Who's right?
Imagine being at your medical school interview, and there are two people present. One is arguing the point of Professor Donald Light whilst the other is arguing the point of Dr. Derek Lowe (and you thought Organic Chemistry would never rear its ugly head again!). Both are talking while you're listening, and soon you find the question turned to you. You've just heard both points of view argued by two respected interviewers (the ones who will render a decision based upon your immediate performance), and now all eyes are on you. To make matters even more interesting, imagine they're now playing "good cop" and "bad cop."
Just how are you going to respond to this? Which side of the story will you argue? How will you argue it? If you play devil's advocate, then what happens when someone asks you to take a single stand and then defend it? Furthermore, once you take that stand, what will you do if both interviewers begin to argue against you, pressing you to defend your position more and more?
This might sound like it's out of the ordinary, however I guarantee it's not. I've been through highly stressful job interviews where this very tactic was used, albeit with somewhat different subject matter. It's a "shark tactic" designed to weed out the weak interviewers who might cave under pressure. As a future doctor, you will find yourself prescribing medications from key players in the pharmaceutical industry. You will be involved.
The world is becoming more competitive every day. The bar for entrance into medical school has just been raised with the announcement of MCAT 2015, having a heavy emphasis on social and behavioral science. No one yet knows what MCAT 2015 will look like, and no one yet knows what medical school interviews of tomorrow may hold. The best practice for the budding professional with an eye on the keyhole leading to medical school is to be prepared for anything.
I suggest you earnestly dispute this issue with your friends, both for and against each side, and then switch sides for a more holistic understanding of the pharmaceutical industry ethical debate.
