Tips to prepare for MMI's?

[OnStrings]

What are some good tips to prepare for MMI interviews? All I can really think of is reading through sample questions and formulating answers, and practicing aloud, but how do I know if my answers are 'correct?' Are there resources available that detail recommended answers to questions that have multiple perspectives? Ex. underage female asking you to keep quiet to her mother about contraceptives, respecting a patient's religious views on accepting medical care, losing your job to help someone in need, etc.

Are there any useful texts or books to read through that would help educate myself and others on medical ethics? I was browsing through some websites and came across this book, which seems like a great resource but it's apparently for Canadian medicine, and I don't know how well this translates over.

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[Crayola227]

If only it were possible to find similar threads using the SDN search function......

 

[Lannister]

You really shouldn't need to prepare that much for MMI. Most of the questions at MMI were ones I could not have anticipated (I wasn't asked why I wanted to be a doctor, or why I was interested in that particular school). Be honest, be empathetic (for acting scenarios), and be yourself. Ethics are mostly common sense, as long as you're a decent human being.
Most importantly, talk through your thought process. The thought process for how you arrived at an answer is much more important than the answer itself. Don't worry about being "correct".
MMI is actually very fun. Don't stress out about it too much.

 

[Lawpy]

What are some good tips to prepare for MMI interviews? All I can really think of is reading through sample questions and formulating answers, and practicing aloud, but how do I know if my answers are 'correct?' Are there resources available that detail recommended answers to questions that have multiple perspectives? Ex. underage female asking you to keep quiet to her mother about contraceptives, respecting a patient's religious views on accepting medical care, losing your job to help someone in need, etc.

Are there any useful texts or books to read through that would help educate myself and others on medical ethics? I was browsing through some websites and came across this book, which seems like a great resource but it's apparently for Canadian medicine, and I don't know how well this translates over.

PugsAndHugs' MMI Interview Strategy

 

[studentdoctorpremed]

I guess doing some practice questions? I remember seeing a bank of 100 questions somewhere but I can' find it right now. for now, check out this other question in this thread and good luck: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-this-sample-mmi-question-and-answer.1175218/

 

[wizzed101]

Are MMIs all about ethics? What about legality?
Ex: In the scenario of an old professor & a young alcoholic vying for that kidney transplant, would it be okay if I stated that discrimination based on age violated the constitution and that I would advise the professor to sue if he did not get the transplant?

 

[OnStrings]

Are MMIs all about ethics? What about legality?
Ex: In the scenario of an old professor & a young alcoholic vying for that kidney transplant, would it be okay if I stated that discrimination based on age violated the constitution and that I would advise the professor to sue if he did not get the transplant?

Legality is fine and all, but I don't think I would mention that just because (1) you're being an advocate for the patient but ultimately his lawsuit will hurt the hospital, and (2) age discrimination may be illegal but it's also always part of the inherent decision making in organ transplants, isn't it?

 

[wizzed101]

Thanks. I disagree on both counts though.
Any other opinion?

 

[liquidsodium]

Thanks. I disagree on both counts though.
Any other opinion?

Whether you agree or disagree, expected benefit (i.e. who has the most remaining expected quality years of life left post-transplant) certainly makes a difference. Children under 18 get added priority, per UNOS. At the same time, a person of any age can't be an active substance abuser (including alcohol) to be a candidate for organ transplant. The young alcoholic would probably have to prove his sobriety and potentially even sign a contract before being eligible for the transplant list. This, for me, simplifies the ethical scenario.


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[salemstein]

I think you should still prep for an MMI by reading up on what its like. That way you know what to expect and aren't as nervous on interview day.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thanks. I disagree on both counts though.
Any other opinion?

Um, you disagree that a lawsuit would hurt the hospital and that age plays a part in transplant decisions?

 

[wizzed101]

I disagree that I must prioritize the hospital over the patient and that I must accept the way UNOS currently works.
I believe that it is unethical to not inform the patient all available options including the threat of a lawsuit.

 

[wizzed101]

age nondiscrimination is not a constitutionally protected right; it is solely a stautory defined issue with specific and narrowly defined classes of protection. It would be a large hurdle to find and stretch existing statues and prove with evidence the case

Oh yea. I just remembered that in order to run for president, one must be at least 35 or so...
But that aside, what if I did have a legal basis, would it be a good idea to bring that up in an MMI?

 

[freak7]

age nondiscrimination is not a constitutionally protected right; it is solely a stautory defined issue with specific and narrowly defined classes of protection. It would be a large hurdle to find and stretch existing statues and prove with evidence the case

To add to this, age discrimination is constitutional as long as it passes rational basis review which doesn't even require empirical evidence, just rational speculation.

