How do you reflect after dealing with a difficult and challenging patient situation?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
Answer Example

One fact that you need to come to terms with prior to applying for a position as a PICU nurse is that you will face some very difficult and challenging patient situations. As a nursing professional, reflecting, learning, and growing from these challenging situations is vital to future patient care success. Your interviewer poses this question to ensure that you will take the time to reflect and learn after you have handled a difficult situation in their Pediatric ICU.

During your future career as a PICU nurse, you will no doubt be put in situations where young patients receive life-threatening diagnoses, go into cardiac arrest, or even die. It's human nature to rationalize or justify and not face the difficult feelings or emotions of a situation gone bad, but this reflection is extremely important so that you know you are doing all that you can do to help in the situation. Talk to the interviewer about your ability to reflect on a situation and learn from it moving forward. If you have an example of a time you have done this during your career, don't hesitate to talk openly and honestly about the situation and what you learned.

"I really like to go back and review with myself and the team what happened and ways to be better in any situation that doesn't go as planned. I think it's important to distance myself a little bit from the emotions and try to review the situation logically. I think that when emotions run high, intelligence can run low, and we need to talk about situations and responses without blame. Blame isn't helpful and impedes learning. As a PICU nurse on your unit, I know that I will be facing some of the most difficult situations that any nurse can handle and I'm ready for that challenge. I want you to be assured that I would take any difficult situation and learn from it moving forward."

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How to Answer: How do you reflect after dealing with a difficult and challenging patient situation?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a PICU Nurse job interview.

1. How do you reflect after dealing with a difficult and challenging patient situation?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

One fact that you need to come to terms with prior to applying for a position as a PICU nurse is that you will face some very difficult and challenging patient situations. As a nursing professional, reflecting, learning, and growing from these challenging situations is vital to future patient care success. Your interviewer poses this question to ensure that you will take the time to reflect and learn after you have handled a difficult situation in their Pediatric ICU.

Written by Ryan Brunner on May 11th, 2022

How to Answer

During your future career as a PICU nurse, you will no doubt be put in situations where young patients receive life-threatening diagnoses, go into cardiac arrest, or even die. It's human nature to rationalize or justify and not face the difficult feelings or emotions of a situation gone bad, but this reflection is extremely important so that you know you are doing all that you can do to help in the situation. Talk to the interviewer about your ability to reflect on a situation and learn from it moving forward. If you have an example of a time you have done this during your career, don't hesitate to talk openly and honestly about the situation and what you learned.

Written by Ryan Brunner on May 11th, 2022

Answer Example

"I really like to go back and review with myself and the team what happened and ways to be better in any situation that doesn't go as planned. I think it's important to distance myself a little bit from the emotions and try to review the situation logically. I think that when emotions run high, intelligence can run low, and we need to talk about situations and responses without blame. Blame isn't helpful and impedes learning. As a PICU nurse on your unit, I know that I will be facing some of the most difficult situations that any nurse can handle and I'm ready for that challenge. I want you to be assured that I would take any difficult situation and learn from it moving forward."

Written by Ryan Brunner on May 11th, 2022

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