Trick Interview Question

[Sparda29]

I've heard that this is a trick question on the LIU Pharmacy Interview.

"If you know your best friend is cheating, would you turn them in if you know it means that they would be kicked out?"

I think that is a really unfair question to ask. This would be my answer.

I would tell my friend that it is a really bad idea, and if they get caught, they would be in serious trouble. Also, I would tell them that if they cheat and never learn the concept they were cheating about, it could result in the death of a patient later on down the road, but no, I would not turn them in, loyalty to my friend is the most important, and the 9th level of hell is reserved for betrayers.

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[berkeleytwinkie]

agreed. the interviewers arent stupid. they know you're not gonna rat out a buddy!

 

[inquirer89]

Yeah, I wonder what they think is the "right" answer to that.

I'd probably say something like telling your friend after class to turn him/herself in because it gives them the chance to redeem themselves and take responsibility instead of you just plain ratting them out.

If my friend did that to me, I'd kill his dog

(haha)

 

[kalove07]

what about if they gave the question about a group project where one of the members chose not to participate but still showed up for the presentation and did poorly, making the entire group look bad. At that point its up to you as a group member to give the person their grade which depends on whether or not they pass the class. What would you do?

I had this question at an interview and I still don't know the best way to get through this situation. I said its not fair to the other members who put their all into the project and I would have to be honest and give the person a failing grade. you get what you put in...nothing!

 

[typingpig]

I've heard that this is a trick question on the LIU Pharmacy Interview.

"If you know your best friend is cheating, would you turn them in if you know it means that they would be kicked out?"

I think that is a really unfair question to ask. This would be my answer.

I would tell my friend that it is a really bad idea, and if they get caught, they would be in serious trouble. Also, I would tell them that if they cheat and never learn the concept they were cheating about, it could result in the death of a patient later on down the road, but no, I would not turn them in, loyalty to my friend is the most important, and the 9th level of hell is reserved for betrayers.

Ahahahha 9th level of hell...thats kinda funny. It won't be fair to other students who studied really hard tho. Interesting question tho. I wasn't asked that tho, but something similar to that. I wonder if everyone got that question...😛

 

[zilko]

Seriously, I may be hard nosed, having had the USMA honor code ('a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those that do') drilled into me to the point of permanence. Stop and think about the professional ethics of turning a blind eye toward cheating, or taking a nambie pambie stance of telling cheaters that they 'shouldn't do that.' What does that say about your stance on ethical conduct?

[Note, I had this question asked of me at UoP, and answered without hesitation, that I would approach the offender and offer them a chance to turn themselves in (and hope for some leniency), or have me turn them in.]

A cheater today, is showing a failure to recognize the ethical standards of being a student, which makes me think they may well fail to recognize the ethical standards of being a pharmacist in the future.
<steps down off of soapbox>

 

[mrblah]

I've heard that this is a trick question on the LIU Pharmacy Interview.

"If you know your best friend is cheating, would you turn them in if you know it means that they would be kicked out?"

I think that is a really unfair question to ask. This would be my answer.

I would tell my friend that it is a really bad idea, and if they get caught, they would be in serious trouble. Also, I would tell them that if they cheat and never learn the concept they were cheating about, it could result in the death of a patient later on down the road, but no, I would not turn them in, loyalty to my friend is the most important, and the 9th level of hell is reserved for betrayers.

Its not a trick question. You have to do the right thing.

 

[typingpig]

Seriously, I may be hard nosed, having had the USMA honor code ('a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those that do') drilled into me to the point of permanence. Stop and think about the professional ethics of turning a blind eye toward cheating, or taking a nambie pambie stance of telling cheaters that they 'shouldn't do that.' What does that say about your stance on ethical conduct?

[Note, I had this question asked of me at UoP, and answered without hesitation, that I would approach the offender and offer them a chance to turn themselves in (and hope for some leniency), or have me turn them in.]

