Empathy and Compassion FMProC practice questions

Dr. Priya Sundaram is a family medicine resident at an urban community clinic. She is currently seeing Joy, a 17-year-old patient who attended the consultation alone under the clinic's mature minor youth confidentiality protocol. While discussing her tension headaches, Joy becomes visibly distressed, begins to weep, and discloses that she is attracted to girls. Joy suddenly grabs Dr. Sundaram's sleeve and whispers, 'Please don't tell them, please,' expressing acute terror that her parents waiting in the parking lot will find out. Moments later, the clinic medical office assistant sends an urgent instant message stating that Joy's parents have texted requesting a written summary of the visit before driving home. Dr. Sundaram must determine how to handle Joy's immediate distress alongside the parents' request.

Dr. Liam Chen is conducting a six-week postpartum check with Danielle Taylor and her newborn in the clinic. Danielle appears visibly exhausted and emotionally detached while her infant cries persistently in the car seat. When Dr. Chen asks how bonding is going, Danielle tearfully laughs and remarks that the infant would probably be calmer and happier with an adoptive family. Danielle immediately waves her hands, brushes off the remark as an exhausted joke, and asks to proceed with the infant's routine physical measurements. Dr. Chen observes significant distress and vulnerability despite her attempt to deflect.

Dr. Noah Tremblay is completing a rural northern rotation at a remote nursing station. Elder Thomas, a respected 74-year-old community leader, presents with severe lobar pneumonia, hypoxemia, and hemodynamic instability requiring urgent medevac transfer to an urban tertiary hospital. Elder Thomas has intact decision-making capacity but adamantly refuses evacuation, explaining that he survived residential school and a previous traumatic medical transport where relatives died alone in southern cities. Furthermore, he emphasizes his duty to lead an upcoming sacred community healing ceremony this evening. Marie, the nurse, warns that without tertiary transfer, Thomas faces high mortality, but Thomas states he would rather die on his ancestral land surrounded by community. Noah must balance life-threatening medical urgency with profound cultural safety, trauma-informed history, and respect for patient autonomy.

Dr. Callie Muir, a family medicine resident, is conducting a scheduled 30-minute home visit for Mrs. Okonkwo, a 78-year-old patient with multi-morbidity and declining mobility. Dr. Muir planned to introduce advance care planning today, but each time she broaches the topic, Mrs. Okonkwo politely deflects with 'not today, doctor'. Meanwhile, her adult son, Chidi, repeatedly speaks on her behalf and answers clinical questions before she can respond. Dr. Muir has approximately 20 minutes remaining in the visit. She wants to respect Mrs. Okonkwo's autonomy and comfort while addressing her care needs effectively.

You are a family medicine resident caring for Margaret MacIntyre, an elderly comatose patient experiencing multi-organ failure in a rural hospital. Her clinical condition is deteriorating rapidly, necessitating an immediate and definitive goals-of-care determination. Arthur, her common-law partner of twenty years, tearfully conveys that Margaret explicitly wished never to be maintained on invasive mechanical life support, though no written directive exists. Her estranged adult son, Derek, suddenly arrives from another province, angrily asserting kinship rights and demanding aggressive invasive resuscitation while dismissing Arthur's standing entirely. The interpersonal conflict is escalating outside Margaret's room, causing severe distress to both men as clinical decisions loom. You must resolve this dispute in accordance with provincial substitute decision-maker legislation while supporting a grieving, divided family.