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 break through, 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?

Statistics have shown that effects of advanced age such as changes in vision and response time may adversely affect elderly drivers' ability to drive safely. As a matter of fact, many doctors discuss the issue of stopping driving with their older patients as a precaution for the safety of theirs as well as the public's. Do you think older drivers have to give up driving when they reach a certain age?

It has been argued that wait times for organ transplants can be significantly sped up through surgeries and donations from other countries. You are a physician working with a patient who you noticed had recently gone to the Mexico to receive a liver transplant. What are the ethical issues involved?

Should there be legislation stating that a physician must report a gunshot wound of their patients to police? Discuss.

What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

There are two people in the next room that are in a conflict. Mediate the discussion and find a way to resolve the situation.

In his recent novel „I am Charlotte Simmons‟, Tom Wolfe bases on life at a typical university in North America. He develops various characters and describes their lives, surroundings, beliefs, and moral behaviour while they are at the university. Wolfe acknowledges that it is 40 years since he himself was a student at university. Consequently, his children, currently at university, read the drafts of the book as it was been written and ensured that the descriptions associated with life at this fictitious university were appropriate for the modern day. What changes to the original script do you think Wolfe‟s children made?

What do you see as being the biggest issues/problems in health care now and in the future. What do you think are possible solutions to these issues?

You are a current undergraduate student. During the week of graduation, you attend a number of parties around the Lower Mainland with your best friend, Kelly. The last party is held at a camp ground in Squamish. The morning after the party, you receive a call from Kelly. She asks that you come over and talk. Kelly reveals that she left early and drove home despite drinking that night. Enter the room and talk to Kelly.

If the Prime Minister of Canada were to ask your advice on one change that could be applied to the healthcare system in Canada that would improve it enormously and have the greatest positive effect, what would it be?

You are a resident working in a team of several others for on call shifts. You and your partner just had a new baby. Would you re-adjust the call schedule? How? What problems do you foresee and how would you approach the problems?

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.

You are a first year medical student who is doing above average in some subjects, and below average on others. What would you do in this situation? What resources would you access?

An eighteen year-old female arrives in the emergency room with a profound nose bleed. You are the physician, and you have stopped the bleeding. She is now in a coma from blood loss and will die without a transfusion. A nurse finds a recent signed card from Jehovah's Witnesses Church in the patient's purse refusing blood transfusions under any circumstance. What would you do?

A member of your family decides to depend solely on alternative medicine for treatment of his or her significant illness. What would you do?

A 14 year old patient requests birth control pills from you and asks that you not tell her parents. What would you do?

You are an emergency room physician at a local hospital. A patient comes in requesting painkillers for his back. Upon reviewing his file, you realize that he frequently comes to the hospital requesting painkillers and he has already capped his prescription for the month. Upon examination, you notice no new injuries to indicate an increase in painkillers. You politely tell patient that you will not increase his dosage or re-fill out another prescription for him. He tells you that he will go and inject himself with heroin right now if he does not get the painkillers. What do you say next? What do you do?

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?

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

The man who lives next door to you often rides his bicycle in the company of his two young children but without a helmet. In fact, on several occasions you have seen him riding with his helmet hanging by its straps from the handlebars. His young children sometimes wear a helmet, sometimes not. If the man fell off his bicycle and hurt his head in a way that would have been prevented if he had worn a helmet, would it be reasonable to ask him to contribute towards the treatment costs for his injury?

You are working on a group project with 5 other students. One of the students doesn‟t show up for meetings or if they do show up - they are late and leave early. They have put no effort into the group project but show up on the day of the presentation and try to take credit for the project. What do you do in this situation?

You are working in a clinic for street youth. A 16 year old girl comes in seeking sleeping pills that you do not think is appropriate for her. She says she will see another doctor if you do not prescribe them. What would you do?

