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SUBSET OVERVIEW ABOUT

•22 scenarios • My favourite section as it’s the easiest – is just about
•69 questions social and professional conduct
•2-5 questions/scenario • For each question you’ll be presented with a scenario
•26 mins and asked about how appropriate a course of action is
•22 secs/question or how important a factor is in the scenario
• The questions seem subjective but there is a right or
SUBSET PURPOSE wrong answer and you can use guidelines to help
This subset assesses your professional familiarise yourself with what’s more likely to be a
judgement, practical intelligence and right course of action
integrity. These questions can be directly • With these questions you should often just go with
linked to Medicine and before qualifying your gut and try not to overthink it too much
as a doctor you’ll have to sit a whole • As a complex thought process isn’t really required
Situational Judgement exam in this you’ll notice the timing is also a lot more relaxed.
format so it is perhaps the most relevant • If you choose the correct answer you’ll receive full
part of the UCAT. marks, but if you choose an option that’s close to the
desired answer you’ll receive partial marks.
WHAT ARE YOU BEING TESTED ON?
A large part of this subset is assessing
you on your interpersonal qualities. QUESTION TYPES
Being aware of some of these qualities 1. Appropriateness – you’ll be presented with a
and other principles will help you: scenario and then given different potential courses of
action. You’ll be asked to rate the course of action as:
• Communication skills § Very appropriate
• Leadership skills § Appropriate, but not ideal
• Teamwork § Inappropriate, but not awful
• Decision making § Very inappropriate
• Empathy 2. Importance – the question will ask you to consider
• Honesty (duty of candour) how important a particular consideration is in context
• Dignity and respect to the scenario. You’ll have to rate each one as:
• Professionalism
§ Very important
• Confidentiality § Important
• Compassion § Of minor importance
• Patient-centred care § Non important at all
• Consent
• Commitment to education and 3. Ranking appropriateness – presented with a scenario
keeping knowledge up to date and then given 3 potential courses of action. You’ll
• Commitment to safety have to drag and drop the options from most to least
appropriate.

APPROACH FOR THE SJT

1. Read the scenario first
2. Read the question and consider which half of the scale that response would fit in (appropriate vs
inappropriate or important vs not important). Choosing the right half of the scale even if you get the
final answer wrong will get you those partial marks.
3. Select your answer - don’t overthink it too much and go with what you’re naturally
more inclined to.
4. Move on or flag any scenarios you’re very unsure about.
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DEFINING ANSWER OPTIONS COMMON PITFALLS + TIPS
The examples provided below are only for guidance and it may
• Every scenario doesn’t necessarily have a
vary depending on the context it’s presented.
question which will give you every answer
Very appropriate – it will solve or make at option. There could be multiple “very
least one issue in the scenario better, e.g. appropriate” answers in a set so don’t be
§ Timely responses that directly resolve the afraid to pick it more than once.
problem • Make sure you think about who is mentioned
§ Making someone aware of a mistake they in the scenario and consider their level of
made competency e.g. medical students can’t do
§ Providing an apology all the same things that a clinician will be
§ Consulting a senior member of staff for able to
advice • Also consider who in the scenario should be
§ Honest reassurance responding to the dilemma presented in the
scenario and whose role that is
Appropriate, but not ideal – might help, but • Don’t over-escalate – sometimes you might
won’t harm the situation. Are better be presented with a scenario of a mistake or
alternatives, e.g. misunderstanding that was made, reporting to
§ Written complaints over incidents which are the GMC is not always the appropriate
directly putting patients at risk answer so make sure you consider how
§ Running over an appointment time appropriate a form of disciplinary action is in
§ Apologising for somebody else’s mistake context to the scenario. For minor issues it’s
much better if they’re solved locally.
Inappropriate, but not awful – shouldn’t be • Avoiding conflict and maintaining
done, but won’t make the situation worse if it relationships between colleagues is important
is, e.g. – sometimes you might be presented with a
§ Ignoring a problem scenario in which one member of staff has to
§ Gossiping about a colleague’s mistakes with discuss something with another, perhaps
other staff about an error they made. Tact and non-
§ Getting someone else to help a patient confrontation is important.
§ Actions indicating a poor work-life balance • Colleagues shouldn’t be made aware of
mistakes in front of a patient as that will
Very inappropriate – will further aggravate the undermines the patient’s trust in the doctor.
situation and make it worse, e.g. Of course, there might be exceptions to this.
§ Rude/argumentative language • Think from the perspective of the impression
§ Disrespecting patients the public has on healthcare – actions which
§ Poor standard of care undermines the public’s trust in the
§ Putting false information in medical records profession will not be appropriate
§ False reassurance • Never judge an answer option as though it’s
§ Letting colleagues down the only thing that’s done. It’s likely that other
§ Talking about patients in any public setting steps would be taken as well so consider
each answer option based on whether it
Very important – vital, situation can’t be would make the situation better or worse
solved without consideration of this rather than seeing it as the only action
• Ultimately the patient’s needs are always
Important – would help considering this, but prioritised – a doctor’s duty of care remains
not vital regardless of whether the doctor is on a break
or working
Minor importance – could be considered but • Regardless of the intentions and whether it
won’t make a difference was via accidental means, malpractice such
as breaching confidentiality can’t just be
Not important at all – ignored and patients need to be informed
shouldn’t be considered • Sharing information with family members
without the patient’s consent is considered a
breach of confidentiality
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MEDICAL STUDENTS AND THEIR LIMITS 4 PILLARS OF MEDICAL ETHICS
Thinking from the perspective of medical ethics may
• Medical students can do some clinical help to guide your answer in some scenarios:
skills based on their level of competency • Autonomy– the patient’s right to choose and refuse
• For many practical skills students have to treatment if they are competent
be observed by a skilled clinician • Beneficence - doing what’s in the best interest’s of
• Medical students are allowed to look at the patient
and read patient notes • Non-maleficence – trying to prevent harm to
• Whilst medical students should be patients
respectful and show compassion towards • Justice – fairly distributing healthcare resources
patients they don’t have the same “duty of within society
care” as doctors do so they can’t
physically add to patients’ treatment
• Doing another student’s tasks or “sign
ESTIMATED SCORE CONVERSION
offs” for them is completely unacceptable
and would raise concerns for Fitness to
Practice QUESTIONS CORRECT ESTIMATED BAND
• Medical students must to disclose any
significant health problems (mental and 0-18 4
physical) to the medical school’s 19-37 3
occupational health team
• Medical students are expected to behave 38-56 2
to the same professional standards 57-69 1
expected of doctors
• Cheating/plagiarism should always be
reported as it can affect the public’s
confidence in the NHS and goes against FURTHER READING
the GMC’s code of conduct
The GMC’s Good Medical Practice is a must read –
• In cases of professional misconduct, a
you don’t need to memorise it but reading through it
display of remorse can be considered
when taking disciplinary action will help you gain an appreciation for what’s expected
of doctors and medical students.

DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP

• Doctors should not treat family members

as it will affect their treatment
• Preferences of same-sex doctors are
allowed if it’s not an emergency setting
• Doctors can accept small gifts as long as it
doesn’t affect the relationship between the
doctor and the patient
• Racist or discriminatory remarks should
be addressed without engaging the
comment directly
• It’s much preferred to use
interpreters/translators in a consultation as
opposed to relying on a patient’s family
member.

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