A co-worker whose wife is pregnant is conflicted whether or not to take paternity

leave. He and his wife would both like him to spend time at home with the baby, but
doing so might take him out of consideration for an upcoming promotion at work.
Should he prioritize family or career? In addition, his industry doesn’t seem to support
men who take paternity leave. A former colleague was penalized for taking leave and
spent years stuck in the same position before finally leaving the company. As his co-
worker, what do you think he should do?

1. Would you recommend he take paternity leave? Why or why not?

2. What strategies could you offer to help him make a decision that he feels
comfortable with?
3. Maintaining a work-life balance can be challenging. Why do you think people
struggle to find balance?

In this CASPer practice scenario, you want to demonstrate your empathy and
problem-solving skills. How will you support your co-worker and help him find a
positive solution to his dilemma? 

Think about how the key ideas of the situation might relate to a physician’s
experience. In this scenario, the principle of patient autonomy stands out. Your co-
worker has the right to make his own decisions concerning his life—as a patient
makes their own decisions concerning their health. Your role is to provide the best
information so they can make an informed decision. 

These are our sample responses: 

1. Would you recommend he take paternity leave? Why or why not? Before
making a recommendation, I would first gather more information. I would find
the company’s HR policy on paternity leave and review it with my co-worker.
Once we understood the policy, I would help my co-worker clarify his
priorities in an accepting, non-judgmental way. Does he prioritize spending
this time with his wife and child or securing a promotion to help him provide
 for them financially? Using the policy to inform us, I would support my co-
worker in making a priority-based decision.
2. What strategies could you offer to help him make a decision that he feels
comfortable with? I would encourage my co-worker to gather information on
the company culture surrounding paternity leave from multiple perspectives—
including HR, his boss, and other colleagues who’ve taken leave. I would
suggest he weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each option, both short-term
and long-term. 
3. Maintaining a work-life balance can be challenging. Why do you think
people struggle to find balance? Sustaining work-life balance is challenging
in today’s society because technology makes everyone easily accessible. This
allows work matters to intrude on non-work time. Employers sometimes
demand too much from their employees, and employees may struggle to define
their work-life boundaries. Additionally, everyone’s ideal work-life balance is
unique—some may feel balanced during 60-hour workweeks, while others
would be overwhelmed. Maintaining work-life balance is in everyone’s best
interest because it improves productivity and overall health.

You’re the manager at a retail store. A man tries to return a toy for a refund but
doesn’t have the original receipt. Due to store policy, the cashier states she can only
offer him store credit. The man says his daughter came down with pneumonia, and he
needs the cash to fill her prescriptions. He asks the cashier to make a policy exception
for him. She turns to you. What do you think she should do?

1. As the store manager, would you give this customer a refund? Why or why
not?
2. If you decide to abide by store policy, how could you refuse the refund in a
way that shows empathy for the customer?
3. In your opinion, what is the most essential quality to possess in a customer
service position? Explain your response.
For this CASPer practice scenario, there’s no “right or wrong” answer. The important
thing to discuss is your process of weighing two conflicting priorities—company
policy and customer well-being. You’ll want to demonstrate how you would pursue a
win-win solution to the best of your ability, thinking through consequences and big-
picture outcomes of your choices. And whether or not you decide to make a policy
exception, you must display high levels of empathy and professionalism.

These are our sample responses:

1. As the store manager, would you give this customer a refund? Why or why
not? I would first take the customer aside to have a private conversation and
seek more information about his situation. I would empathize with his worry
over his daughter’s health and want to help him if possible. I would consider
two options—does the store contribute to charity or give back to the
community? If so, I could issue a refund from the store’s charitable fund. If
not, I would consider altering the store refund policy. I would add a clause
saying refunds could be issued without a receipt based on the manager’s
discretion. I would also set a limit to the refund amounts to prevent the
company from suffering financial harm. 
2. If you decide to abide by store policy, how could you refuse the refund in a
way that shows empathy for the customer? I would actively listen to his
situation and validate his feelings of concern for his daughter. In a
compassionate manner, I would apologize and explain I was unable to make an
exception. I would try to offer alternative solutions to his problem—for
example, recommend he inquire about a prescription payment plan or more
affordable generic medication.
3. In your opinion, what is the most essential quality to possess in a customer
service position? Explain your response. I believe empathetic listening and
respectful communication are essential to customer service. While a
customer’s request may need to be denied, the customer-provider relationship
can be preserved if the customer feels they have been listened to and respected.
This Maya Angelou quote summarizes effective customer service, “People will
forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Here’s why these responses work: 

They demonstrate a concern for the customer while balancing the store policy and
needs. Pulling the customer into a private conversation shows him compassion and
professionalism. A solution was first sought within current store practice—making the
refund a charitable contribution. Next, the policy itself was examined and altered to
better serve customers. These solutions are guided by precedent and consideration of
long-term implications.

