TMU Medical School Interview: Questions and Answers

Posted on Mar 14, 2025 in Other university degrees and diplomas

TMU Kira Interview

What motivates you to practice medicine in diverse communities like Peel/Brampton?

1. Personally, pursuing medicine is not just about treating illness—it’s about fighting for health equity and dismantling the systemic barriers that prevent people from receiving the care they deserve.

2. This passion stems from my lived experiences growing up in a traditional Moroccan household and becoming acutely aware of the challenges that many culturally-diverse Canadians face in accessing care.

3. One experience that profoundly comes to mind is when I witnessed my mother facing linguistic racism from health professionals. During numerous appointments, I saw how her foreign accent led to her concerns being dismissed, as if she were incompetent to communicate her needs. At times, upon asking a medical-related question, I would even witness the healthcare provider completely, physically turning away from my mother.

4. The diversity of Brampton/Peel reminds me of the community I grew up in, and as such, I can resonate with the experiences of community members of B/P who also face similar discriminations within the healthcare system.

5. I want a future for Canada’s healthcare system in which a physician never turns a blind eye to a patient due to biases toward those who do not speak the same language, or who come from a different culture or kin.

6. Furthermore, I’m passionate about inspiring the next generation of doctors, particularly those who, like me, may not see themselves represented in the traditional image of a doctor—a white man in a white coat.

7. As an applicant of traditional Moroccan background, I long for young people from diverse backgrounds to know that they too can pursue a career in medicine and make a meaningful impact in their communities.

8. Representation matters, and by being visible in this field, I hope to empower others to see themselves as the future of healthcare.

What have you learned from working with people from different backgrounds, and how have you applied these lessons to create a more inclusive environment?

Situation:

1. As a recreational therapist in long-term care, I work with residents living with a wide variety of abilities and disabilities, as well as those who come from varying diverse cultural backgrounds.

2. Many residents have neuro-cognitive disabilities, such as dementia, which impact their ability to engage in mainstream activities.

3. Additionally, the facility serves a culturally diverse population, including residents from East Asian backgrounds, each with their own cultural practices, traditions, and preferences.

Task:

1. During the month of January, in which the Chinese New Year takes place, I wanted to create a festive and meaningful recreational activity for our residents.

2. This activity would engage residents with varying physical and cognitive abilities, while also respecting and celebrating their cultural backgrounds.

3. This required a high level of creativity and adaptability to cater to both the physical ability needs and cultural needs of the residents.

Action:

1. To address the cultural and accessibility needs of our residents, I designed an ‘Armchair Travel to China’ program for those with limited mobility or cognitive impairments.

2. This program included sensory elements such as a visual PowerPoint presentation (1) about China, a mock passport for each resident (2), as well as music and videos of traditional Chinese folk dance (3) to create a rich, immersive experience.

3. It allowed residents to engage through their senses, particularly those with dementia, by stimulating familiar memories from home and creating an overall positive and reminiscent atmosphere.

4. Additionally, I went a step further by organizing an outing to an authentic Chinese restaurant, chosen according to the preferences and accessibility needs of the residents.

Result:

1. These activities were highly successful- all residents, regardless of their cognitive or physical abilities, were able to participate meaningfully, comfortably, and with dignity in the month’s activities.

2. Residents from East Asian backgrounds felt particularly honored, while other residents enjoyed learning about Chinese customs and traditions.

3. Family members also expressed their appreciation for the attention to cultural detail and for the opportunity for their loved ones to engage in a meaningful experience despite physical or cognitive disability.

TMU:

1. This experience has taught me to be highly adaptable and creative in order to uniquely customize care for residents with diverse physical and cognitive needs while also honoring the cultural heritage of residents.

2. As such, this experience aligns with TMU Medicine’s mission, which emphasizes diversity, social accountability, and compassionate care.

3. It also aligns with many of TMU’s pillars, including providing culturally respectful care for all, as well as providing specialized care for seniors.

4. These crossovers in my own values and attitudes and TMU’s expectations are what make TMU the ideal option for pursuing my medical education.

At TMU, improving healthcare equity is a core mission. What are your thoughts on possible strategies to address inequities in access to healthcare for underserved populations?

BPS approach

Background:

1. Through my own experiences and through my Master’s thesis, I have continuously underscored that healthcare equity is vital in ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their geographic location, income level, or racial or cultural background, have equal access to quality care.

