Cool Interview Questions 2007

[agregson]

I was talking with some friends, and we came up with the following (this was not asked, but if I was interviewing I would ask it...)

 

With increasing female enrollment in medical schools across the country, how do you think that will affect health care in the next number of years? Any specific challenges? Specific advantages?

[Darla]

I think it's kind of a stupid question, really. It suggests that specialties should somehow be prioritized and that, say, a cardiologist or a trauma surgeon is somehow a more valuable product of the medical education system than, say, a podiatrist or the cosmetic derm/plastic surgeon mentioned above. Just because you are not dealing with life and death issues doesn't mean your field of work is useless. You might think acne is not a big deal, but it can have a HUGE negative impact on your quality of life, and similarly can wrinkles.

 

 

When I see this question, I think about the plastic surgeons who perform surgeries not covered by OHIP i.e. those who are able to charge much more than other surgeons. Canadians' taxes help cover an enormous part of the tuition for med school. I think that physicians who practice privately should repay this amount of tuition.

[eise]

In respone to my history as a competitive dance, I was asked "what would you do if you were on stage after a routine and the judges held up their cards and had given you 3's?" I didn't want to tell the interviewer that dancing is not like figure skating and judges do not hold up 'cards'.....

[kahone]

Hey there,

 

On good questions, here's one I fielded this year: "What's the most brilliant idea you've ever had?"

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

 

That's killer, Kirsteen, absolutely killer. That even precludes an easy, "I don't know", or "I just can't think of one right now" type of response since, well, obviously either one might suggest that the candidate has never had a brilliant idea....that is soooooo good. love it!

[The Law]

Devari:

 

I understand what you're trying to say. I personally would not consider cosmetic surgery in the purest sense as a medical treatment, but I would disagree that it is useless.

 

With respect to your example of the "nose", your argument is that fixing the nose only wrongfully supports the paradigm that the appearance of her nose should matter. You also say that instead, the cosmetic surgeon should help the person find counselling for their self-esteem problems, or something like that.

 

While this may be true, the fact is that we are judged by our appearances whether we like it or not. Ideally, we shouldn't be judged by our appearances, and moreso, we should not let how others judge us affect our self-esteem. Unfortunately, it DOES happen, and good luck trying to convince people to go through counselling when they can pay for cosmetic surgery instead and physically look better as well.

 

I agree with you in the strictest sense, but practically, it's not going to happen. We're human, and that's not going to change.

 

You are never going to change the fact that appearances matter... billions of years of sexual selection people... lol

 

That being said, if a cosmetic surgeon helps people feel better about their bodies... I don't see how it's any less important than any other specialty. They are still providing a service to their patients, and while it may seem unnecessary to you - that does not mean it does not mean a great deal to them.

[Will_Son]

There were a few questions that stood out for me. I'm not sure how "cool" they actually are but I thought they were interesting.

 

The first was being asked what I thought was the greatest innovation in health care.. ever. I actually had to clarify.. "umm... like.. the greatest health care innovation in... history?" That one kind of threw me off.

 

The second was a follow-up question from my answer for the public vs private health care question and I was asked why I thought lower-class people become sick more often than upper-class people. I'd always known it to be true but never really put thought into why it was.

 

The last one, I'm not really sure how much I can disclose because of the whole waiver thing, but it involved me talking about poker for about 10 minutes. That was fun and the interviewers seemed receptive of my answers so yay.

 

Tangent thought: I don't really understand why U of T makes you sign a waiver when your interview questions are sort of tailor-made for you. Disclosing that information isn't really going to be too much of an advantage for others because they would have had different experiences and are probably going to get completely different questions minus the few generic ones that you get at every interview.

________

CyberPoison live

[drcave]

Hey there,

 

On good questions, here's one I fielded this year: "What's the most brilliant idea you've ever had?"

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

 

I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you....

[Devari]

You are never going to change the fact that appearances matter... billions of years of sexual selection people... lol

 

The problem with this statement is that we're not dealing with someone who has a physical deformity or injury who wants to achieve a normal appearance. We're dealing with people that look completely normal already but decide they want to achieve some misguided and completely unrealistic image. It's exactly the opposite of normal selective processes because it strives to achieve a particlar type of image that doesn't have any relevance to actual physical attractivness or health. Human society is filled with examples where an idealized image is sought after even though that image is competely unnatural and often detrimental to a person's health. The extrememly small waist size for victorian-era corsets (which caused problems with childbirth) and chineese foot binding (which caused severe foot deformities) are two good examples of idealized images that had absolutely nothing to do with a normal human body image. We aren't talking about a natural "sexual selection" process here at all, we're dealing with society's misguided image ideas that have been taken to extremes.

