How would you go about convincing a parent who does not want to vaccinate their newborn?

You started your clerkship rotations coincidently with your best friend. In your conversations, he often mentions patients by name and gives details on their conditions as well as their behaviour. What are some ethical issues that may arise in such a situation?

You are a family physician. You notice bruises on your patient, a 10 year boy. What would you do?

Your friend Jason hasn't come to class for a few days. Being a hardworking premed student, he very seldom skips classes. You know that he is applying to medical school in the past several weeks. You called his house and he said you can visit him. You decided to pay him a visit after your classes. Enter the room and talk to Jason.

How would you deal with the death of a patient?

Do you think physicians should lie or withhold the truth from their patients, even if its for the patient’s own good? What are some benefits to telling the truth?

A 17-year old boy lives independently. He is married and has one child. He wants to participate in a medical research study. Does he need his parents‟ permission?

Describe a time when you disappointed your parents/grandparents.

It is not uncommon for medications to have various adverse side effects. As a physician, how would you help your patients navigate those side effects? How would you determine whether a treatment option is worth any adverse effects or risks?

A physician became sexually involved with a current patient who initiated or consented to the contact. Is it ethical for a physician to become sexually involved?

A message that recently appeared on the Web warned readers of the dangers of aspartame as a cause of an epidemic of multiple sclerosis. The authors claimed that aspartame remains on the market because the food and drug industries have powerful lobbies in Congress. They quoted Dr. Russell Blaylock, who said. "The ingredients stimulate the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees." Critique this message, in terms of the strength of the arguments presented and their logical consistency. Your critique might include an indication of the issues that you would like to delve into further before assessing the validity of these claims.

Why do you want to be a doctor?

What health issue within our province are you most passionate about? Why?

There is an outbreak of an incredibly contagious life-threatening disease. The disease is spreading across the country at a rapid rate and the survival rate is less than 50%. You are a senior health care administrator, and when the vaccine is developed, you have priority to receive the drug. Do you take the vaccine yourself or give it to another person? Why or why not?

Dr. Cheung recommends homeopathic medicines to his patients. There is no scientific evidence or widely accepted theory to suggest that homeopathic medicines work, and Dr. Cheung doesn't believe them to. He recommends homeopathic medicine to people with mild and non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, headaches and muscle aches, because he believes that it will do no harm, but will give them reassurance. Consider the ethical problems that Dr. Cheung's behaviour might pose. Discuss these issues with the interviewer.

A 16-year-old child wants to have a procedure done but their parents disagree with this. What would you do as the teenager’s physician? Do you have to listen to the patient or the parents?

It sounds really bad. You are on an airplane and after you have taken off for a 4-hour flight, a baby sitting right behind your seat starts to cry. As time goes on, even while you have earphones, the screams don’t stop. The parent accompanying the child keeps trying to quiet the baby down but to no avail. For every passing minute, the screams get louder and louder. What do you do?

An athlete who is training for the Olympics admits that he is using anabolic steroids and asks you to monitor his liver function. He would prefer to be under your care, as you are his family physician and you know his history. However, he states that if you do not agree, he will go to a walk-in clinic. Discuss the ethical issues in this case.

Your older sister tells you that she values her career and is reluctant to take time away to have a baby. Her husband agrees with her. They have arranged to conceive an embryo through in vitro fertilization. A company in India will implant the embryo in a surrogate mother from a nearby village who will be paid $5,000. Two weeks after the baby is born, the company will deliver the baby to your sister and her husband. Your mother is opposed to this arrangement whereas your father supports her decision. Your sister asks for your support. How would you respond to your sister?

You are a judge for a student competition on public health. Student competitors had to present on a current health topic, describing the health issue, current solutions, and possible other health solutions. You and the rest of the judging panel have narrowed down the submission pool to two presentations; one on lung cancer and the other on geographical inequalities in population access to primary care. You and the other judges believe that both projects are extremely well done, but they vary significantly in their subject matter. The competition rules are clear that there can only be one winner. How would you go about choosing a winner?

Have you ever almost quit something but then changed your mind? Why? What did you learn?

Why do you want to be a doctor?

Why is confidentiality important for physicians? In what cases should physicians breach confidentiality? Have you ever had to break confidentiality in your life? Why or why not?

The story of Canadian Olympian and Paralympian Brian McKeever has touched many during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. He was the first ever to qualify for both the Olympic Games and Paralympic games, but at the last minute, the Olympic skiing couch decided that Brian has a smaller chance in winning than his teammates, so he did not get to race. If you were Brian's friend, what would you do when he found out he couldn't race in the Olympic Games? You knew that his Paralympic games would take place 2 weeks after the Olympics.

You are a family physician and another physician at the clinic is dating one of their patients. What would you do?