks! 🙂
 
What I did to prepare was made a power point slide show with a bunch of prompts for MMIs (you can find these in the interview section of sdn as well as various google sources).

Then, set up a webcam. Sit at your computer, pull up the slideshow, and record yourself. Give yourself a minute to think, then 5 minutes to answer. Watch yourself afterward (Yes, this is super painful) and learn from your mistakes - a lot of what I noticed was uncomfortable body language that I hadn't realized I was displaying, as well as pauses weren't nearly as long and awkward as I thought they were in my head. MMIs are testing your ability to think on your feet, so just being able to stay calm while reasoning out the question is a big part of it.
 
What I did to prepare was made a power point slide show with a bunch of prompts for MMIs (you can find these in the interview section of sdn as well as various google sources).

Then, set up a webcam. Sit at your computer, pull up the slideshow, and record yourself. Give yourself a minute to think, then 5 minutes to answer. Watch yourself afterward (Yes, this is super painful) and learn from your mistakes - a lot of what I noticed was uncomfortable body language that I hadn't realized I was displaying, as well as pauses weren't nearly as long and awkward as I thought they were in my head. MMIs are testing your ability to think on your feet, so just being able to stay calm while reasoning out the question is a big part of it.
That's a really great idea. Thank you! I've read some people suggesting to research some of the political issues in the healthcare system. Do you agree or do you think that'd be a waste of time?
 
That's a really great idea. Thank you! I've read some people suggesting to research some of the political issues in the healthcare system. Do you agree or do you think that'd be a waste of time?

It definitely does not hurt to get educated! I would say have at least a basic understanding of the ACA and healthcare ethics.
This is a great resource: https://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/

As a rule of thumb, you should answer every question by first asking "how does this affect the patient?" and going from there. There are no right or wrong answers, they're just evaluating your ability to reason.
 
It definitely does not hurt to get educated! I would say have at least a basic understanding of the ACA and healthcare ethics.
This is a great resource: https://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/

As a rule of thumb, you should answer every question by first asking "how does this affect the patient?" and going from there. There are no right or wrong answers, they're just evaluating your ability to reason.
Thank you so much! Great advice 🙂
 
any suggestions on this prompt?

Due to the shortage of physicians in rural communities, such as Northern Ontario, it has been suggested that medical programs preferentially admit students who are willing to commit to a two- or three-year tenure in an under-serviced area upon graduation.

Consider the broad implications of this policy for health care costs. For example, do you think the approach will be effective? At what expense?
 
any suggestions on this prompt?

Due to the shortage of physicians in rural communities, such as Northern Ontario, it has been suggested that medical programs preferentially admit students who are willing to commit to a two- or three-year tenure in an under-serviced area upon graduation.

Consider the broad implications of this policy for health care costs. For example, do you think the approach will be effective? At what expense?
Pros:
a. rural communities will get a better access to health care professionals
b. it is one step closer to democratizing access to healthcare
c. The physicians have only s few years commitment and not their entire life
Cons:
a. they may not have enough patients, which means that we're wasting the precious resources (physicians)
b. their skills might get rust in some areas, particularly in surgery fields, if they don't have access to adequate equipments to operate
I think in the long-term it will be effective and will pay off. Because other ways on serving under-serviced communities will have high costs for the system.
 
I'm of the mindset that you can't really prepare for MMI. Just be yourself. The only way you can really prep is to go in with a game plan of being balanced, discussing both sides of an argument, and then picking a side and going with it.
 
And then you get the actually useful MMIs where you console a person who was told their mother died or have to tell your presentation group that you accidentally deleted the PowerPoint or whatever random scenario... I never understood the on-the-spot ethics questions since you could get away with saying anything as long as you had a logical way to come to the conclusion and could defend your point in a friendly way.
 
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