 

That being said, if a cosmetic surgeon helps people feel better about their bodies... I don't see how it's any less important than

any other specialty.

 

As I described above, the entire idea of cosmetic surgery is completely counter-productive because it feeds into the low self-esteem/self-image issues that caused the person's dissatisfaction with their appearance in the first place. The surgery not only fails to "fix" the underlying problem, it actually feeds into it and makes the person's psychological issues even worse.

 

They are still providing a service to their patients, and while it may seem unnecessary to you - that does not mean it does not mean a great deal to them.

 

Subjecting a normal person with no deformities or injuries to a purely cosmetic surgical procedure is completley unnecessary. That's a medical fact, not an opinion. There's simply no way to justify these types of surgical procedures on a normal indivdual in any medical context. The purpose of the medical profession isn't to provide a completely unnecessary "service" to someone. Medicine is designed to correct or treat actual injuries or medical conditions.

[The Law]

As I described above, the entire idea of cosmetic surgery is completely counter-productive because it feeds into the low self-esteem/self-image issues that caused the person's dissatisfaction with their appearance in the first place. The surgery not only fails to "fix" the underlying problem, it actually feeds into it and makes the person's psychological issues even worse.

 

A psychological condition? I never knew vanity was such a thing...

[Devari]

A psychological condition? I never knew vanity was such a thing...

 

Somone who gets cosmetic surgery doesn't necessarily suffer from vanity. From http://www.dictionary.com, vanity is defined as:

 

"excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit"

 

Although someone who is vain may get cosmetic surgery in order to further "perfect" their apperance, many people who get cosmetic procedures done probably have exactly the opposite problem, namely that they have an excessively low opinion of their physical appearance.

 

In either case, someone who feels compelled to surgically alter their appearance despite the complete lack of any deformity or injury clearly suffers form some type of psychological problem. It's the same problem as somenoe who suffers from anorexia and thinks they "need" to be thinner. They simply aren't thinking in a rational manner.

[Julie]

I think the fact that people here have been debating the whole cosmetic surgery question for so long shows it's not as clear-cut as it seems. I would favor showing that in an interview. It's all about grey zones (but then again, I'm a psych student too, and we tend to only see greys, or so I hear). I mean, define "normal"... where do you draw the line? I think a good way to get an idea of this is just to think about the (relatively) recent braces phenomenon. Some really need them, for medical reasons, and some really don't seem to, but whatabout 90% of those who get braces? They're just in-between. Cosmetic surgery is the same thing.

 

With most of those ethics questions, if you think about it long enough, you will find there are good arguments to both sides... Someone once told me that's what they're looking for. They want to know you can see the 2 sides to every story...and then still take position. I have no idea if it's true, but it makes sense to me, and it seemed to work for my interview

[Sharpie*]

You are never going to change the fact that appearances matter... billions of years of sexual selection people... lol

 

That being said, if a cosmetic surgeon helps people feel better about their bodies... I don't see how it's any less important than any other specialty. They are still providing a service to their patients, and while it may seem unnecessary to you - that does not mean it does not mean a great deal to them.

 

Thank you, Law. I agree 100%!

[JewelLeigh]

You are never going to change the fact that appearances matter... billions of years of sexual selection people... lol

 

That being said, if a cosmetic surgeon helps people feel better about their bodies... I don't see how it's any less important than any other specialty. They are still providing a service to their patients, and while it may seem unnecessary to you - that does not mean it does not mean a great deal to them.

I completely agree. Perhaps some people do not understand the severe emotional scars that years of taunting and sidelong looks can cause. I certainly hope that any doctor my patients or I have to deal with will understand and appreciate this not-so-biological side to humanity.

[Smurfette]

With respect to the cosmetic surgery debate...

 

I can understand what Devari is getting at. *If* someone is getting cosmetic surgery because they have underlying psychological problems that distorts their self-image, then they probably need psychiatric help, just like someone with anorexia. As a matter of fact, plastic surgeons who do cosmetic surgery are supposed to assess their patients for such problems prior to surgery. A morally responsible surgeon would do this and would not operate on someone who is choosing cosmetic surgery for reasons that are not psychologically sound.

 

At the opposite end of the scale, we have breast cancer patients that get breast reconstructive surgery, etc. Most of us can probably agree that this is okay and not morally wrong.

