How to Answer: Tell me about a time in which you had to handle an irate physician, co-worker, or patient. How did you handle it and what were the results?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Nursing job interview.
49. Tell me about a time in which you had to handle an irate physician, co-worker, or patient. How did you handle it and what were the results?
How to Answer
As a nurse, you deal with patients, family members, and co-workers during very stressful times. These stressful times can lead to emotional outbursts like rage or sadness. In dealing with someone who was angry, it is important to demonstrate your listening skills, problem-solving skills and your ability to remain calm and collected to not escalate the situation.
Written by Elisabeth Walter
1st Entry Level Example
"During my time in nursing school, there were several group projects that we had to work on. In one particular group, we had a team member that was continuously missing our agreed upon meetings and wasn't responding to our requests to help with the project. The lady who took the lead for our group became very frustrated when the group was meeting at this particular person. I let the lead know that I would reach out to the person missing the meetings as I had a previous relationship with her in a class before. This put the group leader at ease and after speaking about the concern directly to the person in-person, she attended all of our regular meetings the rest of the way and pitched in to help along the way as well. By calmly addressing this face to face, the person not pitching in was able to hear the concern in my voice and stepped up to help."
Written by Ryan Brunner
1st Experienced Example
"As a nurse in the pain clinic, we had a patient in one day that was demanding more narcotics for her pain. She had walked into the clinic without an appointment to demand another prescription. As the only nurse in a small clinic that day, I sat the patient down to talk to them. I used a calm voice and listened to what they were asking for. After listening, I explained that I would need to check their records for their last prescription and speak with the attending physician in the clinic that day. After seeing that their last prescription was written many months ago and the patient had missed their last appointment, I was able to talk to the physician to get another prescription written. Once prescribed, I explained to the patient how it was important for them to keep their regularly scheduled appointments and she walked away happy."
Written by Elisabeth Walter
2nd Experienced Example
"During my time as a nurse in the critical care unit, we had a patient who was brought in with a punctured lung from an accident. After being put on a ventilator, the physician was going to monitor the injury for a 24-hour period to see if surgery would be required. When the family arrived, the patient's mother was extremely irate that her son wasn't rushed into surgery immediately. She was demanding that her son be rushed to surgery to anyone that would listen. I took it upon myself to sit down with her and the other families that were there to explain the injury that was sustained and to explain that the monitoring period for the injury was standard and that he was in stable condition at the time. By explaining why the doctor was taking the steps he was for her son, the mother had a better understanding of the situation and was able to finally process what was happening in a calm and relaxed way."
Written by Ryan Brunner
3rd Experienced Example
"Over the years that I have spent working as a nurse, I have dealt with many upset patients, family members, and physicians; however, the example that comes to mind most is when an attending physician became extremely angry with one of the floor nurses one day while I was working as charge nurse at the hospital. The charge nurse had made a minor mistake in documentation, and rather than handling it professionally when the physician brought it to her attention, she snapped back at him, which caused him to become extremely angry and start raising his voice. When I intervened, the physician directed his anger at me and was raising his voice at me in the hallway, where staff, patients, and family members could hear. Rather than becoming angry, I stayed calm and used various tactics to de-escalate the situation, and soon, the physician and I were able to have a reasonable conversation with one another. I knew that the physician was overreacting, but I also knew that it would not help the situation if I did not handle it professionally, so I chose to take the high road."
Written by Kelly Burlison on March 17th, 2019
4th Experienced Example
"Having worked as a nurse for several years, I have had my fair share of encounters with upset individuals. One time in particular there was a physician who was upset with his clinic schedule for the day and the way in which the patients had been scheduled. He became quite angry and started yelling at the front desk staff. As the lead nurse for that clinic, I immediately jumped into action to assist the front desk staff and de-escalate the situation. I remained calm while speaking with the physician and informed him right away of my role and that I would be happy to assist him and address his concerns. By me speaking calmly with him, he then became calmer as well, and I was able to determine that ultimately his concern was poor communication. I was then able to address the communication concern with the appropriate team members."
Written by Tabitha Cumpian on January 31st, 2023
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About the Author
I began my healthcare career when I was a sophomore in high school and became an STNA (state-tested nursing assistant) at a local long-term care facility. I then went on to work as a nursing assistant at a local hospital and home healthcare agency. During that time, I pursued my Bachelor's in Business Administration: Human Resource Management and transitioned to working for one of the largest long-term care and post-acute rehab companies in the country. I supported the talent acquisition function, and in the span of 8 years, I screened and interviewed over 1,500 nurse aides, LPNs, and RNs.
I hold a very special place in my heart for nurses, as it's often a thankless and tiresome job. Not everyone is cut out to be a nurse, and I have great respect and admiration for those that choose this career path. As a content writer and interview coach for MockQuestions, my goal is to help you prepare and succeed in your upcoming interview. This article offers interview tips and advice along with 50 practice interview questions and answer examples to help you better understand what to expect and prepare for interview day! Wishing you the best of luck!
Learn more about Jaymie Payne