A cheater today, is showing a failure to recognize the ethical standards of being a student, which makes me think they may well fail to recognize the ethical standards of being a pharmacist in the future.
<steps down off of soapbox>

Bravo!! 😍 My response during the intreview was similar to that, but much more simply stated.

 

[mrblah]

what about if they gave the question about a group project where one of the members chose not to participate but still showed up for the presentation and did poorly, making the entire group look bad. At that point its up to you as a group member to give the person their grade which depends on whether or not they pass the class. What would you do?

I had this question at an interview and I still don't know the best way to get through this situation. I said its not fair to the other members who put their all into the project and I would have to be honest and give the person a failing grade. you get what you put in...nothing!

If you knew prior to the presentation, or even after:
1. you approach them, and ask them whats wrong, and see if you can help. If that doesn't help.
2. You tell your group mates and have them see whats going on, and if they can help.
3. You quietly bring it to the professor's attention, and you allow the professor to make the decision himself without you drawing anymore attention to the student, this is the last resort.

The key is you never accuse that person, and you have to show that you didn't make the decision by yourself, you tried to help them improve, and if all that didn't work, you informed the professor in a discreet and professional manner. Your professor will decide whether or not he should fail or not ( the student may have approached the professor previously, and the professor was aware of it). Otherwise, if the professor says its your choice, you give him the grade the student deserves.
Ultimately, this is a ethical question: you turn them in.

 

[zilko]

and
4. you get the project done regardless
(had this question at Western)

 

[mrblah]

and
4. you get the project done regardless
(had this question at Western)

doh...forgot about that part.

 

[kalove07]

If you knew prior to the presentation, or even after:
1. you approach them, and ask them whats wrong, and see if you can help. If that doesn't help.
2. You tell your group mates and have them see whats going on, and if they can help.
3. You quietly bring it to the professor's attention, and you allow the professor to make the decision himself without you drawing anymore attention to the student, this is the last resort.

The key is you never accuse that person, and you have to show that you didn't make the decision by yourself, you tried to help them improve, and if all that didn't work, you informed the professor in a discreet and professional manner. Your professor will decide whether or not he should fail or not ( the student may have approached the professor previously, and the professor was aware of it). Otherwise, if the professor says its your choice, you give him the grade the student deserves.
Ultimately, this is a ethical question: you turn them in.

I like your answer. I wish I would've though about it longer because that's probably what I would've done in the actual situation...I generally give the person some leniency because you never know what's going on in their life. What kind of through me off is the fact that we give them a peer grade and it would be their final grade on the project...the professor would not have much input on the grade you decide.

 

[Rae444]

Its not a trick question. You have to do the right thing.

I agree. I dont think this is a trick question. Most schools academic code requires that you turn in any evidence of cheating. So, you are required to do so..best friend or not.
I would admit how you would feel, and that you may confront your friend in order to show compassion, but ethics and honor code are more important for the school.

 

[blackstalyon]

I've heard that this is a trick question on the LIU Pharmacy Interview.

"If you know your best friend is cheating, would you turn them in if you know it means that they would be kicked out?"

I think that is a really unfair question to ask. This would be my answer.

I would tell my friend that it is a really bad idea, and if they get caught, they would be in serious trouble. Also, I would tell them that if they cheat and never learn the concept they were cheating about, it could result in the death of a patient later on down the road, but no, I would not turn them in, loyalty to my friend is the most important, and the 9th level of hell is reserved for betrayers.

Yea, I heard some of my friends got that question. As far as I know, your answer is the best one and the one they are looking for...except the 9th level hell thingie. lol

 

[ExpressMaiL]

The proper way of responding to this question is not by saying "the right thing to do..." By stating "right" in this situation, you're implying that you see this scenario (and your subsequent actions) as a choice and/or option. You're also acknowledging that you know what they're doing is wrong... and the fact that you're discerning an option here implicates other things...

The correct answer is actually the "only" response, not the "right" one. Disagree with me if you want (I am not this black and white btw), but the way this question really reads is: "If you saw your best friend (who is a pharmacist) stealing prescription drugs, what would you do?

