How to Answer: If a patient were to tell you that he does not agree with a doctor's orders, how would you respond?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Medical Assistant job interview.
10. If a patient were to tell you that he does not agree with a doctor's orders, how would you respond?
How to Answer
An interviewer will often ask a question like this to see your response. It is OK to have an opinion. However, it is best to be very careful with how you respond to a patient's complaints. Feeding into a patient's feeling of negativity could cause a bigger problem to result. Remember, always listen to a patient's concerns, and then direct your thoughts/concerns to the appropriate person in a supervisory position. This type of question gives the interviewer a chance to see how you may handle a conflict.
Written by Ryan Brown on May 5th, 2021
Entry Level
"If a patient were to tell me that she disagrees with a doctor's order, I would ask her what her concerns are and bring that information to my supervisor's attention. While the issue may be a lack of understanding on my patient's part, it is always best to have someone in authority be able to address concerns, especially in the event that the physician should be contacted and the order reviewed."
Written by Darby Faubion on January 22nd, 2019
Answer Example
"Many times patients say that they don't agree with a doctor's orders because they do not understand the order. If a patient were to tell me that he has a concern about an order, I would ask what the concern is first, to make sure he has an understanding of what the order is and why the physician chose it. If I can explain an order/procedure to a patient in a way that he can understand it, I will. If I feel like the patient's concern is not based on lack of knowledge, but that he truly disagrees with an order, I will tell him that I am going to speak to my supervisor so that his concerns can be addressed."
Written by Ryan Brown on May 5th, 2021