Dental Assistant Mock Interview
Practice 25 Dental Assistant interview questions covering clinical skills, patient care, and office procedures.
Question 14 of 25
If a patient complains they had to wait too long to see the doctor, what will you do?
Entry Level
Experienced
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Example Answer
Community Answers
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"If a patient complained to me about their wait time, I would give them an estimated time for their wait and give them the option to reschedule. There are many unforeseen circumstances in a dentists' day, and the reality is, they will run behind from time to time."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"The office I currently work in is a well-oiled machine, and we very rarely have setbacks in our day. If this were to happen, it would be due to unseen severity with a previous patient. If a patient complained about their wait time, I would explain to them that we had an emergency and would assure them that, if it were them needing extra time and care from the dentist, we would not hesitate to provide them with the extra time needed as well."
Heather Douglass has over 20 years of experience as a Career Coach, Recruiter, and HR Specialist. Much of her experience is as a Technical Recruiter in the healthcare industry.
The interviewer wants to know how you handle stressful situations. As a dental assistant, you may run into a patient that is unhappy due to an unexpected wait at the office. Tell the interviewer how you would clearly and calmly explain the situation to the client.
Heather Douglass has over 20 years of experience as a Career Coach, Recruiter, and HR Specialist. Much of her experience is as a Technical Recruiter in the healthcare industry.
"I've found that if I calmly explain the situation and apologize, the patient understands and appreciates the explanation. The key is not to ignore the patient. Keep them informed during their wait time rather than brushing it under the rug, hoping they will not notice."
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