(Note - it doesn't matter if they were stealing Fentanyl or Cephalexin... that isn't the point.)

The proper response would be "The only thing..." Of course, <add compassionate statement here>.

This is more than just an ethical question; it involves compassion, the bearings of your moral compass, etc.

 

[mrblah]

Sparda's answer is definitely the right answer if you want to get your application moved to the reject/hold/alternate list.

 

[twester]

Ethical questions don't really have right or wrong answers. People are going to approach this situation differently. The interviewers are trying to find out if an applicant has a personal Code of Ethics. I think the answer is "correct" if it's well-reasoned and takes a stand (pro OR con).

 

[trailrider400]

This is a difficult question but most of the questions they ask in an interview are. But for you guys who say do the right thing could you honestly answer that you would rat out your BEST friend. I'll tell you what - I would be extremely disappointed and try to talk to them about it but honestly there is no way in hell I would rat out my best friend. But admittedly that is not exactly how I would phrase it in an interview 🙂

 

[mrblah]

Lets rephrase the question, and let me give you a real life scenerio that happened when i worked at Kaiser a few years back.

A pharmacist there was stealing narcotics, a few pharmacists (who were friends) knew about it, and told that particular pharmacist to stop. The pharmacist continued to steal narcotics, and was eventually caught a few months later. The pharmacist ultimately stated that he had a "drug problem", and he told security/LP that his proof was that other pharmacists were aware of his problem. Supervisors and Kaiser's lawyers interviewed the pharmacists and technicians. The pharmacists stated that they knew he had a drug problem. Here is the twist, Kaiser is unionized, and because the pharmacist, who was stealing narcotics admitted he had a drug problem, was allowed to keep his job on the condition he seek drug rehab. The pharmacists who did not report the theft, all lost their jobs. Because they knew about it, allowed it to continue for a few months, and failed to report it. Also by allowed that pharmacist to continue to work (whether or not he was under the influence), the other pharmacists placed the patients at considerable risk, and ultimately were deemed a liability. Those pharmacists were not protected by the union, and were ultimately forced to resign.

Here is another example (actually happened a few months ago). A fellow technician of mine was getting lazy at walgreens and was authorizing refills for prescriptions with no refills, and wasn't calling the doctor. a pharmacist was aware of it, matter of a fact, they were drinking buddies. Most of the time the prescription wasn't anything important, it was maintenance and BC's. Apparently, the technician also was okaying narcotics for a regular patient because he thought that the pharmacist gave him the greenlight by not reprimanding him. Doctor got wind of it, and the state board got wind of it. Walgreen's came down hard, not on the technician, but on the PIC in charge that day. Unfortunately, that pharmacist worked regularly with that technician and because were friends, the pharmacist tried to say he didn't know about it. Technician said otherwise, proof was in the intercom logs at walgreens. Guess who got fired, and I can tell you it wasn't the technician. Reason for firing: failure to supervise the technicians, and failure to keep a accurate refill log on narcotics. Technician, to this day, still works for walgreens. This action by walgreens pissed off alot of pharmacists in my district, but it didn't get that pharmacist his job back.

See how far your "friend" will protect you when the **** hits the fan. You may get fired because you failed to prevent misconduct, or indirectly jeopardized patients. Some of you guys have to wake up, just because you believe in some romanticized (sp?) notion of loyalty you learned in high school, won't stop someone from making you the scapegoat.

Yea, you guys are right, loyalty is important in friendships, but you shouldn't have "friendships" at a place of employment that can jeapardize your career, and your patients. Thats call ignorance if you think you can trust someone 100% who you know is doing something that can get them fired, or kicked out of pharmacy school. Loyalty has its bounds in a workplace, and in school never forget that. If you call it "selling out", so be it. It won't be my license on the line when you are under investigation for misconduct, or standing before the state board for your hearing, or out 100,000 because you got kicked out of pharm school.

