Canadian Medical School Interview Questions

Big mean interviews. I'd always wanted to do a cross Canada trip. In 2009, in a way I did - only it involved many planes and me flying back and forth the nation every weekend for about a month - and even once while I was backpacking through Honduras (btw thanks, Toronto, for the short notice!).

In a few months, thousands of eager-eyed pre-meds will have been grilled by all sorts of medical "professionals" about their medical ambitions. Doesn't seem like it was so long ago that I was there myself. I still remember sitting in my living room with my wonderful roommate at the time practicing for medical school interviews.

I, of course, remember desperately googling tips and hints for schools. Wasn't easy, so here's my contribution back to the world of the pre-meds. Credentials? I did interviews at 4 Canadian schools (and even Australia as a backup) and was accepted into all but one school. So here goes:

Disclaimer: it's been several years and selection processes have surely been updated along the way.

University of Toronto:
Interview style: Panel (one 2nd year medical student, one doctor/health professional)

Unlike any of the other school I'd interviewed at, Toronto really knew my portfolio. They paired me a doctor who worked in my area of interest at the time (non-profit community health medicine). Their questions were fairly straight forward. Know your history well, strengths & weaknesses, learning experiences etc.


Other Schools: Here's a list of questions modeled after those that I actually had. No questions are actually from interviews, but they are very reflective of the ones I was asked.  Feel free to comment on how you'd answer.  I'll try to give some feedback.   

MMI Questions (good for University of Calgary, British Columbia, an Manitoba):

1. You and your best friend try out for the varsity track team. You just find out you got in, but your friend was rejected for the 3^rd time. Enter the room.

2. 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?

3. You are a third year medical student involved in the research of Dr. A, a senior physician. He is testing the efficacy of a new drug on lowering cholesterol. This drug is not yet known be more effective that existing drugs on the market. He insists that you recruit patients for trials even though the clinical risks of the research are still undefined. What are the issues involved for the patients? For yourself?

4. What is the biggest accomplishment of your life? What is the biggest disappointment?

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

6. 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.

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. You are a GP working in a community where the majority of patients have very little education and many are refugees from other nations. What challenges do you foresee?

10. Describe your experiences with physicians. What traits would you and/or would you not emulate?

11. 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?

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. You are a physician who has finished his or her day and decide it's appropriate to leave on time for the first time in months. You have promised to meet your family for dinner. You suddenly receive a phone call from Mrs. Black, a 87 year old patient in a nursing home long time, who wishes that you attend to her long-standing condition. She has been patient of yours for 15 years and refuses to see another doctor. What issues are involved? How would you approach this situation?

General MMI tips:
- Come up with personal experiences that you can apply to each of these situations. This allows you to personalize your answers. You don't a long list since each MMI station will have a new interviewer and you can always repeat experiences in your answers.
- Smile! A classmate of mine was recognized by a faculty member after she got it: "you're that girl that smiled a lot!"
- Sum up what you said at the end if you have time.
- DON'T RAMBLE! Silence is ok.