The Situational Judgement Test at a Glance provides a sound introduction to the SJT and details ways you can prepare before the assessment. It includes worked case examples based on real-life scenarios which have been reviewed by experienced clinicians and examiners. The book draws out key aspects of professional practice relevant to the role of a junior doctor. This is based on the nine domains as outlined by the ISFP (Improving Selection to Foundation Programme), who detailed the behaviours necessary to be a competent Foundation Doctor.
The overall aim of The Situational Judgement Test at a Glance is not to spoon feed hundreds of practice questions or reams of guidelines, but to steer you towards a logical way of approaching best medical practice – and therefore the SJT – with many examples of doctors' personal experiences along the way.
Challenging scenarios are analysed using guidelines from the General Medical Council and research interviews with patients, lab staff and healthcare professionals. All examples in the book are worked in a test-style apparatus, with questions on one side and detailed answers over the page so you can understand the reasoning behind the material.
Table of Contents:
Preface 6
Acknowledgements 7
List of contributors 8
List of abbreviations 9
1 Introduction 11
Personality 11
Professionalism 11
Pressures and prioritisation 12
Effective communication and patient focus 12
Teamwork 13
2 Professionalism 14
What is integrity? 14
Social networking 14
Understanding confidentiality 15
The DVLA 15
Patients involved in serious crime 16
Confidentiality and the under eighteens 18
Questioning professionalism 20
3 Pressures and prioritising 22
Probity 22
Ward rounds 22
Patient discharge 23
Prescribing 25
Consent 26
Learning and career development 28
Informal opportunities 28
Procedural 29
Prioritisation 29
Bleeps 31
4 Effective communication 33
Five principles for good communication 33
Written communication 34
Record-keeping 34
Blood forms 35
Clinical coding 35
Death certificates 35
Cremation forms 36
Verbal communication 36
Working with interpreters 36
Working with disability 37
Communicating personal views 39
Communicating with relatives 39
Breaking bad news 40
5 Patient focus 42
Being the best for your patients 42
Patient advocacy 42
Respecting personal beliefs 44
Tricky decisions involving treatment: consent without capacity 45
End of Life care 45
Difficult patients 46
6 Effective teamwork 48
Understanding teamwork 48
Understanding your role 49
Effective handovers 50
Understanding your colleagues’ roles 51
The nursing team 51
The consultant 52
The radiology department 52
SBAR 53
Professional conflicts 53
Seeking support 54
The foundation school 54
7 SJT practice material 56
How do I approach the SJT questions? 56
SJT example questions 56
8 Answers 66
Beyond this book 86
9 References 88
Index 90
About the Author :
Frances Varian is a Final Year Medical Student at Warwick University and was seconded by Warwick Medical School to help develop SJT educational material and practice questions designed to enhance students’ non-technical skills.
Lara Cartwright is Senior Careers Consultant at Warwick Medical School and a member of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) and the Medical Careers Adviser’s Network (MCAN).
