UCAT Situational judgement 1

Daniella, a medical student, is currently on placement in the emergency department. She is about to escort her next patient, who presents with a sprained ankle, into the consulting room. She then notices a young boy, about three years old, crying out for his mother. It is clear that he is lost and scared. His mother is not in sight.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Daniella in this situation?

Comfort the boy and assure him that his mother will be found.

• A very appropriate thing to do.

• Appropriate, but not ideal.

• Inappropriate but not awful

• A very inappropriate thing to do.

Answer explanation

The boy is clearly distressed, and his mother is nowhere to be seen. It is therefore entirely appropriate that Daniella takes a moment to comfort him, especially given his young age.

Daniella, a medical student, is currently on placement in the emergency department. She is about to escort her next patient, who presents with a sprained ankle, into the consulting room. She then notices a young boy, about three years old, crying out for his mother. It is clear that he is lost and scared. His mother is not in sight.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Daniella in this situation?

Ask the receptionist to deal with the lost boy so that Daniella can tend to the patient with the sprained ankle.

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• Inappropriate, but not awful

• 
  A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

Asking the receptionist means that Daniella can continue her work. However, this isn’t the receptionist’s responsibility and it will mean that in turn the receptionist is unable to pay full attention to their duties. Whilst not awful, this isn’t an appropriate course of action.

Daniella, a medical student, is currently on placement in the emergency department. She is about to escort her next patient, who presents with a sprained ankle, into the consulting room. She then notices a young boy, about three years old, crying out for his mother. It is clear that he is lost and scared. His mother is not in sight.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Daniella in this situation?

Ask the patients in the waiting room if they have seen the boy’s mother

• 
  A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• 
  Inappropriate, but not awful

• 
  A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

Whilst asking the patients in the waiting room if they have seen the boy’s mother would be a useful way of finding out where she has gone, it would be more appropriate to first comfort and reassure the upset boy.

Daniella, a medical student, is currently on placement in the emergency department. She is about to escort her next patient, who presents with a sprained ankle, into the consulting room. She then notices a young boy, about three years old, crying out for his mother. It is clear that he is lost and scared. His mother is not in sight.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Daniella in this situation?

Distract the boy with toys and escort him to the play area, then return to tend to the patient with the sprained ankle

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• Inappropriate, but not awful

• A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

Whilst distracting the boy may take his mind off losing his mother, this doesn’t attempt to resolve the situation. Further, leaving to deal with the sprained ankle means that Daniella is unable to monitor the boy’s situation and try and find his mother. This is a very inappropriate course of action.

Taylah is a dental student on placement in a dental practice. She offers to watch the reception area for 5 minutes while the receptionist, Dan, reparks his car. Dan has been working at the practice for 6 weeks. Taylah uses the computer on the reception desk to check her shifts for next week and sees an open webpage displaying receptionist job roles in other practices. The computer is only usually used by Dan. It is against practice policies to use work computers for personal reasons.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Taylah in this situation?

Inform the practice manager of what she has found on the computer

• A very appropriate thing to do

• 
  Appropriate, but not ideal

• 
  Inappropriate, but not awful

• 
  A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

This is an appropriate thing to do because the practice should be made aware if Dan is looking for other roles or misusing his computer. However, it may be more appropriate for Taylah to speak with Dan about it first, to ask him if he wants to discuss how he is feeling at work, and to ensure that he speaks to the practice manager.

Taylah is a dental student on placement in a dental practice. She offers to watch the reception area for 5 minutes while the receptionist, Dan, reparks his car. Dan has been working at the practice for 6 weeks. Taylah uses the computer on the reception desk to check her shifts for next week and sees an open webpage displaying receptionist job roles in other practices. The computer is only usually used by Dan. It is against practice policies to use work computers for personal reasons.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Taylah in this situation?

Ask Dan if he is looking for other jobs, without referencing what she has found

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• Inappropriate, but not awful

• 
  A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

Although not highly inappropriate because it would be unlikely to make the situation worse, this is inappropriate because it would be better to be straightforward with Dan, so that she can ensure that together they proceed in doing the right thing.

Although not highly inappropriate because it would be unlikely to make the situation worse, this is inappropriate because it would be better to be straightforward with Dan, so that she can ensure that together they proceed in doing the right thing.

Ask the patient to confirm if he is allergic to any medicines.

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• 
  Inappropriate, but not awful

• 
  A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

Ensuring that the patient records are contemporaneous and correct is a very appropriate thing to do in this situation. Whilst they are likely to be correct, there may have been an unrecorded change of which the consultant was already aware. 

A dentist is undertaking a routine check up on a 10 year old boy. During the check up the boy starts crying violently and screams that he wants to go home.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by the dentist in this situation?

Carry on with the check up as normal

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• 
  Inappropriate, but not awful

• A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

The dentist should always act in the patient’s best interest. Carrying on with an examination where the patient is clearly upset is poor practice, and will undoubtedly result in a child remembering the encounter as a traumatic one.

A dentist is undertaking a routine check up on a 10 year old boy. During the check up the boy starts crying violently and screams that he wants to go home.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by the dentist in this situation?

Suggest that the mother book another appointment at a later date

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• 
  Inappropriate, but not awful

• A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

Although booking an appointment at a later date is likely to be very appropriate due to the boy being upset and the likely subsequent effects on treatment outcome, there should also be a preceding definite attempt to calm the boy. For this reason, suggesting that the appointment be rescheduled is, in isolation, only an appropriate thing to do.

A student, Aaron, is speaking to a friend on his course, Lei. Aaron tells Lei that he has been given negative feedback from a clinician about his interpersonal skills, particularly his interactions with patients. He thinks that the feedback is unfair and he is clearly upset.

How appropriate are each of the following responses by Lei in this situation?

Advise Aaron to ask other students whether they have received negative feedback from this clinician.

• A very appropriate thing to do

• Appropriate, but not ideal

• 
  Inappropriate, but not awful

• A very inappropriate thing to do

Answer explanation

This may seem like a reasonable thing to do, but Aaron must remember that receiving negative feedback is part of the normal feedback process. No-one will be satisfactory all of the time, whilst training. The feedback that others have been given is therefore irrelevant. This is not an awful course of action, but it is inappropriate.