How to Answer: Can you share an experience you've had since practicing in which there was a misunderstanding between you and co-worker but you could laugh about it afterward?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Family Physician job interview.
7. Can you share an experience you've had since practicing in which there was a misunderstanding between you and co-worker but you could laugh about it afterward?
How to Answer
'All work and no play is a recipe for a miserable day.' That line from an old storybook is true. Any interviewer knows that we all need to laugh and have fun from time to time. That doesn't mean that you don't take your job seriously. Sometimes funny things just happen. This is a chance for the interviewer to see that you can appreciate a little humor.
Written by Darby Faubion on August 31st, 2021
Entry Level
"When I had my first job at a family practice clinic, we had a young man, about 19 years old, come into the clinic for complaints of nausea, vomiting, and fever. He didn't want a shot to help with the symptoms because he was afraid it would make him too sleepy to drive. So, I gave him a Phenergan suppository that he said he could use himself without assistance. I told him we would give him some privacy and would return to the room in a few minutes. Upon returning to the exam room, I asked him if he was able to administer the medication without any problems. He replied, 'Yes, but why did you have to leave the room? I sure could use some water, though. It tasted nasty.' Needless to say, I will never forget him!"
Written by Darby Faubion on August 31st, 2021
Answer Example
"When I was doing my pediatric rotation, a mother brought her child in and said he had a stuffy nose and was constantly making a whistling sound. He was too young to know how to whistle, so I thought she meant he must have had a wheeze or something similar affecting his respiratory system. When I assessed him, his lungs were clear. His nose did sound a bit stuffy and one nostril was slightly swollen. I could hear an odd noise the closer I got to him that did sound like whistling. Upon further inspection, we discovered the child had put the small inside part of a whistle in his nose and it had become lodged there. Therefore, every time he tried to breathe through his nose, the whistling sound could be heard. Some alligator forceps and a few minutes later, his nose was whistle-free!"
Written by Darby Faubion on August 31st, 2021
Experienced
"I could probably write a book about some of the things that have happened over the years. I do remember one little girl who was brought into the family clinic for an earache that her mother said had been going on for days. When I first examined her ears, there appeared to be some wax buildup in the canal, so I ordered irrigation of that ear. A few minutes into the irrigation, the nurse stepped out to get me and told me there was something shiny in the ear that she hadn't seen before. So, I examined the ear and could barely see something small and shiny. As we attempted to irrigate and dislodge the item, it would turn from dull to shiny. Finally, the object fell out into the outer ear where we could retrieve it. It was a stick-on earring that had gotten stuck in the child's ear. When we asked how it happened, the child said, 'Mama said what goes in must come out, so I thought if I was shiny inside I would get shiny outside, too.' Obviously, the mother said she would never buy stick-on earrings again."
Written by Darby Faubion on August 31st, 2021
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