A person brings in a dog that you find out is terminally ill after an examination and testing. They appear to be very emotionally distraught. How do you break the news to the dog's owner?

Your interviewer may be impressed if you pull from your experience in a scenario like this. Before your veterinary school MMI interview, think back to a time you had to break difficult news to someone. The key to your answer here is doing so in a clear way while expressing your sympathy for the person.

"I would first ensure that the results are accurate. I would want to have concrete evidence for the owner of the dog. My approach from there would be to have my discussion with the owner prepared ahead of time, along with options for the next steps. If the owner was in my office at the time, I would bring them to an area where we could be alone, and they would have a safe place to grieve. I would explain my diagnosis and the fact that the illness is terminal. If the prognosis left some time for the pet with the family, I would give them options to have some final days with the dog and set a plan for euthanization. If the tests came back after the owner and pet had left, or if the dog remained in the clinic, I would immediately call the owner. If I got a voicemail, I wouldn't leave any diagnosis on the voicemail and just ask them to call at their earliest convenience. I've had the experience of working in a vet clinic during high school and have gotten to experience grieving families when putting a pet down. Being a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen to is vital in this situation and something I would always provide as a student with your program."

In an MMI interview, you'll typically have around six to eight minutes to craft a response to your scenario/question. First, you'll want to highlight how you'll gather all of the information needed to diagnose the dog to ensure that you can speak from a professional perspective. The next key to your approach is being empathetic and showing sorrow for the pet and its family. To finish your response, you must finish your answer by expressing what options that pet owner has moving forward and giving them the option to select what works best for them.