How to Answer: Tell me about your most difficult patient/client.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Dietitian and Nutritionist job interview.
15. Tell me about your most difficult patient/client.
How to Answer
No one ever likes to be in a situation with a difficult client. With a calm, relaxed and collective tone, tell a story about a complicated patient situation. Be sure to let the interviewer know how you defused the situation and what the outcome was. Keep patient confidentiality in mind when answering this question and avoid sounding cynical when it comes to your patients.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 1st, 2021
Entry Level
"One of the most difficult clients I worked with was a child on the autism spectrum. I haven't had a lot of experience working with individuals of autism, so it was certainly a learning curve for both of us. My patient was a very picky eater and was highly particular when it came to the color, texture, and size of his food. Luckily, his parents were incredibly supportive and followed my recommendations to a tee. Gaining a greater diversity in patients will make me a stronger dietitian, so I welcome these challenges."
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 1st, 2021
Answer Example
"My most difficult patient was an elderly man that refused to eat right and take care of himself because he felt that he was too old to make a difference. After building a friendship with this patient he began to trust me, and my advice and his situation started to improve. He's been my patient for five years now and is doing better than I could have ever expected. His diabetes is under control, and he has greatly reduced his blood pressure and cholesterol medications."
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 1st, 2021
Experienced
"I have been a nutritionist for the past eight years and have come across some very challenging folks! My most memorable client was a patient who was recovering from bulimia. The issue with patients with bulimia is that they are often very clever when it comes to hiding the evidence of their binges. They often don't even remember everything they have eaten because they tend to 'blackout' during binge episodes. Our center ended up referring her to a unique inpatient program geared only for people with eating disorders. She was able to be more closely monitored there, and found great success."
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 1st, 2021