As a physician, you have to balance your patients’ best interests with the rules and
guidelines governing your organization or practice. Under proper medical ethics,
physicians are expected to criticize and seek change to policies that harm the well-
being of patients.

Your project group members are frustrated because one member—Paul—left the
group last minute, leaving everyone else with a lot of work to complete before the
approaching deadline. Paul said he had to leave the group due to a worsening medical
condition, but your classmate sees a photo of him at a pool party on social media.
Your group members are conflicted. One wants to report Paul to the academic
coordinator so he doesn’t receive a grade for the group project he left. But your other
classmate doesn’t want to do anything without having all the facts—maybe it’s an old
photo, after all. It’s your call, what should you do?

1. What do you recommend to your group members?

2. Do you think it is okay to report a concern to a supervisor based on a
suspicion? Why or why not?
3. Do you believe that one false or inappropriate post on social media can have a
lasting effect on someone’s career? Explain your response.

In this CASPer practice scenario, you have to balance multiple perspectives and
priorities, while resolving the conflict between your two remaining group members.
You’ll want to show how you consider alternative possibilities before jumping to
conclusions and making potentially false accusations. And considering you and your
classmate have grades on the line, you need to demonstrate how you would show
maturity and adhere to your moral code despite the personal risk.

These are our sample responses:

1. What do you recommend to your group members? I would ask to get more
information before acting. I would meet Paul in person and determine if the
photo was new or old. If he’s truly ill and it was an old photo, I would ask how
I could support him. If it’s a new photo, I would express the group’s concerns
about the justice of the situation. If he’s able to attend a party, is he able to
contribute to the project and his own grade? I would give him the option to
rejoin the group and complete the project with us. If he refused, I would
explain the situation to the academic coordinator to protect my and the other
group members’ grades. 
2. Do you think it is okay to report a concern to a supervisor based on a
suspicion? Why or why not? It’s my responsibility to make an effort to verify
a concern before reporting it to my supervisor. If after seeking more
information, I couldn’t verify or disprove my concern, I would weigh the costs
of staying silent or making a report. As a physician, if I suspected someone was
putting a patient’s life in danger, I would report my suspicion. I would trust my
supervisor to use their resources to investigate the matter further and make a
final decision.
3. Do you believe that one false or inappropriate post on social media can
have a lasting effect on someone’s career? Explain your response. Yes,
social media posts have the power to impact a person’s career. Recently we’ve
seen celebrities attacked for offensive posts they made in the past, even if their
current views have changed. Professionals, especially those who require the
public’s trust like physicians do, should consider how their actions on social
media could be interpreted by others. 

Why do these answers work? 

They demonstrate the steps of gathering more information and giving the group
member a chance to make the right decision before reporting his actions. According to
medical ethics, physicians should have a commitment to being fair, and these sample
responses display a desire to see justice done.

The second response addresses the difficulty of dealing with ambiguity, which occurs
in the life of every professional. In the medical field, when patients’ lives are at risk,
doctors must think and act quickly, balancing the priority of giving someone the
benefit of the doubt with the imperative to promote their patients’ well-being.
Showing you understand the complexity of these decisions indicate you will handle
them appropriately when they arise in your practice.

You are sharing a hotel room with a co-worker, Lisa, during a business trip. She’s left
her suitcase open and you notice a vial of marijuana in it. You ask Lisa about it and
she tells you that she is epileptic and that it’s medical marijuana. Medical cannabis is
legal in your state; however, your workplace has a strict no-drugs policy. What would
you do?

1. Part of your company’s drug policy includes reporting other employees who
disobey the policy. Would you report Lisa?
2. Say Lisa tells you that she only uses marijuana during off-work hours. Would
that change your course of action?
3. Which is more important: Lisa’s medical needs or your company’s drug
policy? 

The primary consideration in this scenario is a person’s well-being vs. workplace

policy. In thinking through your answers, you’ll want to exhibit empathy towards
Lisa, plus prioritize her health, while also demonstrating that you take professionalism
and rules seriously. Another aspect to consider is the current political and legal
debates surrounding cannabis use and how these debates may or may not be relevant
to your positions.