Problem:

1. One of the most significant barriers to care is the inability of underserved populations—particularly those in rural, lower-income, and racialized communities—to receive timely and specialized care.

2. These barriers include long travel distances to the nearest healthcare facility, limited transportation options, financial constraints, and a lack of availability of culturally competent specialists.

3. For racialized and Indigenous communities, there may also be additional layers of inequity, such as mistrust of the healthcare system, language barriers, and the absence of culturally relevant care options.

Solution:

1. With these challenges in mind, my Master’s thesis explored the potential of telemedicine as a solution to these inequities, particularly for individuals with chronic conditions such as asthma who require continuous specialist care but who are limited by geographic and socioeconomic barriers.

2. My research highlighted the many ways in which telemedicine closes healthcare access gaps, some of which include eliminating the need for long travel times, providing more timely intervention, and less costly care.

3. Furthermore, my study also explored the needs of non-anglophone and racially/culturally diverse communities, for which telemedicine services can offer increased access to a pool of linguistically-diverse and culturally-competent care providers from far and wide.

4. My thesis indicated that when linguistic and cultural needs are met, patient no-show rates significantly decrease and continuous, managed care is promoted.

5. Furthermore, one of the challenges highlighted in my thesis is ensuring that individuals in lower-income communities have access to the necessary technology for telemedicine.

6. To mitigate this, strategies could include government-provided subsidies for technology (such as smartphones, tablets, or internet access) or establishing community technology hubs such as in schools or pharmacies in underserved areas where patients can access telehealth services. Additionally, physicians are encouraged to use their power to advocate for policy reform and increase pressure for federal funding and timely deadlines of broadband internet projects in underserved areas.

TMU:

1. My Master’s resonates with TMU’s core mission of commitment to health equity and bridging gaps in access to care for underserved patient populations.

2. In addition, I can also utilize the knowledge acquired through my thesis to contribute to TMU’s pillar of technology and innovation, specifically in leveraging technology to make healthcare more accessible and equitable for the Brampton/Peel region.

How do you work under pressure?

Situation:

1. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, our long-term care facility experienced an outbreak that put immense pressure on both staff and residents.
2. In addition to the physical health risks, there was heightened concern over the emotional well-being of our residents, many of whom were already vulnerable to isolation.

Task:

1. The challenge was to continue promoting a high quality of life for our residents while also taking strict measures to prevent the further spread of the virus.

2. As a recreation therapist, my role became even more critical during this time. I was responsible for ensuring residents still had access to meaningful activities and emotional support, even while maintaining strict isolation protocols to prevent transmission.

Action:

1. To manage this, I quickly adapted by implementing virtual activities and one-on-one sessions, ensuring residents still had opportunities for social interaction, even from a distance.

2. I collaborated closely with the nursing team and infection control specialists to create safe activity plans that adhered to all health protocols. For example, I organized masked one-on-one sessions where I could engage residents in safe activities, such as art therapy, music therapy, and gentle movement exercises, all while maintaining proper distancing and sanitizing practices.

Result:

1. As a result of these quick adaptations, even in the midst of the outbreak, residents remained engaged and connected, helping to alleviate some of the isolation they felt. The family members appreciated the extra effort in keeping their loved ones involved and supported.

TMU:

1. This experience has prepared me to be a future-ready clinician at TMU, where I will need to quickly adapt and innovate to provide high quality and holistic care for the complex and ever-needs of the B/P region.

What does “leadership” mean to you?

1. In my own experiences, leadership is about inspiring others to work toward a common goal, especially in the face of challenges or changing the status quo. To lead means to create the change we’d like to see in the world, to use our own power for the greater good and create a more equitable world for all members of society.

Situation:

1. In my role as the group leader for Results Canada’s uOttawa chapter, a non-profit organization committed to ending extreme poverty and social inequalities, I was tasked with leading a group of passionate university students in advocating for social justice, particularly in addressing health inequities.

Task:

1. One of the most significant tasks was leading the effort to push for a city-wide awareness campaign on Tuberculosis, specifically on its disproportionate effect on Indigenous communities due to social inequities, colonial policies and practices.

Action:

As a leader, I focused on three key aspects of leadership:

1. Commitment to the Cause and Momentum: I ensured that my group stayed connected to the core reason we came together for this campaign: We were all united by our concern for the disproportionate rates of communicable disease in Indigenous communities, and our drive to create positive change and a more just society. I regularly reminded the team of this shared passion, which helped maintain momentum and encouraged everyone to keep pushing forward our campaign.