 

[jgear645]

Basically there's no right or wrong answer, right (within reason)? As long as we walk our rater through our thought process and talk sensitively about the issue?

And we don't have to have very extensive knowledge on, say, the specifics of organ transplant ethics right? I'm just not sure how much to prep for MMI's in terms of outside reading. I wasn't planning on doing much since they can ask about anything

 

[Atom612]

I've heard that the book "Doing Right" is another way to brush up on your ethics if you're otherwise uninitiated. Though I would guess getting it for less than $70 would be ideal.

 

[Lannister]

I think you should still prep for an MMI by reading up on what its like. That way you know what to expect and aren't as nervous on interview day.

So I can't speak for other schools but when I did MMI at my school, they walked us through the process beforehand on interview day. I'm assuming most schools do that, and it really helped my nerves. Don't stress out too much about figuring out how the process works before you even get to your interview, because the school will explain it to you. You'll know exactly where to go, when to change stations, and my school even gave us tips on answering the questions.

 

[wizzed101]

Arguing a dubious legal point in a medical school interview would seem unwise. Now if you want to make an ethic or moral point about fairness in age, then do so.
I would make the argument that an MD isnt the almighty and therefore making any choice based on something other than the accepted protocol for assessing the patient's success with a transplant would be unethical. An insurance company protocol is likely the most legally solid (in terms of preventing loss in lawsuits) see bleo for a sample

https://www.bcbswny.com/content/dam/COMMON/Provider/Protocols/K/prov_prot_70301.pdf

So if the interviews are purely for ethical discourses, can I go to the other extreme and disregard the laws all together? Like discussing the Heinz dilemma under the pretext that thievery is not punishable.

 

[mw18]

I think the only advice I would pass along is that some of your interviewers will be completely stone-faced. They also may not indicate that you have answered the question. So you may feel the need to keep going and elaborate and redo everything. But when you've finished, just stop. They will ask you something else.

 

[ifnotnowwren]

One thing I would say is that if you get an acting scenario, know going into it that it is unlikely that you are going to achieve a "resolution". It's not going to be like "A patient is angry because of long wait times in the ER, and you as a volunteer have to go check on them". And then you go in the room and at some point say the perfect thing and the actor calms down and smiles and you have a normal conversation. It is likely the acting scenario will go on for the whole time or most of the time and the situation will either change or the actor will double down. I'm not an adcom, but I think the point of the acting scenarios is to see how you would handle certain situations, if you think on your feet, if you display proper sensitivity, problem solving skills, appropriate emotional responses/tone, if you get flustered or defensive, etc. So if you get an acting scenario, go into it with a few different "tactics" in mind and be prepared to either adapt or double down yourself if you see only one appropriate response.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I had my first MMI yesterday. It's really not that bad. To be honest, it is true to the name "multiple mini interview" in that even though you move around to different stations, each station feels very similar to a normal interview. Maybe some schools are different, but this one was nothing like the brutally difficult scenarios you find on youtube.

 

[Gibbward]

I had my first MMI yesterday. It's really not that bad. To be honest, it is true to the name "multiple mini interview" in that even though you move around to different stations, each station feels very similar to a normal interview. Maybe some schools are different, but this one was nothing like the brutally difficult scenarios you find on youtube.

Quick random neurotic question. Did you shake the hand of each interviewer in each station?

 

[ChrisMack390]

Quick random neurotic question. Did you shake the hand of each interviewer in each station?

Yes lol

The MMI is conducted by 8 humans, not 8 robots. I went in to each room and said "Hi, I am ChrisMack390, nice to meet you" like I do every time I meet a human.

 

[Gibbward]

Yes lol

The MMI is conducted by 8 humans, not 8 robots. I went in to each room and said "Hi, I am ChrisMack390, nice to meet you" like I do every time I meet a human.

Well you never know what the interviewers' protocols are, especially if they're meant to be observers for a task or something! Lol might depend on the school too and how they organize their MMI process. But thanks for the reply!

 

[ChrisMack390]

Well you never know what the interviewers' protocols are, especially if they're meant to be observers for a task or something! Lol might depend on the school too and how they organize their MMI process. But thanks for the reply!

True, in this case every station was some kind of question or topic that they wanted my thoughts on, and all stations were very conversational.

I should also note that the school gave a good description of what to expect and what they expected from us before the interview began. I'm sure all schools do the same.

 

[femmegoblue]

I had my first MMI yesterday, and I will say that all I time I spent prepping was a COMPLETE waste of time. Just go into it being a normal human who knows how to be a regular, compassionate human and say human things.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I had my first MMI yesterday, and I will say that all I time I spent prepping was a COMPLETE waste of time. Just go into it being a normal human who knows how to be a regular, compassionate human and say human things.

