Secondary: describe a moral or ethical dilemma

[kypdurron5]

Ok, the most difficult secondary question I've yet encountered is:

"Describe a personal experience which resulted in a substantial moral or ethical dilemma. What was the outcome? We are reluctant to accept assertions that you have never encountered such a situation. Please do not address cheating in an academic setting. "

Holy cow, they're telling me I HAVE to give something specific, and yet take away the temptation of academic cheating! Ahhhh! Ok, so my first thought is to go with something easy like lying vs. telling the truth...but I really don't have anything specific or monumental. Thus, I am thinking about going with a religious topic. Before you guys throw down the idea here is my reasoning....for those of us who actively practice certain religious beliefs, those beliefs are what form the basis of what we consider moral vs. immoral. It's true that universal "morals" exist, but the ones specific to our religion are no less significant than the morals observed universally by society. Thus, I feel it would be appropriate to discuss this. Even then I'm not sure what I'll choose...we've got sex, drugs (ok, bad idea!), porn, etc. Also, I'm tempted to go with a big failure to show that I'm being open and honest, that I learned something etc.....or should I just go with some safe temptation that I "succeeded" with?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MadHopsMD]

Ok, the most difficult secondary question I've yet encountered is:

"Describe a personal experience which resulted in a substantial moral or ethical dilemma. What was the outcome? We are reluctant to accept assertions that you have never encountered such a situation. Please do not address cheating in an academic setting. "

Holy cow, they're telling me I HAVE to give something specific, and yet take away the temptation of academic cheating! Ahhhh! Ok, so my first thought is to go with something easy like lying vs. telling the truth...but I really don't have anything specific or monumental. Thus, I am thinking about going with a religious topic. Before you guys throw down the idea here is my reasoning....for those of us who actively practice certain religious beliefs, those beliefs are what form the basis of what we consider moral vs. immoral. It's true that universal "morals" exist, but the ones specific to our religion are no less significant than the morals observed universally by society. Thus, I feel it would be appropriate to discuss this. Even then I'm not sure what I'll choose...we've got sex, drugs (ok, bad idea!), porn, etc. Also, I'm tempted to go with a big failure to show that I'm being open and honest, that I learned something etc.....or should I just go with some safe temptation that I "succeeded" with?

only advice i can give you is be politically correct . Oh, by the way, if you learned something from your failure you succeeded...hehe so either would be fine...

 

[kypdurron5]

only advice i can give you is be politically correct . Oh, by the way, if you learned something from your failure you succeeded...hehe so either would be fine...

Oh, but politically correct is SOOO boring! >) Allah has comanded us to fight against the infidel...what else can we do? [just a joke...I'm not radical Muslim....or Muslim at all for that matter ]

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

Ok, the most difficult secondary question I've yet encountered is:

"Describe a personal experience which resulted in a substantial moral or ethical dilemma. What was the outcome? We are reluctant to accept assertions that you have never encountered such a situation. Please do not address cheating in an academic setting. "

Holy cow, they're telling me I HAVE to give something specific, and yet take away the temptation of academic cheating! Ahhhh! Ok, so my first thought is to go with something easy like lying vs. telling the truth...but I really don't have anything specific or monumental. Thus, I am thinking about going with a religious topic. Before you guys throw down the idea here is my reasoning....for those of us who actively practice certain religious beliefs, those beliefs are what form the basis of what we consider moral vs. immoral. It's true that universal "morals" exist, but the ones specific to our religion are no less significant than the morals observed universally by society. Thus, I feel it would be appropriate to discuss this. Even then I'm not sure what I'll choose...we've got sex, drugs (ok, bad idea!), porn, etc. Also, I'm tempted to go with a big failure to show that I'm being open and honest, that I learned something etc.....or should I just go with some safe temptation that I "succeeded" with?

definately talk about your porn addiction

 

[gmsquid]

Oh, but politically correct is SOOO boring! >) Allah has comanded us to fight against the infidel...what else can we do? [just a joke...I'm not radical Muslim....or Muslim at all for that matter ]

Well some of us are serious Muslims, so watch what you say.

But, don't be politically correct it takes the entire issue and dumbs it down. Moral and ethical dilemmas are beautiful ways to show your personality.