Here are our sample responses:

 1. Part of your company’s drug policy includes reporting other employees
who disobey the policy. Would you report Lisa? As Lisa’s co-worker rather
than her supervisor or doctor, I would take her at her word that marijuana is
beneficial for her epilepsy and that her usage is legal. However, I would want
to know more about how her usage interacts with our company’s drug policy.
For example, I’d ask her if our supervisors are aware that she uses marijuana
medicinally and whether she uses it during work hours. I would also read the
language of the drug policy to gain a clearer understanding of its strictures
and intent—for instance, it would be useful to know if marijuana is specifically
named or if the policy simply bans illegal substances. Given how quickly
cannabis laws are changing these days, it seems plausible that the policy was
written at a time when it was still illegal. Because medical cannabis is legal in
our state, not to mention increasingly socially accepted, if I did determine that
her usage clearly violated the drug policy, I would first encourage her to speak
with our supervisor or HR rep before I filed a complaint. I think it is possible
that her medical needs might qualify as an exception.
2. Say Lisa tells you that she only uses marijuana during off-work hours.
Would that change your course of action? It depends on the language of the
drug policy. For example, if the policy states that employees cannot use drugs
on the job, then I would not see a problem with Lisa using medical marijuana
outside of work. While a business trip does fall into a gray area, I would be
inclined to consider there to still be a difference between active work hours and
off-the-clock personal time.
3. Which is more important: Lisa’s medical needs or your company’s drug
policy? As a future physician, I believe that the health and well-being of
individuals should always be prioritized. At the same time, professionalism and
ethics are also important—to me, this means honesty and respect and
adherence to rules. Lisa’s situation clearly falls under multiple gray areas that
I imagine will come to the forefront of debate as the legal status of cannabis
continues to evolve. 

Why do these answers work?

This is tricky situation without clear-cut “right” answers. Nevertheless, these
responses display a respect for key medical ethics, such as Lisa’s autonomy to
determine her own healthcare and the prioritization of her well-being.

The respondent also shows that they take the company policy seriously. At the same
time, they don’t display a desire to punish Lisa, which might be seen as lacking
empathy. 

Rather, they attempt to understand the nuances of the situation and take into account
the legal and political complexities before taking action.

You’re a college professor. One of your students struggles with writing and typically
does not turn in high-quality papers. Halfway through the semester, you notice that
the quality of his work dramatically improves. You suspect that he may be
plagiarizing, but you are unable to find any evidence that the work is not his own.
How would you handle this?

1. Would you confront this student? What would you say?

2. Say the student was on probation and would certainly be expelled if he were
found guilty of plagiarism. How would this affect your course of action?
3. How important do you think it is to give people the benefit of the doubt?

In this situation, you’re asked to weigh a potential ethical breach against giving
someone the benefit of the doubt. However you handle these questions, you’ll want to
show that you can act professionally and compassionately in light of any suspicions,
and that you can attempt to hold someone accountable without rushing to conclusions,
especially given the potential weight of a plagiarism accusation.  

Let’s take a look at our sample responses:

1. Would you confront this student? What would you say? I would meet with
the student and ask him how the course is going for him. I would say, “It’s
great to see you getting the material and improving your writing. What’s made
 such a big difference for you? How did you approach writing this paper?” I
would follow up with other detailed questions about the course material and
writing process. I believe that giving him the opportunity to show he does
understand the material well and offer alternative explanations would be the
respectful thing to do. For example, maybe he’s working with a tutor, or
perhaps there was an extenuating circumstance earlier in the semester that’s
cleared up. Because a plagiarism accusation is serious—and it is crucial in
this situation to note that there is no hard evidence—his responses to these
questions would determine whether or not I would decide to move forward with
asking if the work was his own.  
2. Say the student was on probation and would certainly be expelled if he
were found guilty of plagiarism. How would this affect your course of
action? I believe that plagiarism is a serious offense for any student, so
knowing a student could be expelled wouldn’t change what I would do with this
student vs. a student who was not on probation. Either way, I would try to get
to the bottom of the situation in a careful, compassionate way.
3. How important do you think it is to give people the benefit of the
doubt? Doctors must always be prepared to help others, one part of which is
offering empathy and two-way communication. I don’t believe this means
looking the other way when there is clear wrongdoing, but in my opinion, it is
very important to try to understand the nuance of a situation, which means
giving others the benefit of the doubt so long as it doesn’t mean potentially
putting people in harm’s way.

What works about these answers?

By gathering more information and not rushing to conclusions, the respondent

demonstrates a commitment to fairness and compassion. They also show a respect for
standards and rules through both the seriousness with which they treat plagiarism and
their unwillingness to make an exception for a student on probation. 
The third response offers insight into how this respondent might handle a similar
situation as a physician, highlighting the importance of balancing nuance and
compassionate thinking with doing no harm. 

One of your co-workers, Vanessa, has started to frequently call in sick or leave work
early, causing more work for you and the rest of your team. When you ask Vanessa
why she’s missing so much work, she confesses to you that her husband has moved
out, which has left her without adequate childcare. You are sympathetic to her
problem but are sick of picking up the slack. What should you do?

1. What would you say to Vanessa? Would you let her know that she’s negatively
affecting the rest of the team?
2. What would you do if you were Vanessa and a co-worker spoke to you about
this situation?
3. Discuss a situation in which you had to balance personal and professional
demands. 

