Doing Right

Should I read Doing Right?

I read Doing Right. Actually, I read it three times. Some people say that it is unnecessary, while I think most people would acknowledge that it’s helpful. The case studies may not correlate exactly to the ethical scenarios you encounter at an MMI. For example, I found the ethical scenarios at McMaster and Saskatchewan to be mostly outside of medicine, but I still found it helpful as a framework to consider different perspectives.

The general advice is to read Doing Right, but don’t memorize it. Just be familiar with the basic concepts and how they apply to the case studies presented. Be familiar with concepts surrounding autonomy, beneficence, and justice, and how they would apply to special cases such as the incapable, the elderly, or the young. The case studies in the book make for great MMI questions! I’ve had a few stations at some schools that were taken almost verbatim from Doing Right.

Remember - schools do not expect you to be an expert in bioethics - you will learn this in med school, however, demonstrating that you are aware of the issues involved and showing preparedness goes a long way to creating a positive impression.