Due to a shortage of physicians in rural and Northern communities in BC, some policy-makers have suggested that medical programs preferentially admit students who are willing to commit to a 2 or 3 year tenure in rural areas after graduation. Consider the broad implications of this policy for health care and the costs associated. Will this policy be effective?

A Kootenay town runs a health-collective that provides various alternative and traditional forms of medicine. The physicians there encourage parents of small children not to vaccinate their children. Discuss the positive and negative impacts of this opinion.

Data has shown that doctors who smoke are less likely to make good role models for patients. Should doctors be allowed to smoke? Do doctors need to be role models?

You are spending your evening as a volunteer in the hospital. It is late and you see a number of staff duck into the supply closet with an empty bag and reappear in a few minutes with it appearing full. You have heard other staff members discussing that supplies are missing on a regular basis that cannot be accounted for. After observing the actions of the other staff members, what do you do?

You are on a day out in London with a group of friends. One member of your group, who has never been to London before, becomes separated from the rest of the group in the Underground. What actions would you take?

A man has been responsible for taking care of his wife who is in a vegetative state for 6 years after a car accident. She can breathe on her own but that is the extent of her abilities. He requests that her feeding tube be removed. What should you, as her physician do?

Universities are commonly faced with the complicated task of balancing the educational needs of their students and the cost required to provide learning resources to a large number of individuals. As a result of this tension, there has been much debate regarding the optimal size of classes. One side argues that smaller classes provide a more educationally effective setting for students, while others argue that t makes no difference, so larger classes should be used to minimize the number of instructors required. Discuss your opinion with the examiner.

The parking garage at your place of work has assigned parking spots. On leaving your spot, you are observed by the parking attendant as you back into a neighbouring car, a BMW, knocking out its left front headlight and denting the left front fender. The garage attendant gives you the name and office number of the owner of the neighbouring car, telling you that he is calling ahead to the car owner, Tim. The garage owner tells you that Tim is expecting your visit. You enter Tim‟s office.

Your friend is of Chinese descent and fluent in Mandarin. You both want to get into medicine. She registers for Mandarin 101, a course in Chinese language for beginners. The course coordinator asks that students who can already speak just a little bit of Mandarin should leave because this is a course for beginners. Your friend remains but makes a sufficient number of deliberate mistakes in the classroom discussions, in the required homework and in the examinations that she will not be detected and yet still receive an excellent grade. What would you do in this situation?

You discover that your boyfriend has a substance abuse problem. His conduct has never been influenced by this since you have been together. How do you handle this?

It has been suggested that in order to promote healthy lifestyles, medical schools preferentially admit students who do not smoke. Do you think this approach will be effective? Discuss the implications with respect to health and health care costs.

Discuss the social, legal, medical implications of a needle-exchange program with the interviewer. (Consider a needle exchange program to be a free service in which screens for STIs are provided, along with immunizations, physician referrals, and exchanging used needles for new ones). Follow up question: What are some viable alternatives?

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

Your mother calls you and asks you to help with a major family decision. Your maternal grandfather is 70 years old and has been diagnosed with a condition that will kill him some time in the next five years. He can have a procedure that will correct the disease and not leave him with any long-term problems, but the procedure has a 10% mortality rate. He wants to have the procedure, but your mother does not want him to. How would you help mediate this issue?

In your opinion, what is a primary flaw in the health care system? How would you address it?

The government wants to track citizens across the country in order to maintain public safety in the face of growing terrorism. How would you advise the government to do this?

Dr. Who is a physician for Mr. Bean and his wife. Dr. Who discovers that Mr. Bean has an STI. Mr. Bean does not wish to tell his wife . What should Dr. Who do? Explore the ethics surrounding this scenario.

Should the government directly fund the education of medical students as opposed to funding other professions such as law and engineering? Discuss this question with the interviewer.

