How to answer a question on cosmetic surgery for minors in a medical school interview
- Topic
- Consent and autonomy
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Should cosmetic surgery be available to people under 18?
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How to approach this question
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Critical thinking
How to approach it
This panel interview question tests how you balance a young person's growing autonomy against the protection owed to minors making permanent cosmetic decisions about their bodies. Name the stakeholders: teenagers and their reasons, parents, the physicians who'd be asked to act, and a culture that shapes beauty standards through social media. Distinguish between cases, such as a change sought after years of bullying and one sought to match a trend, without needing any medical detail. Ask what makes a minor's consent meaningful, including maturity, pressure from others, and whether the decision could wait until adulthood. Weigh respect for their choices against the risk of decisions they later regret. Then give a clear position with the conditions you'd attach.
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