 

[Haemulon]

definately talk about your porn addiction

Second that. And then go into how it inspired you to want to specialize in OB/Gyn.

 

[Haemulon]

Well some of us are serious Muslims, so watch what you say.

But, don't be politically correct it takes the entire issue and dumbs it down. Moral and ethical dilemmas are beautiful ways to show your personality.

There is no need to censor talk about Islam any more than we should censor talk about Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion. But I agree that one should be culturally sensitive.

But wait a minute, how can you say for the poster to watch what he says when talking about muslims, and then in the next sentence advise him to avoid being poilitically correct?

 

[gmsquid]

There's a difference. I agree with you completely in it should not be limited just to Muslims but to all cultures, creeds, etc. I mean being politically correct usually means lacking an opinion..I think its important to have a strong opinion and defend that opinion even if it is not politically correct as long as the argument holds. In this case its just a rampant generalization.

 

[Haemulon]

There's a difference. I agree with you completely in it should not be limited just to Muslims but to all cultures, creeds, etc. I mean being politically correct usually means lacking an opinion..I think its important to have a strong opinion and defend that opinion even if it is not politically correct as long as the argument holds. In this case its just a rampant generalization.

Thats more clear. Thanks.

 

[Carlin]

That was exactly a question on University of Michigan's undergraduate application when I was applying to undergrad. Huh, strange.

Which school's secondary did you get it from?

 

[LizzyM]

Ever been told something in confidence that left you wondering what to do? (teen friend has been raped, or might be pregnant, or is contemplating about suicide, etc) Is your promise not to tell more important than the friend's need for professional help? Did you find a way to help without telling (getting the friend to talk to a professional directly or to tell a parent). Did you not tell (respecting confidentiality) and later regret it? I think that this is a rather common experience.

 

[ahhh123]

That was exactly a question on University of Michigan's undergraduate application when I was applying to undergrad. Huh, strange.

Which school's secondary did you get it from?

i think its from pittsburgh

 

[Haemulon]

i think its from pittsburgh

Yep. Pittsburgh.

 

[DenimDanCO]

It doesn't HAVE to be about religious ethics... I looked at it like they were asking me as if I was already a doctor, in which case I thought confidentiality would be a solid issue to approach. We've all seen or been told something we have to decide whether to keep private...

 

[DenimDanCO]

EXACTLY.

Ever been told something in confidence that left you wondering what to do? (teen friend has been raped, or might be pregnant, or is contemplating about suicide, etc) Is your promise not to tell more important than the friend's need for professional help? Did you find a way to help without telling (getting the friend to talk to a professional directly or to tell a parent). Did you not tell (respecting confidentiality) and later regret it? I think that this is a rather common experience.

 

[crstabel]

EXACTLY.

What a crappy question.... have you ever had to keep something a secret when you didn't want to?

 

[LizzyM]

What a crappy question.... have you ever had to keep something a secret when you didn't want to?

It wouldn't have to be that. Have you ever witnessed a crime or police brutality and been afraid to tell or not sure who to tell? (because you feared retaliation or didn't want to be a snitch)

Have you struggled with the advantages of getting a discount for paying cash for something like a car repair knowing that the person you are doing business with is not entirely honest (not declaring income on their taxes). Have you dealt with a dishonest employer or a dishonest employee?

 

[Golfing_Doc]

i had a really hard time with this Q too. I eventually decided to write about serving on a jury for a criminal case. it was really a judgment call with gut feelings as to what who was lying/telling the truth because personalities/character/motive played as much a part as did evidence. i struggled with making the 'right' decision and knowing that it would affect someone for the rest of their life. oh, those many days of jury deliberation!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

This is why actual prior medical experience comes in handy (meaning beyond shadowing or being an EMT for a year). Getting put in a situation where you are asked to do something that violates your ethical standards is not uncommon in medicine particularly in critical care specialties.

Surprisingly probably the most common issue I have seen has to do with continuing care on someone who is not going to benefit from it and the docs will continue at the family's request simply to avoid the possibility of a lawsuit ("Yeah, Mrs. Soandso's cerebrum hasn't see any bloodflow since this time yesterday, but her family are dyed in the wool Catholics and think something that's worthy of reporting to the Vatican is going to happen"). I've recused myself from such cases on a couple of occasions because I feel it is as grossly unethical as anything else I have seen.