Mrs. Jones has signed a donor card indicating that she is willing to donate her body to science without notifying her husband and son. She gets into an accident and it is determined that she is brain dead. The family doctor, who is on call that afternoon, reviews the chart and determines that she would be perfect for medical students to practice the removal of organs for transplantation purposes. The doctor then talks to the family to discuss the procedure and to confirm their consent. They both oppose the procedure and refuse to allow their doctor to move forward. The doctor points out that Mrs. Jones could be helping hundreds of people by educating the medical students and that technically consent has already been provided. The husband understands how beneficial the educational experience is but is too emotional to allow them to continue. The son, a medical student, refuses because he knows the bodies are not treated with dignity. If you were the doctor, how would you proceed? Why?

Your best friend tells you he is a compulsive gambler. He has lost all his money and he asks you for a loan in order to buy food, to pay back his loan sharks and then use the rest to try to win it all back. Discuss the broad implications of gambling on society.

Imagine you are the principal of a full fee paying school. There has been an allegation by members of the public of an incident in a park in which at least two senior students were seen verbally abusing a young person with intellectual impairment for the amusement of the group and other students. Two final year students are attending a hearing with you (their principal) to explain their actions in the incident. What are the issues that you (the principal) are likely to consider?

Discuss the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana on the Canadian Health Care system. How does this impact a physician‟s present ability to write out prescription for „medical marijuana'? Would legalization cost the health care system more or less after it was passed?

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

A couple has decided to have a child through artificial insemination. They asked the physician for sex selection of the child. What should a physician advise in this situation?

How would you advise patients who are interested in visiting an acupuncturist or a chiropractor?

Recently, a drug company has been aggressively marketing their HPV vaccine for young girls to protect young women from cervical cancer. The vaccine has gained support because it will be protecting girls from this potentially deadly and costly disease. However, some people think there haven‟t been enough clinical trials. Pick a stance on this issue and prepare to support your argument.

What is the difference between HMOs and PPOs?

You are sitting at a desk in front of the interviewer with a screen between you. You have a set of blocks in front of you and you have to set them up in a certain way. The interviewer knows the solution and you can't see them and can only ask them yes or no questions. Correctly assemble the blocks.

Do you think general practitioners have an obligation to report their patients' health status to a public health agency, if their patients have active infectious diseases?

Many fire-related tragedies in Canada have been the result of children playing with fire. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of parents, lighter companies and society with respect to this issue.

You are a genetic counsellor. One of your clients, Linda, had a boy with a genetic defect that may have a high recurrence risk, meaning her subsequent pregnancies has a high chance of being affected by the same defect. You offered genetic testing of Linda, her husband, and their son to find out more about their disease, to which everyone agreed. The result showed that neither Linda nor her husband carry the mutation, while the boy inherited the mutation on a paternal chromosome that did not come from Linda's husband. In other words, the boy's biological father is someone else, who is unaware that he carries the mutation. You suspect that Linda nor her husband are aware of this non-paternity. How would you disclose the results of this genetic analysis to Linda and her family? What principles and who do you have to take into consideration in this case?

You are a young, single doctor working in a small town of 1500. You meet an attractive male/female at the bar that you are interested in. What problems do you foresee?

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.

A physician went to vacation for 2 weeks. He did not find another physician to cover him. One of his patients with hypertension developed severe headache. The patient has an appointment with the doctor as soon as he comes back from vacation. The patient did not look for another physician and decided to wait. The patient suddenly collapses and was diagnosed to have intracranial hemorrhage. Is the physician responsible for this patient?

Recently, the Prime Minister of Canada suggested the idea of deterrent fees (a small charge, say $10, which everyone who initiates a visit to a health professional would have to pay at the first contact) as a way to control health care costs. The assumption is that this will deter people from visiting their doctor for unnecessary reasons. Consider the broad implications of this policy for health and health care costs.

In June 2011, the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup and riots broke out in Downtown Vancouver. Discuss the impact on the community and the range of health care professionals at St. Paul‟s Hospital.

You learn from your best friend that she was involved in a hit and run accident one night when she had too much to drink and had hit a person crossing the street. She feels badly about this incident. What do you do if anything?

