Perioperative Nurse Mock Interview
Master 25 Perioperative Nurse interview questions covering sterile technique, surgical protocols, and patient advocacy.
Question 17 of 25
How have you handled angry or upset patients in the past and how will your style help you be successful in this position?
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Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
In any hospital or clinic setting, patients can become uneasy, unsettled, and even downright angry. The situation that patients find themselves in heading into or following surgery involves high levels of discomfort, fear, and pain, which naturally leads to anger. Your interviewer needs to be assured that you would join their perioperative nursing team with thick alligator skin and a penchant for doing what is right for the patient no matter the situation, so they ask this to hear you discuss a specific time you worked with an unsettled patient. As you discuss the particular situation you found yourself in, focus on your ability to put the patient at ease with your personable approach.
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
"Just a few months ago, we had a young patient who had been in a car accident and had a severely fractured leg. As we were prepping for surgery, the patient was in excruciating pain and both he and his father were very vocal about their displeasure of the situation. With my focus on the patient first and foremost, I moved swiftly to begin the administration of pain medication in conjunction with the anesthesia team. With the father in the room upset, I took time when I could to explain to him what was happening now and when he'd go into surgery. When the time came for the dad to leave surgical prep, I walked him to the waiting room and tried to highlight the success the orthopedic surgeon has had with this surgery in both children and adults. He thanked me for the time and the patient's operation went phenomenally."
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