MMI Sample Questions for the Interview

MMI Interview, Multiple Mini Interview, MMI Interview Questions

MMI Sample Questions: Practice MMI Questions Bank. Featuring COVID-19 specific questions.

Who is this for?

The following is for students who request a professional health-related program that requires a mini-multiple interview as part of their admission process. The MMI sample questions below are for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, nursing, etc.

First thing’s first! In 2022 we will be adapting the MMI for the virtual world. COVID-19 has shifted interview preparation to platforms like ADMIT VIDEO and KIRA TALENT INTERVIEW which uses asynchronous interview recordings for evaluation. While the format has changed the core elements of how to succeed in the MMI are still crucial.

Before moving on to the sample questions, it is important to mention that sample questions are only effective if:

1. You time yourself and use the questions in a simulation of multiple realistic mini interviews (MMI SIM), and

2. You get expert opinions about your performance so you can identify your mistakes and learn from them long before your actual interview. If you are going to be recording your answers, ensure you get feedback using a validated rubric so you can objectively compare your progress over time.

What kind of questions do they ask in the MMI?

Ethical Dilemma Stations:

Hypothetical scenarios (clinical and non-clinical) where candidates are expected to make a decision and explain their reasoning behind it. Algorithms and an approach are crucial.

Acting/Role-playing Stations:

Scenarios where applicants “act out” a situation (clinical or non-clinical) with the interviewer to display their communication and conflict resolution skills. These stations can be tricky.

Critical Thinking Stations:

Scenarios that are more open-ended, often asking applicants to create something new or improvise a solution. Here, creativity is essential.

Knowledge of Healthcare and Rural Health:

Scenarios that explain a real or hypothetical healthcare policy, which ask applicants to assess the potential implications, benefits, and drawbacks of the policy. Content knowledge is very important.

Writing Stations:

The scenarios that require applicants to generate a written response; the writing tasks could be informative, persuasive, or creative in nature.

Situational Judgment/Past Behavior Stations:

Applicants are required to speak about real experiences (i.e. past conflicts, difficult feedback, failures, stressful situations) and explain how they responded. Put yourself back in time and explain how you navigated the situation.

Traditional Question Stations:

Some MMI stations ask “traditional” questions like “Why medicine?” or “Why do you want to attend our school?” or “Strengths and Weaknesses”

MMI Sample Questions:

1. A 14-year-old patient asks for contraceptive pills and asks you not to tell her parents. What would you do?

2. A member of your family decides to rely solely on alternative medicine to treat your critical illness. What would you do?

3. If you have the option to transplant a successful elderly member of the community and a 20-year-old addict, how do you choose?

4. An eighteen-year-old woman arrives in the emergency room with a deep nosebleed. You are the doctor and stopped the bleeding. She is now in a coma of blood loss and will die without transfusion. A nurse finds a map recently signed by the Jehovah’s Witness Church in the patient’s bag rejecting blood transfusions under any circumstances. What would you do?

5. Your local pediatric association recommended that circumcisions “not be performed regularly.” They base this recommendation on their conclusion that “the benefits have not been shown to clearly outweigh the risks and costs”. Doctors have no obligation to refer or provide circumcision, but many do so even when they are clearly not medically necessary. BC Medicare no longer pays useless circumcisions. Consider the ethical problems that exist in this case. Discuss these problems with the interviewer.

6. A biotechnology company has been hired by the military to develop a cure for the Ebola virus. They have successfully developed a vaccine to treat the symptoms of the virus and have reduced the mortality rate of infected patients. Discuss the implications of this on a global scale.

7. Your mother calls you and asks you to help with an important family decision. Your maternal grandfather is 70 years old and has been diagnosed with an illness that will kill him in the next five years. You may have a procedure that corrects the disease and does not leave you with long-term problems, but the procedure has a 10% mortality rate. He wants to have the procedure, but your mother does not want it. How would you help solve this problem?