There are a number of factors to consider in this scenario. You’ll want to discuss
showing empathy for people in difficult situations, what responsibilities team
members hold, and the importance of clear communication. In addition, because
doctors frequently have to balance personal and professional demands, you’ll also
need to think through how you would be equipped to handle these kinds of situations
in your future professional life. 

Here are our sample responses:

1. What would you say to Vanessa? Would you let her know that she’s
negatively affecting the rest of the team? First and foremost, I would express
compassion for Vanessa by saying something like, “I’m so sorry to hear about
your difficulties at home. I can only imagine how challenging it must be to
balance that with work right now. Let me know how I can help.” Then I would
 wait until a different time to pull her aside to discuss how the team has been
affected by her absences. I would let her know clearly but without anger or
judgment, and I would encourage her to speak to our supervisor. While I
believe that it’s the supervisor’s responsibility to create an equitable
arrangement for getting work done, I also think that it’s Vanessa’s
responsibility to help facilitate that process by keeping the supervisor in the
loop.
2. What would you do if you were Vanessa and a co-worker spoke to you
about this situation? If I were on Vanessa’s end of the conversation, I would
listen to my co-worker’s perspective and try my best not to be defensive even
though I’m sure I would feel frustration and that the situation was not my fault.
Nevertheless, I’d apologize to my team members for creating extra work for
them, and then I would speak to my supervisor and HR person in hopes of
finding a better solution. I would also speak to other single parents in the
company and ask them how they’ve handled situations like this in the past.  
3. Discuss a situation in which you had to balance personal and professional
demands. During my sophomore year of college, my mom was diagnosed with
ovarian cancer. My family lived about two hours away from my school, so I
started driving home every weekend to help take care of household tasks like
cleaning and laundry. This was a stressful arrangement for me, and as a result
I was constantly exhausted and did not do as well as I should have in some of
my classes that semester. In retrospect, I could have taken pass/fail classes or
perhaps a leave of absence. If I faced a difficult personal situation like this
again in the future, I would try to find similar ways to temporarily adjust my
professional life.

Why do these answers work?

The first response balances compassion for Vanessa with responsibility for the team.
The respondent also demonstrates that they can communicate well and interact in
socially appropriate ways.
The second and third responses tackle the other perspective. These answers illustrate
that the respondent is able to take accountability for their actions and work to find
solutions to difficult problems, indicating the resilience and adaptability that is
necessary for physicians. 

You’re introduced to a new co-worker, Ben, and are surprised to find that he is the
same person who sexually harassed a close friend of yours at his previous job. While
Ben was fired from his last job and punished in other ways, the situation was not
made public. You only happen to know the details because your friend shared them
with you. How would you handle this?

1. How would you interact with Ben?

2. Would you inform your boss and/or other co-workers about Ben’s past
behavior?
3. Should people who commit serious offenses be given second chances?

In this scenario, you’ll need to demonstrate professional behavior, even in interacting

with someone whom you may have a reason to dislike. You’ll also need to think
through the ethics and consequences of giving Ben a fresh start vs. warning others
about his past behavior. However you address this, you’ll want to show that you can
balance fairness and compassion with harm prevention.

These are our sample responses:

1. How would you interact with Ben? I would be polite to Ben. Even though I
would certainly feel negatively towards him due to my prior knowledge, I
wouldn’t let that get in the way of behaving professionally. As a doctor, it’s
essential to be able to work with and potentially treat any person, no matter
who they are or how you may feel about them.  
2. Would you inform your boss and/or other co-workers about Ben’s past
behavior? It would depend on the severity of his past behavior, as well as the
wishes of my friend. Assuming that I did not have reason to believe that Ben’s
presence put anyone in our workplace in imminent danger, to begin with, I
 most likely would not tell my co-workers about Ben’s past in order to give Ben
the benefit of the doubt and the possibility of a clean slate. It’s possible that the
harassment came up during his reference check. It’s also possible that, given
the punishment he received, he’s learned from his mistake. However, if my
friend gave her consent, I would quietly speak with my boss and/or HR to make
sure that they are aware of the situation and can monitor his behavior
accordingly. Similarly, if I heard that he was making anyone uncomfortable or
if I noticed anything off, I wouldn’t hesitate to share the essential details of the
story. 
3. Should people who commit serious offenses be given second chances? Yes, I
do believe that people deserve second chances. In my opinion, all people are
capable of change and improvement. I believe that it is a physician’s ethical
duty to approach people in an open-minded manner. 

What works about these answers?

There are many ways that you could approach these questions or interpret ethical
soundness in this scenario. Nevertheless, these answers work because the respondent
shows that they prioritize professionalism and a desire to be fair, explaining how their
reasoning is based on the ethical responsibilities of physicians to treat all people with
an open mind. 

At the same time, the respondent expresses a desire to ensure that Ben does not harass
others in the future and works to find solutions to prevent this from happening.