By Kylie Mainville
As we enter into the spring, health professional schools’ admission cycles are about to open up. Whether you are applying to medical school, PA school, or another program, you are probably getting ready to gather your materials for your application. You may be focusing on your personal statement, asking for letters of recommendation, or you may have just completed the DePaul PAC process. Wherever you may be in your application process, it is important to stay organized and prepared as you get ready to submit your application and prepare for interviews.
When it comes to interviews for health professional programs, it is important to know about Multiple Mini Interviews or MMIs, as these questions are very common within interviews. MMIs are ethical and/or legal scenario based questions that are asked to assess an applicant’s ability to communicate, use critical thinking skills, and work with others. For example, the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University uses these questions to conduct entirely MMI style interviews for their applicants.
As students begin to prepare for MMIs, it can often become very overwhelming to figure out how to approach them. When beginning to prepare yourself with MMIs, it is important to understand what types of topics might be covered. For example, some MMIs may be ethical medical scenarios, general ethical scenarios, or questions related to how you plan on implementing the school’s mission statement into your practice. For in-person MMI style interviews, you will be assigned to rotate at stations that may consist of scenarios with actors, essay questions, team-building, or character assessment stations.
What is the best way to prepare for MMIs? The first and most important tip is to practice with problem-based ethical, social, and legal scenarios while making sure to time yourself. During the actual MMI style interview, you will be given two minutes to think about how you want to respond. Furthermore, your responses should be between five to seven minutes in length, so it is important to practice articulating your responses to be this length.
The second tip to approach MMIs is to read up on the five pillars of biomedical ethics. These five pillars are the five core values that medical professionals should consider and possess in their practice. These pillars are available online on the NIH website and other educational-based sources.
The third tip is the best method to answer ethical MMI questions. First, really take time to understand the question before providing an answer. Second, clarify the context of the scenario if needed and make sure to think of multiple ways of approaching the scenario by considering the ethical and legal implications. Thirdly, start to state your answer while ensuring to consider empathy and the five pillars of biomedical ethics. Lastly, make sure to directly answer the question and be prepared for any follow-up questions to your response.
The fourth tip is that MMIs are about testing your critical thinking skills and your emotional intelligence, so be sure to never assume anything when it comes to MMIs. Furthermore, make sure to ask any clarifying questions if needed about the scenario presented to you.
The fifth tip is to get ready to collaborate with others. Some of the scenarios or questions involve you having to work with a team, so make sure to be able to present yourself with leadership characteristics as well as be able to listen to and work with others in your group.
Lastly, be able to present yourself in a professional and poised manner. It is normal to feel nervous for an interview, but make sure to be able to calm your nerves before reacting to a scenario. Some of the MMI stations can be designed to implement a high-pressure environment, so prepare yourself to be able to remain calm and be able to be mentally tough in these situations.
Overall, navigating MMIs can be difficult and stressful. However, remember that the interviewers are also just trying to learn more about you and who you are. Furthermore, make sure to be yourself, and display characteristics and qualities about yourself that you would like the interviewer to see. You could even try making some small talk with the interviewer to ease some nerves to show that you are personable.
At the end of the interview, make sure to have a couple of questions prepared for the interviewer, also make sure to thank them for their time. These could be questions about the school or the curriculum, or just general questions about the interviewer and their role at the school. Finally, as you walk out of the room, be sure to shake their hand as you exit.
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Not sure what the future holds? Need support along the way? That’s exactly where we come in. Whether you’re a freshman or an alumnus, it’s never too early (or too late) to utilize our services. Book an appointment with Kylie, or another member of the advising community through Handshake, or by calling the front desk at (773) 325-7431.