In the healthcare services industry there are many emotions in a day. Have your emotions ever been in the way of your productivity?

How to Answer
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example
Community Answers

The interviewer wants to know if you consider yourself to be an emotionally driven person. Talk to the interviewer about your emotions and if they have ever affected your productivity at work.

Keep in mind - almost everyone is an emotional creature to some degree, but there are other ways that you can describe yourself that have a more positive connotation. If you are passionate, you could choose to refer to yourself as:

- Expressive
- Communicative
- Open
- Unreserved

"Everyone is emotional to a certain degree, and I would consider myself kind-hearted and open. A career in healthcare can be emotional at times; however, I choose to focus on the positives. For instance, - if we are close to losing a patient, I will focus on positive memories rather than the illness. This mindset has consistently allowed me to continue with a productive shift, no matter the emotions that come my way. "

"This is a great question. I think the right answer is, 'of course, but not for long'! We've all had those severe cases. A child dies, or you have to give someone a cancer diagnosis. It's professional to take a few minutes after an encounter like that and let those emotions come and go. I cope with these emotions by telling myself that it's not my story, its the patient's story. I think it's okay to be moved by someone else's experience, but I don't need to make it mine."

Anonymous Answer

"During my career as an RN, I have witnessed the happiest occasions- such as the birth of a child, as well as the worst moments of a patient or family's lives. It's human nature to be emotional in these times. The key, as a professional, is to allow myself a moment to feel the emotion and then put it aside for the sake of my patient. Being in the moment for my patients at their best/worst is part of my job as a provider, and treading the line between too emotional or too stoic is a skill I feel I have mastered well."