 

However, it's not so clear cut in most situations. There's some black and white cases, but most of the time it's gray. Most of the people who want Botox to get rid of wrinkles actually have wrinkles. And perhaps someone who wants a nose job actually has a squishy nose - not grotesquely abnormal, but squishy and not all that pretty. Is it "right" in these cases? Is it right for someone to cut the fries/cheeseburgers from their diet, eat less, and go to the gym? At what point does dieting/exercising become extreme? At what point does cosmetic surgery become extreme? That's where the gray area comes in.

[drcave]

Some people are uglier than others and want to be less ugly. I'm no Brad Pitt but with and nose job, chin implant, and leg elongation maybe I could be. Where do I sign up? Beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes right to the bone.

 

Seriously though, as long as you aren't pulling a Michael Jackson, I have no problem with cosmetic surgery. People do lots of things to improve their appearance to attract sexual partners, working out, dieting, haircuts, clothes, building self confidence, but the only way to improve the appearance a super-pointy nose or receding chin is surgery.

[dr_2020]

I feel sorry for a person I know, she has very little physical attractive features;

a few teeth and thinning hair ..... but .. we still love her.

[Devari]

With respect to the cosmetic surgery debate...

 

I can understand what Devari is getting at. *If* someone is getting cosmetic surgery because they have underlying psychological problems that distorts their self-image, then they probably need psychiatric help, just like someone with anorexia. As a matter of fact, plastic surgeons who do cosmetic surgery are supposed to assess their patients for such problems prior to surgery. A morally responsible surgeon would do this and would not operate on someone who is choosing cosmetic surgery for reasons that are not psychologically sound.

 

The problem here is that the cosmetic surgeon has a direct conflict of interest when assesing a patient's psychological condition with regards to cosmetic surgery. The cosmetic surgeon has a clear financial incentive to perform the surgery and will therefore be strongly inclined to justify the procedure. Also, considering the unrealistically high physical standards that are idealized in North American society it's very easy for the patient or cosmetic surgeon to point out an aspect of the patient's appearance that isn't considered "perfect" by society in order to justify the procedure they want.

 

At the opposite end of the scale, we have breast cancer patients that get breast reconstructive surgery, etc. Most of us can probably agree that this is okay and not morally wrong.

 

In my first post in this thread I made a clear distinction between reconstructive surgery and purely cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery that involves restoring a normal appearance to someone who has a physical deformity or disfigurment is perfectly valid as a medical prodcedure because you're trying to restore normal function or appearance. Even if the changes are purely aesthetic they are being done to correct a medical problem and have a clearly positive psychological value. That's why I view reconstructive breast surgery as a completely worthwhile medical procedure. Getting breast implants simply to have larger breasts, on the other hand, isn't justifiable as a medical procedure. That's why I view reconstructive surgery as a completely separate field from cosmetic surgery, even though in practice there is a lot of overlap between these two fields in a technical sense.

 

However, it's not so clear cut in most situations. There's some black and white cases, but most of the time it's gray. Most of the people who want Botox to get rid of wrinkles actually have wrinkles. And perhaps someone who wants a nose job actually has a squishy nose - not grotesquely abnormal, but squishy and not all that pretty. Is it "right" in these cases? Is it right for someone to cut the fries/cheeseburgers from their diet, eat less, and go to the gym? At what point does dieting/exercising become extreme? At what point does cosmetic surgery become extreme? That's where the gray area comes in.

 

I'm not really trying to suggest that getting cosmetic surgery is necesarily "right" or "wrong". If someone to wants to get wrinkles removed with botox, that's completely up to them. My main issue is when completely normal people get surgery done simply because they feel they "need" to look a certain way. I do understand the argument of "this procedure will make me look younger/better/sexier, so I'm going to do it because I can." But I think it says something about a person's character if there's nothing wrong with the way they look but they feel that they need cosmetic treatments to feel good about themselves or increase their confidence. Take breast implants, for example. Personally, I find a woman with small, natural breasts far more attractive then one who has breast implants. If a woman feels she needs large breasts in order to be confident I'm not going to find that aspect of her personality very attractive. From a practical standpoint I do understand why she would want to get the surgery if she simply wants to attract as many men as possible and feels that getting breast implants is going to increase her chances of doing this. But even though I can understand her decision for getting breast implants that doesn't mean that I agree with it.

[Smurfette]

LOL Devari. I do agree with a lot of points that you made, especially with respect to the possibility of underlying psychological disorder. And I know you said that you support reconstructive surgery. I wasn't arguing against you - it's not personal The only thing I really disagree with your argument is that I don't think it's quite as clear cut as you make it out to be. There's tonnes of shades of gray. As there is in most "moral" issues...

