Scenario-based questions are common during dental school multiple mini interviews as they allow the interviewer to gauge how you will act in real-world scenarios as a student with their program when you are completing your rotations. While the types of scenarios that could be presented to you during the interview are endless, practicing responding to them professionally and respectfully in a short time frame will pay dividends during your interview. Also, remember that your interviewer will evaluate your body language and tone of voice as you respond.

The first important thing you want to drive home with your interviewer is that you will take the time to talk things out with the colleague you disagree with. Stress that you would speak your professional opinion confidently while listening to your colleague's perspective. From there, it is all about making the best decision for the patient and coming to an agreement. You want to give your interviewer at this MMI station the sense that you are always willing to speak up on your professional opinion and that you are willing to concede when better options present themselves.

"I would want to sit down and talk through our thoughts and listen to each other's perspective as soon as possible. My approach would be confident and respectful. If I realized that my colleague's treatment path was the best, I wouldn't hesitate to agree with them and take that path. Pride can't stand in the way of providing the best care possible to a patient, and this would never be an issue for me. With all of the treatment paths available for many of the common ailments that dental patients face, I foresee that colleague disagreements will be fairly common. For me, it's all about taking a professional approach that focuses on the best path for the patient. As a student in your program, you'll quickly find that I'm willing and ready to say I'm wrong when I'm wrong and am humble enough to do that in any given situation."