Have you ever had a conflict with a patient or family member? If so, how did you handle it?

Focus on giving a detailed explanation of how you handled a past disagreement with a patient or family member. Briefly describe the reason for the dispute and how you dealt with it. The interviewer wants to hear that you dealt with the conflict privately, calmly, and maturely and that there was a resolution.

You do not want to say that you avoid or ignore disagreements or get angry when conflict arises between a patient or family member. The interviewer does not want to hear that you lack conflict resolution and communication skills. They want to hear that you handle situations like this with professionalism and compassion.

"I have had a few conflicts with patients and family members, usually due to grief. Recently, I had a patient who died while I was visiting with him and his son. I spoke with the patient and family about what to expect as his life neared the end, and we had end-of-life plans. When my patient died, his son started yelling at me to call 911 and start CPR, even though the patient had a DNR. He became verbally abusive and threatening. I stayed calm and tried to reason with him. Once I let him vent his anger, he seemed to realize what he was doing and calmed down. I explained the process we had spoken about and the next steps. Once he saw I was in control of the situation and made some phone calls, he apologized for his behavior, even though I did not expect an apology. I understand it is part of the grieving process, and that is typically where I have experienced conflict in my profession."