How would you respond if a patient or their family member yelled at you?
As a physiotherapist, there will be times when you will have a patient or family member yell at you. Generally, it will not be because of something you did but because they are frustrated, scared, or in pain. The interviewers would like to gain insight into your communication and problem-solving skills and see that you can handle this situation calmly and professionally. Describe how you would speak to a patient or family member if they yelled at you.
"I have found it is common for patients or family members to lash out at those trying to help when they are frustrated, scared, or in pain. When a patient or family member yells at me, I want to see why they are upset and resolve the issue. I calmly ask them why they are yelling at me. Once I understand why they are yelling at me, I can decide how to address their concern and make them happy. If they lash out at me because of a medical condition or mental health issue, I will address their health or mental health concerns by notifying a nurse or doctor. In my experience, I have found that people want to be heard and understood and have their concerns addressed. For me, it's about remaining calm and professional while diffusing the situation and making the patient or family member happy."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
In our job, it is common to find situations where patients yell at you. According to the third core value of NHS (Respect and Dignity) is important to consider that there is not only the physical problem but beyond the physical problem there is a person that can have other problems, for this reason, it is important to listen to the patient to understand his frustration and listening carefully it gives me the possibility to answer in the best way to find the best solution because sometimes the problem it is not related to the physical problem but linked about difficulties joined indirectly to the physical problem.
Jaymie's Feedback
Excellent job working an NHS core value into your answer! That will surely impress the interviewer. It sounds like you possess the communication skills needed to be effective in the role and to handle situations with difficult family members or patients!
Unlock all 30 NHS Band 6 Physiotherapy questions
Unlock expert responses tailored to NHS panel interviews and competency frameworks.
Get Started