 

[tootoo30]

Bravo! I could not have said it better myself. Think about it, if you should lose your job behind protecting your friendship, will your so called friend cover all of your bills from here on out, HELL NO! I am a realistic person, yeah I value friendship, but not more than feeding my family! 😡

 

[Amanda C]

Lets rephrase the question, and let me give you a real life scenerio that happened when i worked at Kaiser a few years back.

A pharmacist there was stealing narcotics, a few pharmacists (who were friends) knew about it, and told that particular pharmacist to stop. The pharmacist continued to steal narcotics, and was eventually caught a few months later. The pharmacist ultimately stated that he had a "drug problem", and he told security/LP that his proof was that other pharmacists were aware of his problem. Supervisors and Kaiser's lawyers interviewed the pharmacists and technicians. The pharmacists stated that they knew he had a drug problem. Here is the twist, Kaiser is unionized, and because the pharmacist, who was stealing narcotics admitted he had a drug problem, was allowed to keep his job on the condition he seek drug rehab. The pharmacists who did not report the theft, all lost their jobs. Because they knew about it, allowed it to continue for a few months, and failed to report it. Also by allowed that pharmacist to continue to work (whether or not he was under the influence), the other pharmacists placed the patients at considerable risk, and ultimately were deemed a liability. Those pharmacists were not protected by the union, and were ultimately forced to resign.

Here is another example (actually happened a few months ago). A fellow technician of mine was getting lazy at walgreens and was authorizing refills for prescriptions with no refills, and wasn't calling the doctor. a pharmacist was aware of it, matter of a fact, they were drinking buddies. Most of the time the prescription wasn't anything important, it was maintenance and BC's. Apparently, the technician also was okaying narcotics for a regular patient because he thought that the pharmacist gave him the greenlight by not reprimanding him. Doctor got wind of it, and the state board got wind of it. Walgreen's came down hard, not on the technician, but on the PIC in charge that day. Unfortunately, that pharmacist worked regularly with that technician and because were friends, the pharmacist tried to say he didn't know about it. Technician said otherwise, proof was in the intercom logs at walgreens. Guess who got fired, and I can tell you it wasn't the technician. Reason for firing: failure to supervise the technicians, and failure to keep a accurate refill log on narcotics. Technician, to this day, still works for walgreens. This action by walgreens pissed off alot of pharmacists in my district, but it didn't get that pharmacist his job back.

See how far your "friend" will protect you when the **** hits the fan. You may get fired because you failed to prevent misconduct, or indirectly jeopardized patients. Some of you guys have to wake up, just because you believe in some romanticized (sp?) notion of loyalty you learned in high school, won't stop someone from making you the scapegoat.

Yea, you guys are right, loyalty is important in friendships, but you shouldn't have "friendships" at a place of employment that can jeapardize your career, and your patients. Thats call ignorance if you think you can trust someone 100% who you know is doing something that can get them fired, or kicked out of pharmacy school. Loyalty has its bounds in a workplace, and in school never forget that. If you call it "selling out", so be it. It won't be my license on the line when you are under investigation for misconduct, or standing before the state board for your hearing, or out 100,000 because you got kicked out of pharm school.

I completely agree with you. Thanks for those stories. They really prove a good point.

 

[Amanda C]

I personally have always been completely against cheating in any way/shape/form. I would not be able to be comfortable knowing that I cheated my way through a test/class/whatever. It's just my personal morals.

My answer would be:

I would want them to be turned in. If they can't do it themselves then I'd have to bring awareness to my professor. Cheating, especially in Pharmacy school😡👎, is a direct reflection of one's personal morals. If they think it's ok in one situation, most likely they would continue to do so in their profession. I sure wouldn't want to go to a Pharmacy knowing the Pharmacist behind the counter cheated his way through school. Eek

 

[Sparda29]

If I had to turn them in, I would only slip an anonymous note.

 

[rxchrissarasota]

1. Just about every school, Pharmacy or not, has a code of conduct that you sign stating that you will turn somebody in for sheating, if you don't, you are subject to the same penalties as the cheater. Telling an interviewer that you will break you code of conduct if given the chance won't help your cause.

