Master 35 PICU Fellowship interview questions covering clinical scenarios, critical care reasoning, and program fit.
Question 24 of 35
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Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
Your team of interviewers wants a full team of PICU Fellows who can be world-class educators. They need it to be able to successfully manage the stressed families of patients in the PICU. A question like this allows your interviewers to see how you would handle educating a patient and their family on a complex diagnosis or procedure using only dialogue.

Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
"I read once that most newspapers are written at a 5th-grade level so most people can understand the message. I think that today we are inundated with verbal and written messages, so what we choose to say should be prime real estate. Because of that, I strive to speak in a way that the patient or family can understand without filler or fluff words. In any pediatrics setting, the education we provide can be to parents who are fearful, sad, and overcome with feelings they may have never had before. This education has to come with a great deal of compassion. My approach to the patient's family will always be to let them know the information as soon as possible and explain what is happening in ways that they understand. I think that education materials are very important for parents to understand a new diagnosis for their child. I would always allow them to ask questions and clear up any misconceptions they have."

Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
Healthcare is increasingly complex, so it makes sense that the instructions can be as well. This question provides a chance to showcase your ability to take a complicated idea and explain it without losing integrity and dumbing it down. Explain to your interviewers your step-by-step approach to ensure that the complicated subject is understood by your audience.

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Written by Ryan Brunner
35 Questions & Answers • PICU Fellowship

By Ryan

By Ryan