What would you do if a verbally abusive patient were to begin shouting ethnic slurs that your other patients found disturbing?

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Answer Example

This is similar to the interview question: What would you do if a patient were combative and verbally abusive, even including spitting and forcefully removing things like IVs and catheters? However, instead of physical danger, the risk here is to the feelings of others and/or the outrage that such behavior evokes, which is never good for any enclosed space. These are things that can escalate quickly into physical behaviors that are dangerous.

"The ER is a very dynamic, eventful environment, and there is really no room to make things worse. Whether the verbal abuse is part of the pathology or simply because someone is racist or intolerant, removing him or her from earshot of others will be the best thing in maintaining smooth continuity of the work being done. There are some private areas that are normally used for other things, like gynecology or fatalities, that can be used for situations like this. My responsibility is to take advantage of this as soon as possible to prevent any escalation."

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How to Answer: What would you do if a verbally abusive patient were to begin shouting ethnic slurs that your other patients found disturbing?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Emergency Room Physician job interview.

2. What would you do if a verbally abusive patient were to begin shouting ethnic slurs that your other patients found disturbing?

How to Answer

This is similar to the interview question: What would you do if a patient were combative and verbally abusive, even including spitting and forcefully removing things like IVs and catheters? However, instead of physical danger, the risk here is to the feelings of others and/or the outrage that such behavior evokes, which is never good for any enclosed space. These are things that can escalate quickly into physical behaviors that are dangerous.

Written by Ryan Brown on March 25th, 2021

Answer Example

"The ER is a very dynamic, eventful environment, and there is really no room to make things worse. Whether the verbal abuse is part of the pathology or simply because someone is racist or intolerant, removing him or her from earshot of others will be the best thing in maintaining smooth continuity of the work being done. There are some private areas that are normally used for other things, like gynecology or fatalities, that can be used for situations like this. My responsibility is to take advantage of this as soon as possible to prevent any escalation."

Written by Ryan Brown on March 25th, 2021

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