8. Your best friend’s parents have just recently contracted COVID-19. He is scheduled to visit his grandmother whom he hasn’t see in 6 months due to the pandemic. He doesn’t have any symptoms and tells you it’s ok for him to visit his grandmother. He tells you he is worried about her because she is lonely. How do you approach this situation?

9. Getting a job during the pandemic has become increasingly challenging. More and more employers are relying on online tools that help prioritize candidates. Do you think online methods of evaluation will overtake traditional in-person interviews? You are recently appointed to the head of HR and Company ABC and are addressing your team of interview recruiters. What do you tell them? Please provide at least 5 points favouring online tools for recruitment.

10. As a result of the pandemic, many healthcare institutions have prevented volunteers, peer workers and students from their usual roles within the healthcare infrastructure. What effects do you think this has had? Please address the various stakeholders that have been impacted. Follow-up questions will be asked following your response.

11. You are a genetic counselor. One of her clients, Linda, had a child with a genetic defect that may have a high risk of recurrence, which means that subsequent pregnancies are likely to be affected by the same defect. You offered genetic tests to Linda, her husband and her son to learn more about their illness, and they all agreed. The result showed that neither Linda nor her husband carried the mutation, while the child inherited the mutation on a paternal chromosome that did not come from Linda’s husband. In other words, the biological father of the child is another person, who does not know that he is carrying the mutation. You suspect that Linda and her husband are aware of this nonpaternity. How would you share the results of this DNA analysis with Linda and her family? What principles and who should you consider in this case?

12. A woman enters the emergency room with stomach pain. She undergoes a computed tomography scan and is diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The doctors inform him that the only way to solve the problem is surgically and that the chances of survival are approximately 50/50. They also inform her that time is essential and that if the aneurysm bursts, she will be dead in a few minutes. The woman is an exotic dancer who worries that the surgery will leave a scar that will negatively affect her work; therefore, she rejects any surgical treatment. Even after a lot of pressure from the doctors, he categorically rejects the surgery. Feeling that the woman is not in her right mind and knowing that time is essential, the surgeons decide to perform the procedure without consent. They anesthetize and surgically repair the aneurysm. She survives and claims the hospital for millions of dollars. Do you think that the actions of the doctor can be justified in some way? Is it still fair to take someone’s autonomy?

12. You are a general practitioner and a mother enters your office with your child who complains of symptoms similar to the flu. Upon entering the room, you ask the child to take off his shirt and notice a pattern of bruises on the child’s chest. You ask the mother where the bruises come from, and she tells you that they are from a procedure she performed with him known as “cao gio,” which is also known as “hitting.” The procedure involves rubbing hot oils or gels on a person’s skin with a coin or other flat metal object. The mother explains that cao gio is used to elevate bad blood and improve circulation and healing. When you touch the boy’s back with your stethoscope, he grimaces with pain from bruises. You wonder if you should call child protection and inform the mother. When should a doctor intervene to stop a cultural practice? Should the doctor worry about alienating the mother and other members of her ethnic background from modern medicine?

14. A patient with Down syndrome became pregnant. The patient does not want an abortion. Her mother and husband want the patient to have an abortion. What should a doctor do in this situation?

15. A 12-year-old child is diagnosed with a terminal illness (eg, malignancy). He asked the doctor about his prognosis. His parents asked the doctor not to tell him the bad news. What should the doctor do in this situation?

16. A couple decided to have a child through artificial insemination. They asked the doctor to choose the sex of the child. What should a doctor advise in this situation?

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

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18. A 17-year-old child lives independently. He is married and has a son. He wants to participate in a medical research study. Do you need your parent’s permission?

19. A doctor went on vacation for two weeks. He did not find another doctor to cover it. One of his patients with hypertension developed severe headaches. The patient has an appointment with the doctor upon his return from vacation. The patient did not look for another doctor and decided to wait. The patient collapses suddenly and is diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhage. Is the doctor responsible for this patient?