2. Collaboration and Coalition Building: As leader, I wanted to make sure all voices were heard, especially of those at stake of the issue. As such, I made sure to reach out to Indigenous community partners and inquire on whether my group and I could listen to their expertise and opinion on this matter. We made sure to credit all community partners in our work.

3. Resilience: Working towards addressing health inequities often means you will be faced with pushbacks, challenges, and/or total disengagement from social institutions. For instance, often when we would try to get in contact to meet with our local MPs, we were either refused or completely ignored. As leader, it was important to encourage the team to stay persistent and remind them of the importance of our work. Sometimes, setbacks are part of the project, and what makes us into stronger, more tenacious social advocates.

Result:

1. Through our collaborative efforts, we successfully raised awareness about the disproportionate rates of Tuberculosis in Indigenous communities, which resulted in being awarded Ottawa’s Mayoral Proclamation in March 2021.

2. This recognition was a testament to our group’s ability to influence local government and create tangible and real change in our communities.

TMU:

1. I believe that overall this experience of working together toward a common cause aligns with many of TMU’s pillars, including collaborative and team-based care and a holistic approach to care that strongly considers the social determinants of health.

2. At TMU, I look forward to leveraging my experiences and learnings from Results Canada to contribute to the school’s commitment towards social justice, health equity, and reconciliation, particularly through community-driven action.

Tell us about a time you had to collaborate with others. What qualities do you think are needed for strong teamwork to take place?

Situation:

1. As a palliative-trained recreation therapist in a long-term care facility, I work closely with residents facing advanced illnesses. One particularly challenging case arose when one of my residents rapidly declined to end-of-life care.

2. The resident, who had been a regular participant in activities, lost their ability to speak and became bedridden. They were also experiencing significant pain, as I had observed by signs of clenching fists, shaking, and restlessness.

3. This situation was especially difficult because I had developed a strong, trusting relationship with this resident over time, which made it even harder to see their suffering.

Task:

1. Given my training in palliative care and therapeutic recreation, my task was to create a therapeutic intervention that could help alleviate the resident’s pain and distress, all while maintaining their dignity and comfort.

2. This involved not only providing recreative support but also collaborating closely with the broader care team to ensure that all aspects of the resident’s care were being met—medically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Action:

I utilized several qualities to best collaborate on this case.

1. Clear and Open Communication: I relied on my clear and open communication skills to collaborate cross-disciplinarily with nursing, PSW, and social work teams.

2. Specifically, we conducted daily morning huddles where we discussed the resident’s status and worked together to establish clear, collective care goals. These huddles were key for ensuring that everyone—from nurses and PSWs to dietary aides and social workers—was aligned in the resident’s care goals and providing compassionate and consistent care.

3. Curiosity to Learn: I utilized my curiosity to learn new knowledge by shadowing the Nurse Practitioner to monitor the effectiveness of the pain management plan. When hydromorphone was administered, I remained with the resident during the 30-minute follow-up period to observe their response.

4. Affective Presence: During this time, I utilized my innate ability to make others feel good, warm, and safe. I focused on creating a peaceful environment. I played a soft, calming playlist of the resident’s favorite music, and I used gentle touch, speaking softly and maintaining eye contact to reassure them.

5. I also took the time to recount positive memories we had shared, like winning a Bingo raffle together and dancing at the music concerts held in the facility’s café.

6. These small acts of connection were important in bringing comfort and reminding the resident of their identity and the life they had lived.

Result:

1. As a result of this collective care and support provided by the entire team, the resident’s physical distress noticeably decreased. Their body language softened: the clenched fists relaxed, the shaking subsided, and the restlessness eased.

2. The calm and soothing environment and holistic care provided by the interdisciplinary care team helped create a peaceful atmosphere in their final days.

TMU:

1. My ability to provide positive, comforting, and compassionate care for patients receiving palliative treatment aligns with TMU’s pillar of specialized care for seniors, as well as TMU’s commitment to compassionate and patient-centered care.

2. In addition, my experiences of working closely with an interdisciplinary team also align with TMU’s pillar for team-based care. As such, I believe I am well-equipped and familiarized with varying healthcare teams to one day collaborate effectively with others as a physician.

3. Finally, my approach to treating the patient as a whole-catering to their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs strongly aligns with TMU’s pillar of providing holistic care.