Agreed.

 

[wizzed101]

“He who represents himself has a fool for a client.”
---Abraham Lincoln

You missed my point; a premedical student who has no background or expertise in law should consider carefully making a legal based discussion at an interview that may decide the course of his life. Saying that basing a decision on age would be discriminatory as a moral or ethical point is fine. Trying to defend that with law when you are not a lawyer at a medical school interview will not likely make you look foolish in front of the jury of the adcom.

The Heinz dilemma discusses the moral and ethics of behavior, what is right and wrong, who should be punished, what the punishment says about the person receiving it, etc. Those concepts are not the law, but are the extremes of values and standards that are in the society. The codification of those values and standards with specific definitions, process and punishments through a political system that has legitimacy in society is the law.

Or an easier way to think about it, belief in God is a value. Belief in worshiping God in the Jewish tradition is a religion. Do you see the difference?

And yes this will be on the final

But what if my proposed course of action, although moral, is illegal?

Say, I interview at state A. The scenario is that a patient is not complying to a treatment regiment and it takes tolls on them. I am asked to whether to report the patient to the state healthcare's office (or w.e it is called) or continue the treatment. If reported, this patient healthcare benefits will be slashed. If I do not report, I would be committing a felony- and this is not stated but implicitly understood.

In cases like this, is there no other choice but to report? Or is doing something that costs me the license okay?

 

[DingoPingo]

I had my first MMI yesterday, and I will say that all I time I spent prepping was a COMPLETE waste of time. Just go into it being a normal human who knows how to be a regular, compassionate human and say human things.

Also had an MMI recently.

Best way to prepare for them is to stay open-minded and learn to be a humble and compassionate human being.

MMI is not a test. It wants to evaluate who you are, not what you can remember.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

But what if my proposed course of action, although moral, is illegal?

Say, I interview at state A. The scenario is that a patient is not complying to a treatment regiment and it takes tolls on them. I am asked to whether to report the patient to the state healthcare's office (or w.e it is called) or continue the treatment. If reported, this patient healthcare benefits will be slashed. If I do not report, I would be committing a felony- and this is not stated but implicitly understood.

In cases like this, is there no other choice but to report? Or is doing something that costs me the license okay?

It is a patient's prerogative to continue a treatment or not, unless they are a minor or incompetent, which brings different challenges. However, regardless of the situation, the only legal knowledge you need for interviews is the knowledge that no one would expect you to do anything illegal. In fact, I'd think that telling your interviewers that you'd do something illegal would be a red flag.

 

[wizzed101]

But reporting that patient is akin to throwing them under the bus. The slash in benefits in that state is permanent, and due to non-compliance, that patient will be very likely to develop a serious disease (say, cancer), by which time they will be literally SOL: the state will not cover any treatment.

Report anyway?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

But reporting that patient is akin to throwing them under the bus. The slash in benefits in that state is permanent, and due to non-compliance, that patient will be very likely to develop a serious disease (say, cancer), by which time they will be literally SOL: the state will not cover any treatment.

Report anyway?

You cannot force an adult patient to undergo treatment unless she is incompetent or lacking the capacity to make that decision. If they are of sufficient decision-making capability and refuse treatment, you have to honor that. If your state's law requires you to report this for some reason, then you report it. No interviewer would want you to do something illegal.

 

[ChrisMack390]

This is an interview to see if you are a logical/humane person.

It is not a Bar exam, nor is it Step 2 CS.

 

[wizzed101]

You cannot force an adult patient to undergo treatment unless she is incompetent or lacking the capacity to make that decision. If they are of sufficient decision-making capability and refuse treatment, you have to honor that. If your state's law requires you to report this for some reason, then you report it. No interviewer would want you to do something illegal.

Well you are right. If I had got that far, there would be no way in hell I even consider jeopardizing my career for some random stranger. But I am not there and am still somewhat an idealist. I just wonder if the interviewers want us naive premeds to be idealists; for the inevitable debasements will at least spare decent human beings.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Well you are right. If I had got that far, there would be no way in hell I even consider jeopardizing my career for some random stranger. But I am not there and am still somewhat an idealist. I just wonder if the interviewers want us naive premeds to be idealists; for the inevitable debasements will at least spare decent human beings.

No. They want to make sure you have common sense and can think logically alongside having empathy/sympathy. They want to make sure you're a compassionate human who can think critically.

 

[studentdoctorpremed]

That's what I was referring to earlier, thanks for posting. Those are some tough questions - I now wish I hadn't seen this post again.