How will you handle an angry or upset patient as a medical student?

"For me, this would come down to putting myself in the patient's shoes and understanding why they are angry or upset. Then, I'd work from there to make them more comfortable and put them at ease. I don't take situations where I'm in conflict personally and like to focus on making situations right. Whether a patient is waiting in a busy emergency room or a surgery unit, it is a very stressful time, and doing what is right for them at the moment is so important and would be a focus of mine."

While a hypothetical question on how you would handle a situation out in the future as a medical student, you can certainly lean on your prior conflict resolution experience to portray how you stay positive and do what is right in the end in the face of conflict. You'll want to focus the bulk of your response on how you would approach a solution rather than dwelling on the problem. Assure the interviewers that you are well-equipped to problem-solve in a patient-facing environment.

"The physician-patient relationship is vital to patient care. An attempt must be made to understand why a particular patient is feeling angry or upset, especially if these feelings are related to healthcare services. Personally, I would sit at the patient's eye level and ask for an explanation of their feelings and actions, listening intently to their responses. I would be open and honest with them and thank them for expressing their feelings. Then, I would propose a possible solution or lead them to someone who could."