The police brutality example isn't something I couldn't use as an example because I don't think it happens very often. I work around local police, sheriff's deputies, and state police officers all the time as a volunteer EMT-I/firefighter. Have I seen lots of people get the crap kicked out of them by law enforcement? Yes. Have I ever seen it happen without some valid reason? Nope. Would some bleeding hearts thing these valid reasons are bull****? Probably. Do I think if you resist, fail to comply, or run from the cops they have a valid reason to believe you are up to something or have done something and therefore have reason to take you down? You bet your butt. If you don't have the common sense to shut up, get down and stay down when you told to do so- and especially after they've drawn their guns, nightsticks, ASP batons or Tasers- you get what is coming to you (regardless of race, age, sex, creed, etc).

 

[lisichka]

.

 

[LolaGene]

Ok, the most difficult secondary question I've yet encountered is:

"Describe a personal experience which resulted in a substantial moral or ethical dilemma. What was the outcome? We are reluctant to accept assertions that you have never encountered such a situation. Please do not address cheating in an academic setting. "

Holy cow, they're telling me I HAVE to give something specific, and yet take away the temptation of academic cheating! Ahhhh! Ok, so my first thought is to go with something easy like lying vs. telling the truth...but I really don't have anything specific or monumental. Thus, I am thinking about going with a religious topic. Before you guys throw down the idea here is my reasoning....for those of us who actively practice certain religious beliefs, those beliefs are what form the basis of what we consider moral vs. immoral. It's true that universal "morals" exist, but the ones specific to our religion are no less significant than the morals observed universally by society. Thus, I feel it would be appropriate to discuss this. Even then I'm not sure what I'll choose...we've got sex, drugs (ok, bad idea!), porn, etc. Also, I'm tempted to go with a big failure to show that I'm being open and honest, that I learned something etc.....or should I just go with some safe temptation that I "succeeded" with?

why dont you just talk about a moral dilemma consisting of lying on the darned secondary? that would original: doing anything to get into med school vs ethical conscience....

 

[45408]

I thought this was an odd thread to have in April.

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

bump.
Describe a personal experience which resulted in a substantial moral or ethical dilemma. What was the outcome? We are reluctant to accept assertions that you have never encountered such a situation. Please do not address cheating in an academic setting. and this is NOT optional.

ok i need to vent.... here is the thing:
some of those questions are too personal. of course everybody had some experience like that, but do i want to share it with a bunch of strangers??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i think this question is inappropriate

medschools think they are so smart and SPECIAL by asking those fancy Qs, but sometimes they just need to mind their own business, and be professional.

mad.

You're the second person (the other was in real life) that I've heard complain about this type of question. I still don't get what the problem is...

Mind their own business? I think they have a right to know about who you are as a person. As a doctor you'll be in position of authority and responsibility, and one in which you'll be making ethical decisions.

 

[lisichka]

/

 

[45408]

You're the second person (the other was in real life) that I've heard complain about this type of question. I still don't get what the problem is...

Mind their own business? I think they have a right to know about who you are as a person. As a doctor you'll be in position of authority and responsibility, and one in which you'll be making ethical decisions.

the person that they would LEAST want to be in their med school would be the one who came up with a completely false situation in which they acted extremely professionally (or took a real situation and changed how they acted).

 

[koennen]

I answered this question by describing my ethical dilemma as to whether I should answer this question by using my own brain and some experience from my life or whether I should post on SDN asking for ideas and plagarize by presenting someone else's ethical dilemma as my own.

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

and you are very naive for thinking that this question will help identify one's personality. most people will b.s. about how fair and honest they are, or if they;ve done something wrong; how sorry they are for that. owwww. soooo sweet.

haha

What's naive is forgetting that there's no perfect measurement of applicant quality, so medical schools use a plethora of imperfect ones. This question is not perfect, but it can definitely distinguish among applicants. What's important is not the dilemma or the solution, it's how you approach the problem.

So you have a problem with the question because a lot of people give bad answers? That doesn't make sense.