Unfortunately, there are times when a patient may be more difficult to care for than others. The interviewer wants to know that, when faced with this type of situation, you will be able to maintain your composure and handle the incident professionally.

"I think any healthcare provider who has worked very long in this profession will tell you that, at one time or another, he/she has had a patient who was not very cooperative. I had a patient throw his food tray at me once. While I was not happy about having oatmeal all over my outfit, I took a minute and talked to the patient to find out what was really going on. I found out that the patient had reported an allergy to oatmeal and had asked the nurse the day before to make sure that dietary knew of the allergy. When he received his breakfast tray, he became upset and threw it at the first person he saw. I cleaned the mess, ordered him a new tray, and noted his chart of the allergy. He was later apologetic."