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This was on a USMLE last week! My friend sent me this:


"mother makes appointment with you for her son b/c his grades are dropping. you step out in the waiting room to see them and you see the mother berating her son, while he looks sullen. who do you see first? a. mother to hear her concerns, then son. b. mother and son together to facilitate communication. c. son first to hear his problems, then mother."

C.

why son first?

How old is the son ??
Who is the patient here ??
If his grades are droping he is probably using some drugs .

I don't know the specifics. I got this in an email from a girl in my medschool class but she has left for vacation so I can't ask her anything else. Perhaps this can spark some discussion about the subject.

i would go for b

my guess....instead of confronting the mother about her "scouldings" seee the ACTUAL patient alone(answer C) first to see if these scouldings are the cause of the problem.. i beleive confronting the mother about her parenting will only cause problems...kinda like child abuse..when suspecting child abuse, do a FULL examination first...then do what you think is right w/o talking to the parents....talking to the parents first in a child abuse case will get u nowhere...

BBBBB

C...bcz the patient here is the son and he is ur #1 priority...u need to first clear things with the son, speak to him, assess his problems, and then, if needed, speak to the mom.

bb is the correct answer