1. Saira, a dental hygienist, is treating a nine year old child who has bruises on both arms.

The child has no

convincing explanation for the bruising. Saira recalls that she has seen bruising on this child before and
she is worried about child abuse. She discusses the situation with her employer, the dentist, who tells her
that the parents will be informed of the source of the complaint and will presumably leave the dental
practice. Is the dentist correct?

a) Yes, the parents will be informed because, in our legal system, everyone has a right to confront
his/her accusers
b) Yes, the parents will be informed because a dental hygienist is not a mandated reporter and
would be reporting voluntarily
c) No, parents will not be informed because the law provides confidentiality for mandated reporters
d) No, the parents will not be informed because a dental hygienist is not a mandated reporter and
would be reporting voluntarily

2. Ryan is a six year old boy who tells the Physician’s Assistant in his pediatrician’s office that he is afraid to
go home. The PA does not report this to anyone and the child is later hospitalized with severe injuries
inflicted by his father. The PA tells the pediatrician about his error of judgment; he is concerned that he
could be in legal trouble or could be sued. The pediatrician reassures him that such a statement from a
child does not constitute reasonable cause to report child abuse and that the law protects practitioners
from errors that are made in good faith. Is this correct?

a) Yes, mandated reporters are only obliged to report when they have some objective evidence of
abuse, e.g. injuries, aggressive or sexually suggestive behavior
b) Yes, NYS Social Services Law provides protection and confidentiality for mandated reporters
whether they report or not.
c) Partially correct: it is a Class A misdemeanor to suspect child abuse and fail to report it but
mandated reporters cannot be sued in civil court
d) No, it is a Class A misdemeanor to suspect child abuse and fail to report it and mandated
reporters can be sued in civil court

3. Jonathan is a third year resident at Downstate who is enjoying his Saturday off playing soccer in Prospect
Park. He does not have a medical license yet. He observes a family having a barbeque nearby. One of the
children is cranky and a woman who appears to be his mother yells at him several times and finally takes
his food away, saying that he won’t eat for the rest of the day because of his bad behavior. The child
begins crying loudly and the mother hits him sharply in the head with the barbeque tongs. Is Jonathan
legally obligated to report this?

a) Yes, Jonathan is a mandated reporter

b) No, Jonathan is a mandated reporter but he is not currently in his professional role
c) No, Jonathan is not a mandated reporter because he is not licensed
d) Yes, even though he is not personally a mandated reporter, he is employed by a mandated
reporter
4. Rajiv, a third year medical student on his Pediatrics clerkship, is caring for a nine year old girl with chronic
renal disease. The child’s mother and father are doctors at the hospital. While taking the history Rajiv
notes that the child is inappropriately flirtatious and seems to have an unusual amount of knowledge
about sexual matters. On Review of Systems, she complains of intermittent dysuria. Rajiv is very worried
that the child is being sexually abused and discusses his concerns with the social worker on the floor. She
assures him that she will take care of the issue but privately she is very uneasy about the consequences of
reporting suspected child abuse in this setting. Her supervisor tells her that she doesn’t have to report
anything because her information is secondhand. Rajiv still wonders if he should have done more or
reported his suspicions somewhere himself. Who, if anyone, is obligated to report in this situation?

a) The social worker is obligated to report

b) Neither Rajiv nor the social worker is obligated to report
c) Rajiv is obligated to report
d) Both Rajiv and the social worker are obligated to report.

5. Isha is a second year resident taking care of a six year old child in clinic. The child lives with her
grandmother in a shelter. The grandmother is undocumented and unemployed. Isha finds the child
malnourished and in need of eyeglasses and dental work. The child seems listless, is wearing dirty
clothing, and steals a sandwich from the refrigerator in the staff lounge/conference room while Isha is
talking to the grandmother. The grandmother says she cannot afford to pay for what the child needs and
frequently does not have enough to eat herself. Is Isha obligated to report this?

a) No, because the child has no injuries and makes no complaint

b) Yes, this child presents more than a reasonable suspicion of child abuse and neglect
c) No, because financial inability to provide for a child does not constitute abuse or maltreatment
d) Yes, because financial issues are not an excuse for child abuse or maltreatment

6. Jea-Hyoun is a pediatric surgeon seeing a five year old boy for follow-up after removing a Wilm’s tumor.
She has a reasonable suspicion of child neglect – it appears that the boy is left unattended and without
supervision for prolonged periods and her instructions for post-operative care at home have clearly been
ignored. What is Jea-Hyoun obligated to do?

a) Call the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) and notify the parents
of the referral
b) Send a written report to Child Protective Services on Form LDSS-2221A
c) Call the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) and send a written
report to Child Protective Services on Form LDSS-2221A within 48 hours
d) Call the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR), notify the parents of
the referral, and send a written report to Child Protective Services on Form LDSS-2221A within 48
hours