When you enter the room there will be a blank sheet of paper in front of you. On the other side of the room there is another candidate who will provide you with instructions regarding how to turn this page into an origami (paper folding) project. Do not look at the other candidate until told that you can do so. You have 5 minutes to complete the project after which you will be given 3 minutes to discuss with your colleague any difficulties that arise during your communication.

John X is a convicted pedophile and repeat offender. He is about to be released from prison after serving 7 years of his 10-year sentence. He will be in close contact with his parole officer and he will be monitored on a daily basis. Should the community be aware of John X's history? You are in charge of deciding whether or not to warn the community about John X. What issues/factors would you consider in making your decision?

One of the key competencies for medical practice outlined by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is the need to develop and maintain self-assessment skills. Describe the strategies you employ when assessing your ability.

You and 3 friends are watching a 70 yr old man prepare a hot-air balloon. The balloon is ready and the man is holding one of the 5 released anchors ropes that are all 6m long. His 10 yr old grandson is already in the basket. A gust of wind raises the balloon 2m off the ground. The man shouts for help and you and your friends each grab close to the end of one of the other anchor ropes. The balloon raises so high that even though you are holding onto the ropes, you are lifted off the ground to a height of 7m. What would you do in this situation.

How does Canadian health care system compare to that of Britain‟s system?

You are shift supervisor at McDonalds fast food restaurant. The owner of the franchise has called you over. He is very upset as he has received 3 complaints in the last 30 minutes about the meat in the hamburgers being poorly cooked. There are two people (one male, one female both 15 years old) who have been cooking the meat for the past two hours. The female is the owner‟s daughter. How would you handle the situation?

You have two patients who need an organ transplant and one organ available. One is a 20 year old drug addict and the other is a 70 year old prominent member of the community. Who do you give the transplant to and why? What information will you use to make your decision?

A student is working in a clinic, where the office double book aboriginal patients. The student asks their reasoning and the receptionist replies that “These people never show up for their appointments.” How would you deal with this situation?

Is it ethical for doctors to strike? If so, under what conditions?

At the beginning of your last year of undergraduate studies, the Dean of your Faculty has offered to all of you the opportunity to swallow a „red‟ pill. If swallowed, this pill would increase enormously your ability to „absorb‟ all the educational material being presented to you in all your courses. In fact, this pill would basically guarantee that you would receive an A+ in all your future courses with a significantly reduced workload. Would you take the red pill?

If you have the choice of giving a transplant to a successful elderly member of the community and a 20 year old drug addict – how do you choose?

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.

You are part of a committee to decide where the money for health care in our province is spent. It is your turn to inform the committee of your opinion on what you think is the single most important area requiring funding.

You are presented with a list of 15 individuals, including details of their age, sex and occupation. You are being told that a nuclear attack is imminent and you are only allowed to save 5 of them from destruction. Which ones and why?

As medicine advances with technology, what are the pros and cons? Discuss your experience with use of technology.

A friend has accessed your laptop and discovered your draft for an essay that is due by you both who are taking the same course. How do you handle this?

Deterrent Fees (Knowledge of the Health Care System) Recently, the Prime Minister of Canada raised the issue of deterrent fees (a small charge, say $10, which everyone who initiates a visit to a health professional would have to pay at the first contact) as a way to control health care costs. The assumption is that this will deter people from visiting their doctor for unnecessary reasons. Consider the broad implication of this policy for health and health care costs. For example, do you think this approach will save health care costs? At what expense? Discuss this issue with the interviewer.

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 location of hand sanitizer stands? Do you approach him?

The City of Vancouver has taken great measures to increase accessibility to alternative forms of transportation (Canada Line, Hornby and Dunsmuir Bike Lanes, Proposed Evergreen Line, and Burrard Street Bridge closures). Discuss the impacts (both positive and negative) of these decisions?

Discuss health care issues that have been in the news in the last month.