As clinical healthcare professionals, we have all been in situations where we have developed special bonds with patients and their families. Explain how you handle such situations when these patients face difficult diagnoses or unexpectedly pass away.
Because nurses spend so much time caring for their patients and their families, many times, they develop special bonds and relationships with these individuals. The bonds that nurses form with their patients are also formed due to the sincere empathy that nurses naturally possess. Many times, when patients are facing a difficult medical diagnosis or are at the end of their lives, it can be difficult for nurses, since they have created these personal bonds with their patients. The interviewer is asking this question to determine how you would react in such a situation. The expected response would be for the nurse to offer the family their support and condolences and allow the family privacy to grieve. The candidate should avoid providing an example of when they became overly emotional in the presence of family members.
"Working in the inpatient section of a cancer center, this is, unfortunately, something I have dealt with many times in my career. I always strive to build relationships with my patients and their family members, as I find this makes them feel more comfortable and at ease in a very difficult situation. However, because I develop these personal connections, it is often devastating for me when things do not go well for the patient, and I see them and their family members upset. In these types of situations, I first give the patient and/or family, depending on the situation, a bit of time to be with one another. Then, I stop in and ask if they need anything and offer my condolences. I also provide information on community resources, if needed. It is my job to support the family and not make the situation harder on them, so if I find myself becoming emotional, I step into a private staff-only area and take a few seconds to compose myself."
