How do you approach a difficult patient or family member?
"I have dealt with many difficult patients and family members in my career as an anesthesiologist assistant; and, to be honest, the situation has to get really bad before it starts to bother me. I have empathy for these people, and I know they are stressed and their emotions are running high as they or their family members are preparing for surgery. So, I try my best to offer kindness to help these people feel more comfortable. Just yesterday, I went into a room to conduct a history and physical on an elderly cardiac patient, and he was especially unhappy. However, by using kindness and compassion, I was able to help the gentleman relax, and before I left the room, he was much more relaxed and was even smiling."
Anesthesiologist assistants often interface with patients and families, as they can be responsible for tasks such as gathering pre-anesthesia health histories and performing physical examinations. It is not uncommon for patients and family members to already be frustrated with the care they have received up to this point, and they sometimes will complain to the anesthesiologist assistant or anyone who will listen. Because it is everyone's job to ensure the patient has a positive experience it is important that patient and family concerns are not ignored, and they are heard by the anesthesiologist assistant. To successfully answer this question, the candidate should provide an example of how they have successfully dealt with a difficult patient in the past to help resolve the situation.
"In my career as an anesthesiologist assistant, I have dealt with many upset patients and family members. Many of my colleagues feel that it is not their responsibility to help the patients and their families when they are upset, but I feel, as part of the care team, I am just as responsible for helping them as anyone else. Just last week, I walked into a pre-op holding area to find an elderly patient and her daughter, who was extremely unhappy. Because I could tell the daughter was unhappy, just after I introduced myself, I asked if there was anything I could do to help them, and it turned out, the daughter had asked for another warm blanket for her mother multiple times, but had not received one. So, I simply went and got the blanket for her, to resolve the situation right then and there. After her mother was warm, I was able to proceed with my history and physical without further incident."
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