UCAT Situational Judgement 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A medical student overhears a consultant making a derogatory comment about a patient's lifestyle. What is the most appropriate immediate action?
- Ignore the comment and continue working
- Politely raise concern with the consultant privately after the interaction (Correct answer)
- Report to the GMC immediately without speaking to the consultant
- Tell the patient what was said
Correct answer: Politely raise concern with the consultant privately after the interaction
Raising the concern privately with the consultant first is professional, proportionate, and follows the principle of addressing issues at the lowest appropriate level.
Question 2: You are a junior doctor and a colleague asks you to sign off on a procedure you did not perform or observe. What should you do?
- Sign it to help your colleague
- Refuse and explain why you cannot sign documentation for something you didn't do (Correct answer)
- Report your colleague to hospital management immediately
- Ask a senior doctor to sign instead without explaining the issue
Correct answer: Refuse and explain why you cannot sign documentation for something you didn't do
Signing documentation for procedures not performed or witnessed is dishonest and violates professional standards; you must decline and explain why.
Question 3: A patient refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds despite it being life-saving. What is the most appropriate response?
- Administer the transfusion anyway to save their life
- Respect the refusal if the patient has capacity and document it (Correct answer)
- Contact the patient's family to override the decision
- Discharge the patient immediately
Correct answer: Respect the refusal if the patient has capacity and document it
A competent adult has the right to refuse treatment for any reason, including religious beliefs, and this must be documented and respected.
Question 4: You notice a senior colleague appears to be intoxicated during a ward round. What should you do?
- Say nothing to avoid conflict
- Immediately tell the colleague's patients what you observed
- Discreetly raise your concern with an appropriate senior or supervisor (Correct answer)
- Post about it on social media to protect the public
Correct answer: Discreetly raise your concern with an appropriate senior or supervisor
Patient safety concerns about a colleague must be escalated discreetly to an appropriate senior who can act to protect patients.
Question 5: A patient asks you to keep information from their family that you believe the family needs to know for care planning. What should you do?
- Share the information with the family anyway
- Respect the patient's confidentiality and explore the patient's concerns (Correct answer)
- Refuse to treat the patient until they agree to share the information
- Document nothing about the conversation
Correct answer: Respect the patient's confidentiality and explore the patient's concerns
Confidentiality must be maintained unless there is a serious risk of harm, so you should respect the patient's wishes and explore why they do not want the information shared.
Question 6: You are running behind schedule and a patient who has been waiting for 90 minutes is becoming increasingly frustrated. What is the most appropriate action?
- Continue seeing patients in order and ignore the frustration
- Apologise, acknowledge the wait, and give a realistic update on when you can see them (Correct answer)
- Ask a colleague to see the patient without explaining the situation
- Tell the patient to rebook
Correct answer: Apologise, acknowledge the wait, and give a realistic update on when you can see them
Acknowledging the patient's frustration, apologising, and providing a realistic update demonstrates empathy and good communication.
UCAT Situational Judgement 1
A medical student overhears a consultant making a derogatory comment about a patient's lifestyle.
What is the most appropriate immediate action?