Caring For Kids And Their Parents

Connecting Through Kids’ Culture

Scenario Script

Scene 1

Isabel, a 3-year-old girl, is in the doctor’s office sitting on her mother’s lap.

Doctor: Hi Mrs. Wilson. I’m Dr. Gupta. Nice to meet you. [to Isabel] So what brings you in, Isabel? [Isabel does not answer]

[to Mrs. Wilson] The nurse tells me that she has another ear infection?

Mrs. Wilson: Yes, like she did a few months ago. She’s rubbing, pulling on it, and crying.

Doctor: I see she has no fever right now. Did she have any at home?

Mrs. Wilson: No.

Doctor: And you didn’t give her any Tylenol?

Mrs. Wilson: I did, just for the pain, about two hours ago.

Doctor: Okay, well let’s have a look. I’ll take a look at her ears and we’ll take it from there. Let’s get her up here [pointing to exam table].

Mrs. Wilson places Isabel on the exam table.

Doctor: Okay, Isabel, I’m going to take a look in your ears and I want you to be still. [approaches Isabel who begins to cry]

Mom, can you do one thing please, can you hold her still? [Isabel continues to cry and fuss] Stop moving. [to Mrs. Wilson] Can you be a little more steady? Oh, come on.

[calls out] Sandy, can you please come and help? Can you please hold her still?

Isabel continues to cry as the doctor tries unsuccessfully to look in her ear. After trying for a minute or so, the doctor gives up.

Doctor: This is not going to work. Let’s just call it off.

Mom picks up Isabel and sits down with her on her lap.

Doctor: We will just go ahead and treat her for an ear infection. And we’ll take it from here. Let’s see what she responded to last time…

Mrs. Wilson: Fine.

Mom sits rocking Isabel and shaking her head back and forth. Scene fades out.

Scene 2

Isabel, a 3-year-old girl, is in the doctor’s office sitting on her mother’s lap.

Doctor: Hi Mrs. Wilson. I am Dr. Patel. How are you? [shakes Mrs. Wilson’s hand] [turning to Isabel] Hello Isabel! How are you today? Not so good, I hear. Do you have an earache? Is that right? [Isabel nods her head up and down] Guess what? We are going to take care of that earache so that so it won’t hurt anymore. OK? [Isabel nods again, a bit more enthusiastically]

Doctor: So, Mrs. Wilson, what’s been going on with Isabel?

Mrs. Wilson: She’s been complaining of an earache, just like last time. She’s been pulling on it, rubbing it, crying all the time.

Doctor: [looking at record] She has no fever now. Did she have a fever at home?

Mrs. Wilson: No, but I gave her some Tylenol anyway, just for the pain.

Doctor: That’s fine. [crouching down to get closer to Isabel] Isabel, do you know Dora the Explorer?

Isabel: [nodding vigorously] I watched her on the TV.

Doctor: Do you like her? [Isabel nods again and looks more engaged] Well, guess what? Our nurse, Sandy, told me that Dora was in here before I came in and she thinks she is hiding here somewhere! Do you want to find her? [Isabel nods] Come up here and I’ll tell you a secret.

Doctor Patel pats the examining table. Isabel allows her mother to sit her on it.

[to Mrs. Wilson] I’m going to examine her ear.

[to Isabel] We are going to find Dora. Do you know where she lives? [Isabel shakes her head] Let me tell you a secret… she lives… in little girls’ ears! Is it ok if we look for her there? [Isabel nods] [takes otoscope out of his pocket] Do you know what this is? It’s my Dora the Explorer Finder Light. [shows otoscope to Isabel] This light goes through anything. Watch this… can you hold your finger up like this?

The doctor holds his left index finger straight up. Isabel does likewise and he puts the light on her finger pad.

See that? The light goes right through! We are going to find Dora with this, ok? [Isabel shrugs]

[to Mrs. Wilson] I’m going to examine her ear.

[to Isabel, approaching unaffected ear] Stay still. [gently puts the otoscope tip in the ear canal and looks] Guess what? She’s not in there. She’s clever. She thinks we don’t know. Now where could she be? Oh, I know… the other ear! I bet she thought we would never look in both ears. Okay, let’s find her in the other ear. I need you to stay still. Let me know if it hurts. [gently begins examining affected ear] [Isabel starts to squirm] Hold on, hold on, just a sec. I think… I think I see her. [examines a bit more] Did you see that? She just ran out. She just jumped out of your ear and ran away behind your back. I guess she got away but that’s okay because we found her. Good job, partner! [gives Isabel a gentle high five]

[to Mrs. Wilson] Yes, she has a pretty angry looking eardrum, and that’s the cause of her earache. Let’s get her started on some antibiotics and you can also give her something more for pain…

Scene fades out.

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