19. A schizophrenic patient of 40 years needs a hernia repair. The surgeon discussed the procedure with the patient who understood the procedure. Can the patient give consent?

20. A doctor detected a traffic accident on the street and took him to the emergency room in his car. I did not want to wait for an ambulance because the patient’s condition was critical. The physical examination in the emergency room reveals a quadriplegia. Is the doctor responsible for this consequence?

21. As a doctor at a local hospital, he notes that there is a man with an alcohol addiction who continues to use the hand sanitizer offered in hand sanitizers throughout the hospital. He is still not a patient in the hospital, but he has been several times in the past. Therefore, there is often no hand sanitizer for public use. What to do? Are you eliminating/changing the location of the hand sanitizer frames? Are you approaching?

22. An 18-year-old man is diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. He refuses the therapy and returns to the dormitory at the university. What should a doctor do in this situation?

23. A physician picked up a car accident victim from the street and brought him to the ER in his car. He did not want to wait for an ambulance because the patient’s condition was critical. Physical examination in the ER reveals quadriplegia. Is the physician liable for this consequence?

24. As a physician at a local hospital, you notice that there is a man with an alcohol dependency who keeps on consuming the hand sanitizer offered at the hand sanitizer stands throughout the hospital. He is not a patient at the hospital at present but has been many times in the past. Consequently, there is often no hand sanitizer for public use. What do you do? Do you remove/change the location of hand sanitizer stands? Do you approach him?

25. An 18-year-old man is diagnosed with suspected bacterial meningitis. He refuses therapy and returns to the college dormitory. What should a physician do in this situation?

26. 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 healthcare 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?

27. You are a health researcher at an academic institution. You have been asked to work on a top-secret vaccine that would treat biomedical weapons or other communicable diseases. Before your breakthrough, you are instructed by the government to stop all research and turn over all materials and copies of your work to be destroyed. You know you are very close to finding a cure. What do you do?

28. A patient requests needles and syringes at his/her local pharmacy. They do not present with a prescription and based on the records you can access, they are not receiving treatment for diabetes. Do you sell the syringes or not?

29. Dr Smithson uses non-government-approved remedies in his practice and claims that his patients obtain real benefit from them. While there is no scientific evidence or widely accepted theory to suggest that homeopathic medicines work, Dr Smithson’s online reviews claim his natural remedies work, and work well! Please comment on whether you think Dr Smithson is justified in his clinical methodologies.

30. In 2020, The American Family Physician Journal published an article exploring the issue of physicians as role models. Many physicians have taken a stance on vaccinations and COVID testing during the pandemic. Please explain whether a physician’s social media account should be regularly monitored. If so, should punitive actions follow specific content posts? Please elaborate.

31. Every week, your classmates gather at the local coffee house to review the lessons from that week. In the last month, everyone has been working on a major paper which accounts for 70% of the course grade. One of your classmates has copies of two of the papers that last year’s students wrote for the same course. Your classmate has emailed copies of the papers to you and the other group members. What would you do in this situation and explain why?

32. You are asked to counsel terminally ill patients about their diagnosis. Please outline your approach. Are you hopeful or realistic about the diagnosis? Please discuss the pros and cons.

33. Please discuss the issue of abortion and why it has become such a controversial topic in the mainstream media and in politics.

34. Do you think that asking people to donate their tissue to a lab is coercive? The fetal cord lab inception collects a monthly payment to store cord blood and cord tissue, even though most patients have no immediate use for this? Is this ethical? Should patients be asked to pay for science that may not manifest for 2, 5 or 20 years? Comment on your thoughts.

35. A 98-year-old terminally ill contacts you, a volunteer at his retirement home and requests that you go to the store and pick him up some over-the-counter pain medications. He tells you he has had enough and is going to take the whole bottle. How do you handle the situation?

36. How would you handle a situation as a medical student if an attending physician demanded (at the risk of you not getting your first-choice residency program) that you take pictures of a patient for a research paper without getting approval from the patient? What would you do?

