Tell me about a time you had to make a split-second decision.
There are many different types of jobs you could be interviewing for at the Cleveland Clinic. Some will require you to think on your feet and make split-second decisions, like caregivers, while others will not. Regardless of the job you are interviewing for, the interviewer wants to see that you have critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills and can quickly make decisions. Describe a time you had to make a split-second decision in the workplace and the outcome, showing you have the skills they are looking for.
"As an emergency room physician, I have to make split-second decisions daily. The most recent I can recall that could have had a very different outcome was an 8-month pregnant female in cardiac arrest after being involved in a vehicle accident. The hospital I worked at was in a rural area, and we did not have a dedicated OB team. There was not enough time to fly the patient to another hospital without the risk of losing the patient and fetus. I decided to perform an emergency c-section and was able to save the infant, even though the patient did not survive. It was my first time performing a c-section, but it was the right decision to save the child."