[Devari]

LOL Devari. I do agree with a lot of points that you made, especially with respect to the possibility of underlying psychological disorder. And I know you said that you support reconstructive surgery. I wasn't arguing against you - it's not personal The only thing I really disagree with your argument is that I don't think it's quite as clear cut as you make it out to be. There's tonnes of shades of gray. As there is in most "moral" issues...

 

I know that you weren't trying to be argumentative and I'm definately not taking anything personally at all. I just tend to be very blunt and direct with a lot of my ideas and opinions. I hope I didn't come across as hostile since that certainly wasn't my intention.

 

I also agree that many issues that I try to address using a "black and white" mentality do have several shades of grey. I find that it's often easier to approach an issue by looking at the extremes first and then accomidating the shades of grey which is why I tend to form such strong opinons on many issues.

[samsara]

The problem here is that the cosmetic surgeon has a direct conflict of interest when assesing a patient's psychological condition with regards to cosmetic surgery. The cosmetic surgeon has a clear financial incentive to perform the surgery and will therefore be strongly inclined to justify the procedure. Also, considering the unrealistically high physical standards that are idealized in North American society it's very easy for the patient or cosmetic surgeon to point out an aspect of the patient's appearance that isn't considered "perfect" by society in order to justify the procedure they want.

 

I'm a late entry to this argument, but if you don't mind, I'd like to jump right in. Firstly, most people in most professions are working towards a "financial incentive" of their own, and singling out cosmetic surgery as an especially troublesome mode of doing so is missing the broad picture somewhat. I've been to doctors in walk in clinics who have spent as little as 30 seconds with me - no exaggeration here. Regardless of the triviality of my medical problem (and it turned out not to be so trivial) - a 30 second visit with a GP who wishes to maximize his profits throughout the day by getting as many people in and out as possible is enough to remind me that cosmetic surgeons aren't alone in wanting to make the upper end of their salary cap. I read a study recently about obstetricians in rural areas recommending more expensive procedures on average. Of course, you could argue that there are degrees of "wrongdoing" in being financially motivated, but with degrees of anything, we fall into relativity, and then it's a matter of opinions, right?

 

 

In my first post in this thread I made a clear distinction between reconstructive surgery and purely cosmetic surgery.

Okay...a lot of what you've said has focussed on "normal" people who want to get surgery for reasons that you consider abnormal - ie. psychologically aberrant. As you might know - normal is fairly arbitrary. And within the range of "normality", there is also a range of greater and lesser acceptance. Just going out on a limb here - but if the normal range for penis sizes was oh...lets' say 4-7 inches (don't quote me on this), then it is possible that there might be a preference towards the upper end of that scale - the male preference on the basis of the phallus' equation with masculinity and the female preference on the basis of the same - or other reasons that would head in a bawdier direction than this post already has. Again, just giving an example - I haven't done any research studies to confirm this "hypothesis". But, we all know that preferences DO exist right? So, given this hypothetical preference - and it's equation with a particular ideal that males are striving towards - would it be a stretch to imagine why males on the lower end of the spectrum might be a bit concerned about how they measure up to the same? And at the risk of sounding Care Bears-esque, doesn't everyone just want to be cared and accepted for who they are while feeling "normal"?

