Prompt
Your close friend is planning a two-week volunteer trip to a rural clinic in a low-income country. The program’s website says that premedical students will take patient histories, give injections and assist with minor procedures under supervision. She asks you to join her, saying it will be a valuable experience and will strengthen both of your medical school applications. How would you respond?
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Cultural humility
- Professionalism and integrity
How to approach this question
This MMI station tests whether you can see the ethical questions raised by volunteer trips that let untrained students give hands-on care, and say so to a friend without lecturing her. Name the people at stake: patients in the community, local health workers, your friend and you. Raise the concerns concretely, such as patients receiving care from people who wouldn't be allowed to do the same work at home, and a trip that may serve applicants more than the community. Ask aloud what you'd want to know, such as who supervises, whether the community asked for volunteers, and what continues after they leave. Then give your friend a clear answer and suggest alternatives that fit your actual skills. If the station says the clinic needs the help, weigh whether need justifies care from people without training.
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