37. What is your opinion on a patient giving their doctor gifts for work performed? If offered a gift, what would you do?

38. You’re a family practitioner seeing a 65-year-old woman in your practice. She reveals to you that her husband is physically abusing her. What do you do? How would you help her?

39. A woman comes into the ER after a car accident. She requires a blood transfusion but she states that her religion is against blood transfusions. Her clinical situation is unknown to you.

40. You’re a pre-med student and have been studying for your biochem exam until midnight. You come back to your dorm room and your roommate tells you that she has decided to cheat. She is able to conceal answers beneath her watch band and asks to sit next to you at the exam so you can be helped as well. What would you do?

41. Would you tell someone they have a debilitating disease (e.g. cancer) even if their spouse begs you not to because it would crush them because a relative died of the same disease previously? How would you handle this situation?

42. You recommend chemotherapy for your teenage cancer patient, but his mother refuses treatment because she’s afraid chemotherapy will make him sick. What action would you take, if any? Please comment on any current event precedent that would help you with your answer.

43. One of your female patients seeks a referral for a tubal ligation. She does not want to tell her husband. Please comment on how you would approach that situation.

44. You have a patient who just lost his wife and found that he has prostate cancer but refuses treatment. His family is begging you to force him to have the treatment done. What are the main ethical issues in this scenario?

45. Suppose you have two teenage daughters and one of their 15-year-old friends comes to you as a physician asking for birth control without parental consent. What would you do? What would you do if her mother finds the pill pack with your name on it and angrily confronts you about it in the supermarket?

46. You are a third-year medical student doing your rotation in OB/GYN. You notice that a fellow classmate, Eric, often shows up late or slightly hungover. One day you find him in the break room alone. You decide that you want to talk to Michael about this. Please enter the break room.

47. The night after college graduation, you attend a party with your best friend Julia and some other friends. Midway through the night, you see her leaving the party with a group. The next morning, Julia calls you and reveals that she drove home despite drinking that night. Enter the room and talk to Julia.

48. You are an emergency room physician taking care of a patient who has come in requesting painkillers for his back. After a physical examination, you find no injuries or other causes of pain. You review his medical chart and realize that he frequently comes to the hospital requesting painkillers. You politely tell the patient that you cannot provide painkillers. He tells you that he will inject himself with heroin if he does not get the painkillers. What do you do? Enter the room and proceed with the conversation.

49. You are a student working in a free clinic. After going through the scheduling, you notice that some appointment times are double-booked. Enter the room to talk to the receptionist about this.

50. You are a physician taking care of a male patient. After a complete physical exam and workup, you discover he has HIV. He tells you that he doesn’t want his girlfriend to know about this diagnosis in fear that she will leave him. Enter the room and discuss with the patient.

51. You are a family doctor taking care of a child with flu-like symptoms. Upon physical examination, you notice a pattern of bruises on the boy’s torso. You begin to worry that this may be a case of physical abuse. You ask the mother where the bruises came from but she speaks minimal English. When you touch the boy’s chest with your stethoscope, he winces in pain from the bruises. What should you do?

52. You are seeing a patient with kidney failure who refuses dialysis, a life-prolonging procedure. He tells you that he is tired of this procedure and would rather die. His family members request that you dialyze him immediately. Enter the room and talk to the family members.

53. You are an ICU physician amid a surge of COVID-19. You are asked to decide between 2 patients who both need a ventilator bed. What factors would you consider and why?

54. Thousands of individuals have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Over 4000 healthcare workers in some provinces/states also resigned during the pandemic. Why do you think that is? Please discuss some considerations.

55. You are a medical student who has just found out they tested positive for COVID. You have an upcoming rotation with the program director for your number 1 choice medical residency. You have no symptoms and no one is aware of the results of your at-home test. You will not have a chance to work with the program director again. what do you do?

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