What has been your biggest ethical challenge thus far in medicine?
The interviewer here wants to sincerely know how you solved your biggest problem. This is not a trick question. Your answer should reflect that you know what is ethical vs non-ethical, where you need to intervene and how, and that the patient-physician relationship puts the patient first, but not at the expense of the physician's ethics.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
During my second year of medical school, I had to make the tough decision to turn in a couple of my classmates for cheating on quizzes in class. This was a deeply troubling experience for me because I consider myself a loyal friend but I also care about the rules and about fairness. Also, I personally would not want to be treated by a physician who cheated their way through medical school. This situation made me really ponder my own morals and integrity. It helped me to realize that as physicians we have to be held to higher standards and sometimes we have to make difficult decisions.
Amanda's Feedback
Using a specific example to address this question is a great way to respond! You can strengthen it further by relating how ethical behavior in issues that seem small reflects an ability to think and respond ethically when larger issues arise in the medical setting.
