Prompt
You volunteer at a hospice, where you sit with residents who are near the end of their lives. Over six weeks, you have grown close to Walter, a 78-year-old retired carpenter. He hands you a sealed letter and asks you to mail it to his daughter after he dies. He tells you that the two of them have not spoken in 20 years, that the letter explains why he left the family, and that his wife, who visits every day, does not know the letter exists and would be devastated by what it says. Hospice policy says volunteers may not accept items from residents or run personal errands for them. What would you do?
Practice this question
After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Professionalism and integrity
- Ethical reasoning
- Empathy and compassion
How to approach this question
This MMI station tests whether you can honor a dying man's wish while following hospice rules and thinking about everyone his letter might affect. Name the people involved: Walter, his estranged daughter, his wife, the hospice, and you as a volunteer. Weigh your relationship with him against the policy, and consider involving staff or helping Walter find another way, such as asking a lawyer or someone outside the hospice to send it. Make a clear choice, and explain how you'd tell Walter about it with kindness. When a follow-up brings in another family member's claim, think carefully about whose wishes should govern a person's private words after death.
More on end of life
All 8 questions on this topicMock interviews
If you want to practice with a person, we run mock MMI and panel interviews with feedback on every answer.
