Interview Prep: Medical Ethics
The questions asked in medical school interviews can seem like they require you to memorise 101 things, have a photographic memory of the GMC (General Medical Council)’s guidelines and the perfect judgement of a qualified doctor. In actuality, most med schools are more interested in your thought process and how you display your analytical thinking skills. While there is variation from university to university concerning the manner in which they conduct interviews, it is 100% certain that any interview you have will require a firm understanding of the pillars of medical ethics.
In healthcare professions where there is a heavy emphasis on patient-doctor interaction, it is important to have universal standards and morals that all caregivers abide by to deliver optimum patient-centred care. Historically, these have taken the shape of the four pillars of medical ethics – beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and patient autonomy.
Beneficence
In essence, beneficence is a moral duty for all medical practitioners to act in the best interests of each specific patient. It ensures that healthcare professionals consider that the individual needs of one patient might mean the treatment provided to a different patient with the same illness may not be suitable for both.
Non-maleficence
The purpose of non-maleficence is to ensure doctors have a duty to do no harm to a patient or indirectly allow harm through neglect. It is a good idea to think of non-maleficence as the sister pillar to beneficence; they are not quite the same but go hand-in-hand with one another. If a treatment for a patient is likely to cause more harm than good, then by following the pillars, it should not be considered.
Justice
The principle of justice can be thought of as the consideration of the compatibility of medical practices with the law and patients’ rights. In order to carry out justice, doctors must weigh up if a course of action is ethical, fair and balanced.
Patient Autonomy
Autonomy is a pillar that gives patients the right to have the ultimate say on their treatment, meaning a medical practitioner cannot force treatment on a patient if they do not want it. (Note that there are cases where in order to assess whether or not a patient has the ability to make informed decisions regarding their treatment, doctors must consider the capacity of the patient. Factors such as age, disability and mental illnesses can afford a diminished capacity where a guardian acts on behalf of the patient.)
Duty of Candour
While not one of the main four pillars of medical ethics, duty of candour is very relevant to the ethical scenarios you will be posed with in your interviews. It can be simply defined as a professional responsibility to be honest with patient when things go wrong. Doctors care for vulnerable people who may not be in a position to defend themselves, and so the duty of truthfulness that doctors must follow ensures transparency in the health sector.
Universally, these standards are followed by doctors everywhere however, specifically in the UK, there has been adaptations to the pillars that you are more likely to observe in the hospital. These are seen through the NHS’ core values which aim to improve patient care and maintain a safe environment for all.The six core values are as follows:
- Respect and dignity
- Commitment to quality of care
- Everyone counts
- Compassion
- Improving lives
- Working together for people
Any ethical scenario you are given must be linked back to the pillars and the core values in order to holistically analyses the situation. Some common ethical topics are:
- Abortion
- Euthanasia
- Organ donation
- Refusal of treatment
- Deciding which pillar is most important (for questions like this remember that all the pillars are important and before coming to a conclusion state the importance of each pillar)
The ethics of medicine build the foundation of healthcare and help to guide a doctor’s decision-making, displaying a good understanding of them will improve your chances of a successful interview, so make sure you read up on them!
Sources:
https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/medical-school-interview/medical-ethics/