Master 30 NHS Band 7 Pharmacist interview questions covering clinical leadership, medicines optimization, and patient safety.
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Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
Interviewers will often ask questions in interviews to test a candidate's knowledge of their profession. For this question, the interviewers want to see that you understand the word 'contraindication' as it relates to medication. They also want to hear how you would explain the term to your patients or others who do not understand the word to assess your communication skills. A contraindication to a medication is a medical condition or symptom that prohibits the person from receiving the drug as it could cause harm. Describe how you would explain the word in a way that non-medical people can understand.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"When I need to explain medication-related terms, I always try to word it in the simplest terms possible. I understand not everyone is familiar with medical terms, and I want my patients to understand what I am telling them and not be confused. I describe contraindication as having a certain medical condition or symptom that will worsen if given a particular drug. I then give the example that if a person has a bleeding disorder, aspirin is contraindicated in that person as aspirin can cause excessive bleeding and make the condition worse. I then ask the patient if they understand or if I need to word it differently. I can usually tell by the look on a person's face if they understood what I was saying, but I still like to ask them to be sure."

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Written by Krista Wenz
30 Questions & Answers • NHS Band 7 Pharmacist

By Krista

By Krista