Okay...phalluses aside, let's talk mammaries (i wouldn't want to be charged of being sexist now would i?) A friend of mine has rather pendulous breasts. She's young - in her early 20's. Atleast three males that she has been in relationships with have pointed out the fact that her breasts are too "saggy", a bit rudely I might add - I think atleast two of them suggested that she wear a bra during the season of love because seeing them in their full "normal" glory was a turnoff. Shocking and despicable on the guys' parts- and if you say so, I will agree with you completely. But for a girl who is otherwise beautiful, talented, intelligent and very much confident in who she is - repeated attacks such as these can take their toll. An earlier poster mentioned that often such surgery can help people feel better about their appearance. And given the emphasis that we place due to our innate biologies on sexual attraction (and allow me to remind you here - that our biology is also extremely relevant to the way we organize ourselves into social groups - and furthermore, the way we set up hierarchies within these social groups) - can you really blame people for wanting to look a certain way? And so, as I asked before - what is left of being "completely normal"? I think normal depends on who a person is and what they do and who they're around. You don't come across too many physically unattractive people in political high posts - George Bush notwithstanding. Studies have shown that better looking people earn more and recently there was a (disputed) study out on how height is a factor in intelligence. Now, if someone sees that people around them, who could very well be less competent than they are are being taken more seriously, getting perks in life, etc. etc. - would it be morally wrong of them to focus on their looks more than their peers to somewhat mitigate these forces that are out of their control. Is too much makeup a problem too? Shouldn't there be a rant against the companies that promote aesthetic ideals of beauty that might deviate from "normal"? "because you are worth it"? More importantly, without trying to come across as too condescending - what gives you the right to judge what is "normal" to a person or a group of people? If an entire group of upper strata individuals establish a norm whereby wrinkles are abnormal in their country club, would you as a physician deny a man or a woman in this country club their autonomy to feel "normal" within their social stratum? Or would you place (and impose) your ideas of what is normal on them to dissuade them? You might deny them a botox procedure on the basis of normalcy in the general populace, but what if denying them caused them more mental distress due to their social position (which they can't extricate themselves from)? As a physician -there is some sense of being bound to a balance between a patient's autonomy and beneficence - and a cosmetic surgeon (with, as you mentioned, a vested interest in money - making) might choose the patient's autonomy if the procedure doesn't cause any harm. Exacerbating a pre-existing eating disorder by suggesting lipo or something else of the sort - is another story.

You also mentioned that you "find a woman with small, natural breasts far more attractive than one who has breast implants" Sorry to point this out but this kind of explains your next statement : "If a woman feels she needs large breasts in order to be confident I'm not going to find that aspect of her personality very attractive". Ever wonder that maybe you're finding her personality unattractive because she's planning on going against what YOU find physically attractive? Just a thought. And furthermore - your preference for smaller breasts is a preference - and please see above for the nature of preferences.

If I came across as disjointed or guilty of any ad hominem attacks - I apologize. And it seems that this forum got completely hijacked by this topic. Anyhow, Cheers.

[Ève]

So, Devari, let me get this straight. A kid who was born with an atrocious nose, let's say, but a very "normally functionning one" that has nothing wrong with it except its ugliness, even if he gets stones thrown at him in elementary school, while everyone is laughing, and has no friends as a result, and then becomes very withdrawn and introvert, and in high school, can't shake it off and accept who he is, and has bad marks and eventually drops out... even then, that kid should not get a surgery because a normal nose is trivial. It's not necessary. The nose works fine. It's the kid that needs psychotherapy to learn to just accept himself... Right?

 

I am not that kid. But I guess you were never him either. As a matter of fact, I guess you look very normal, and therefore have no clue what it feels like to be physically different from the rest, to a point where people (and especially kids, who are often mean) ostracise you.

 

Since when can doctors impose their values on patients in this day and age? What about doctors who perform mainly abortions? Are they real doctors, even though they don't help life per say? What if you disagree with abortions? Does that give you the right to judge? What happend to being pro choice and open minded, like most doctors should be in our era? Don't get plastic surgery if you don't want to, but understand that some people do want to, for reasons that are often much more complex than meets the eye, and no one has the right to judge that. And plastic surgeons are good, competent, much-needed doctors, a rightful part of our healthcare system.

[drcave]

So, Devari, let me get this straight. A kid who was born with an atrocious nose, let's say, but a very "normally functionning one" that has nothing wrong with it except its ugliness, even if he gets stones thrown at him in elementary school, while everyone is laughing, and has no friends as a result, and then becomes very withdrawn and introvert, and in high school, can't shake it off and accept who he is, and has bad marks and eventually drops out... even then, that kid should not get a surgery because a normal nose is trivial. It's not necessary. The nose works fine. It's the kid that needs psychotherapy to learn to just accept himself... Right?

 

 

This totally reminds me of my friend Honker. He had a hideous nose (thus the knickname he aquired in elementary school), never had a girlfriend but he was a really great guy. I don't think he ever got a nose job. Wonder if he is still lonely. Nobody I know would fault him for getting a nose job.

[dr_2020]

 

I am not that kid. But I guess you were never him either. As a matter of fact, I guess you look very normal, and therefore have no clue what it feels like to be physically different from the rest, to a point where people (and especially kids, who are often mean) ostracise you.

 

 

Bullies have their own psychological issues. They want attention to overcome their own insecurities (feeling powerless). Best to ignore them, that shows strength.

[Ève]

Bullies have their own psychological issues. They want attention to overcome their own insecurities (feeling powerless). Best to ignore them, that shows strength.

 

I don't know if many people can do that when they're 7!

[AMmd]

I don't know if many people can do that when they're 7!

 

haha very true!