2. You won't be helping your friend by not saying anything. If somebody is cheating in Pharmacy school, it's only a matter of time before it catches up in later classes, on the Naplex, or worse, when a patient's health is at risk.

3. A real friend won't put you in that position anyway. At some point in your life you need to grow up and start surrounding yourself with good people who won't bring you down. If your BEST friend is a cheater, you should definately reevaluate/reconsider said friendship and maybe even take a good long hard look in the mirror.

 

[ExpressMaiL]

Well put, Mrblah.

 

[pharmgrl5]

The proper way of responding to this question is not by saying "the right thing to do..." By stating "right" in this situation, you're implying that you see this scenario (and your subsequent actions) as a choice and/or option. You're also acknowledging that you know what they're doing is wrong... and the fact that you're discerning an option here implicates other things...

The correct answer is actually the "only" response, not the "right" one. Disagree with me if you want (I am not this black and white btw), but the way this question really reads is: "If you saw your best friend (who is a pharmacist) stealing prescription drugs, what would you do?

(Note - it doesn't matter if they were stealing Fentanyl or Cephalexin... that isn't the point.)

The proper response would be "The only thing..." Of course, <add compassionate statement here>.

This is more than just an ethical question; it involves compassion, the bearings of your moral compass, etc.

This is exactly what I was thinking... that this question actually has nothing to do with cheating on school work. The underlying thing is that they are digging to see what you would do in something more serious. The problem I see with this is that cheating on a paper or test and stealing drugs are way different situations. The way I'd handle each situation is totally different.

Honestly if I knew a friend of mine was cheating in class... I'd have to approach them privately first, talk to them about it and tell them that if they didn't correct the situation then I would be forced to tell someone.

In a situation where I knew a pharmacist was stealing drugs from the pharmacy there would not be that much leniency. I'd first approach them to first give them the option to "turn themselves in" about it first and if they refused then I'd have to go higher up about it myself. It's a pretty clear cut thing, there aren't multiple ways to handle this situation. With the cheating question... there are a few ways to handle it.

 

[mrblah]

This is exactly what I was thinking... that this question actually has nothing to do with cheating on school work. The underlying thing is that they are digging to see what you would do in something more serious. The problem I see with this is that cheating on a paper or test and stealing drugs are way different situations. The way I'd handle each situation is totally different.

Honestly if I knew a friend of mine was cheating in class... I'd have to approach them privately first, talk to them about it and tell them that if they didn't correct the situation then I would be forced to tell someone.

In a situation where I knew a pharmacist was stealing drugs from the pharmacy there would not be that much leniency. I'd first approach them to first give them the option to "turn themselves in" about it first and if they refused then I'd have to go higher up about it myself. It's a pretty clear cut thing, there aren't multiple ways to handle this situation. With the cheating question... there are a few ways to handle it.

You are right.
Adcom can ask you a bunch of different scenerios, but how your story ends will always be the same, its just how you come to the conclusion changes depending on the question.

As someone stated earlier, anytime someone asks a ethical question, no matter what the subject is, your answer should revolve around "don't cheat, don't steal, don't put anyone in harms way". Loyalty, sympathy, compassion can figure into your story/answer, but never let it be the dominating trait for these types of questions.

Off topic:
I just remembered I took a ethics class a while back, and I remember them telling me that to stay out of trouble, you have to remember three simple rules, and never mix up the order:
1. look out for your patients and customer's needs
2. protect/advance the goals and needs of your occupation (in our case, the pharmacist's oath / state board of pharmacy).
3. protect your company's interests.

 

[twester]

If I had to turn them in, I would only slip an anonymous note.

At my school, anonymous notes are seen as an effort to discredit someone and are against the code of ethics. Someone apparently had the balls to submit one a month or so ago and we all had the pleasure of a lecture.

I disagree with so much from my school's administration, but I agree with this one. If you feel right enough about turning someone in, you'll need to feel right enough to accuse them to their face and be prepared to prove the accusation.