How to answer dilemma questions

What are dilemma questions?

Health care providers are constantly faced with complex questions of ethics, policy and social issues in their practices. Accordingly, interviewers ask many questions in which you are faced with a dilemma and asked to make a decision. These questions often have no obvious "right" answer, and instead test your ability to reason ethically, to think quickly and clearly, and to explain your decision making process.

Dilemma questions are extremely common in the Multiple Mini Interview format, but will be found in all health professional school interviews. These are some of the most difficult questions to answer and you're guaranteed to be asked them- practicing these questions is imperative.

Resources for answering dilemma questions

• Klitzman, et al, 2015 provides excellent strategies on answering dilemma questions, including example questions and answers.

• The University of Washington maintains an extensive collection of articles on bioethics topics

• Here are a few good tutorial on health care policy in the U.S.:

  • Khan Academy and the Brookings Institution

  • Emergency Medicine Residents' Association

• One of the best ways to stay informed on possible dilemma questions is to read/listen to the news. For example, you can read/subscribe to Shots Health News on NPR

Example dilemma questions

• Dilemma questions from the Multiple Mini Interview format

• Dilemma questions on ethics and policy

• Dilemma questions broken into an initial question (scenario) and follow-up questions (probing questions) from the interviewer

Brainstorming answers to dilemma questions

• Please complete this worksheet on dilemma questions. Please complete the following worksheet on: How to answer dilemma questions. This worksheet is due to Dr. Jensen (ljensen@carthage.edu) or Dr. Nickels (nnickels@carthage.edu) by January 22nd.