CASper question types

Conflict of intrest

contray to their obligations and absolute duties to act for the benefit of those they serve

exploit their relationships or status of their own personal benefit

ex: teacher grading test of his close friend’s son

ethical or moral dilemma

• Any decision you make will lead to the violation of some moral or ethical code  

Ex: you are a physician in an emergency room and you simultaneously receive two patients who both need a kidney transplant to survive, but you only have one kidney available. Choosing either patients would harm the other

Professional boundaries, obligations, and ethics

• Deal with instances in which effective and appropriate interactions and relationships between the professionals and the public are violated

• A good opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the importance of professional ethics 

Ex: a professor having relations with his student outside of the academic setting would be overstepping the professional boundaries between him and that student

Scope and practice

• Laws and regulations that define the procedures, actions and processes that are permitted for a licensed professional

Ex: as a volunteer at a homeless shelter, you would be acting outside of your role by suggesting treatment options to those visiting the shelter

Social and Current events awareness

• Test your awareness of current events and news about the profession 

Ex: a prompt may ask you about the increasing political divide in North american politics and ask you to discuss this situation

Policy

• Familiarize yourself with the current issues in your field and outside of it and the policies being proposed to tackle those issues 

• Always avoid stating your opinion or taking a side on an issue without considering all sides of the argument

Personal questions

Ex: describe a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle or describe how you would go about solving conflict with a superior 

• What you did in each experience and what have you learned from it 

• Let your assessor know why the experience is relevant to your future profession

 Autonomy support

• The right of individuals to make decisions about their own wellbeing

• Peoples autonomy to think, decide and act must be respected 

Ex: the health care provider is not allowed to make treatment decisions for the patient, rather it is the responsibility of physicians to educate and inform the patient using the latest scientific evidence so that the patient can make the most informed decision on their own. 

• However there are some extreme instances where professional can withhold autonomy, such as when an individual is not of sound mind or is physically incapacitated to the extent that makes them unable to communicate or make decisions 

• Or when someone is likely to cause harm to themselves/others, the ethical obligation to support autonomy is replaced by the ethical and legal obligation to intervene and protect the health and safety of individuals involved

Informed consent

• Once you have provided the best possible solutions to those under your care, you are responsible for answering any and all of their questions regarding the solutions and potential consequences to make sure they fully understand their options and can make an informed decision 

Ex: a nurse , you would have to address all questions about treatment option or request the help of a doctor to do so when the questions are outside your scope of practice so that hte patient can truly give informed consent for the treatment

Evidence-based practice

• Decisions based on scientific evidence rather than gut feelings or personal opinions 

•  Aims to determine whether you understand these approaches and can successfully apply them to your everyday life before they even consider you as a future professional 

. Rural vs City practice

• Must have a good understanding of what the challenges are for professionals working in a rural setting and for community members trying to access care, what the advantages and disadvantages are for both parties, whether the care provider or the care receiver comes first when considering pros and cons, who should decide where someone ought to practice.

Legal awareness

• It is crucial to identify the most vulnerable party and support the decisions you make by prioritizing their wellbeing and the wellbeing of those directly or indirectly involved.

• Raters want to see that you have the maturity to react based on common sense.

. Alternative solutions

Ex: in teaching, alternatives to traditional schooling would be homeschooling or boarding schools 

• These scenarios that requires you to show awareness of alternative solutions and professions and when and how

. Non-judgmental approach

• You need to approach all scenarios with a non-judgemental approach so that you do not jump to any hasty conclusions or take any extreme positions. 

Practice: think about the last two important decisions you had to make quickly about a situation or person. Did you gather all the facts first or did you jump to a conclusion right away? How was your action influenced by your initial rash judgment?

 Conflict resolution

• Deals with real life scenarios that require you to intervene to resolve a conflict 

• You have to show that you are able to maturely and professionally resolve any conflict and come up with a mutually acceptable solution for all parties involved 

Ex: internal conflict, a conflict between two individuals unknown to you, or a conflict between you and a superior, peer, or a colleague.

Global issues related to the profession

Show such knowledge is to continuously read articles, scientific papers and reports related to your profession from international governing bodies

Cultural Sensitivity

• You are going to encounter people with different cultural, social, racial and religious backgrounds 

• Differences lead to different behaviors, expectations and beliefs

• Your job is to show your understanding without any judgment while providing the best care and service possible 

Ex: what would you do if you were a teacher and a student objected to an exam date due to a religious holiday? Would you come up with a solution to ensure the student is accommodated while being fair to other students? Or, would you retain a strict exam date?

 Empathy

• The capacity to understand, be sensitive to, and experience the feelings of others are critical skills in any profession 

• You can foster a trusting relationship, which in turn promotes better care delivery because when those under your care trust you, they are more likely to listen to your recommendations and implement your expert solutions.

. Collaboration

• Require information among many individuals 

• Some scenarios specifically test your willingness to cooperate with peers, colleagues, supervisors and even individuals from across professions 

Ex: shows a group meeting of three students working on a team-based project

 Confidentiality

• You have a moral and even legal obligation to keep all information about those under your care confidential at all times 

• You must not reveal the details of any of your conversations or findings about your care receivers to anyone who is not directly involved in providing care for them, including your own close friends and family members

• Maintaining a trusting relationship 

Ex: how would you feel if you found that your best friend revealed your deepest fears to complete strangers who then used it against you or made fun of you? You would probably never trust your friend with anything sensitive again and would not ask for their help in the future.

 Communication

• Most important skill you must demonstrate, tested in every single question

• In order to communicate your reasoning, you have to take the time to read each question and gather your thoughts before you start responding.

• Take care to explicitly explain how you would react in a given scenario because if you miss any details, the raters will interpret that as carelessness

• Have a clear beginning and ending