How will you handle the day-to-day stresses that come with this position?
When Dr. Sidney Garfield founded the early stages of Kaiser Permanente during the Great Depression era in southern California, he was the sole physician providing care to thousands of workers building the Colorado River Aqueduct. The hard work through stressful times is what built the organization and made it what it is today and the large volume of members and providing excellent care means challenging times for any staff member at Kaiser. Your interviewer wants to ensure that you understand all of the duties of the job you're being considered for and which ones can be stressful. On top of this, they're looking to hear your overall assessment of your ability to handle those stresses. Use your past experiences to talk about how you take care of your physical and mental stress to ensure a job well done all of the time.
"I've worked long 10-12 hours shifts on a busy Med Tele unit for the last five years and know too well the stressors that come with it. From being understaffed at times to having a unit that is full for weeks on end, I realized early in my career that taking care of myself outside of work keeps my work shifts as stress-free as possible. For me, this starts with a good diet, plenty of rest, and quality time with my family to unwind and let my mind relax. I also want you to know that if I'm fortunate enough to join this team at Kaiser Permanente, my new colleagues will quickly learn that I'm able to handle any workload thrown my way by my ability to triage, prioritize and plan my work, my communication skills, and my ability to streamline and improve processes to ensure patient safety and quality of care are always the focus."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I am super focused when I am stressed so I can make sure everything is done and correct. When I need to relieve stress, I will take a walk to get something to drink or turn on some soft music.
Amanda's Feedback
You've answered well by sharing that you face stressful situations head-on. You can strengthen your response by providing a specific example of how you've handled stress well in the past, or telling about a time when increased pressure actually helped you work more productively. This illustrates your ability to transform stress into action, successfully turning a negative into a positive, to accomplish your goal.
Anonymous Answer
I like to make sure I keep on top of things, like making sure to finish charts in a timely manner, communicating with staff to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible, and just getting in and working hard. After that, I make sure to give myself to unwind by doing yoga, meditation, or listening to music to help.
Jaymie's Feedback
These are all effective stress management techniques!
Anonymous Answer
I consider myself someone who works well under stress. I feel that having deadlines puts pressure on me in a positive way to make sure I prioritize what is important and I do so by having a planner and prioritizing what needs to be done first. When the situation gets too stressful, I will change the scenery from the office such as a walk around the community during my break as a refresher.
Jaymie's Feedback
These are all great strategies to employ to combat workplace stress!
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