Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician.

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This can be a tricky question to answer. This is a question to practice answering ahead of time to master the correct tone. The employer wants to assess if you have any issues with anger management, conflict resolution, and communication. In addition, the employer wants to discern your honesty and ability to interact in many different situations. I would make sure to find an example you can highlight. If a candidate answers that they can't think of anything, that tells the employer they have not yet worked enough to have those experiences, or they have something they do not wish to share.

"In my first professional role, I was on rounds with a surgeon. I recommended a change to the patient's antibiotic regimen. The surgeon did not agree due to the anaerobic coverage he wanted. I felt like it was an education issue and attempted to describe the benefits of a change. The surgeon expressed his frustration that day on rounds in a group setting and refused to change it. I decided to leave it alone and try again the next day. When I returned to work the next day, the surgeon had already changed it to my suggestion."

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"When I was working at the cancer center, I would review treatment plans for patients receiving chemotherapy to ensure that their labs were sufficient to safely receive treatment. I remember a particular situation with an oncologist who had signed (approved) treatment for a patient whose kidney function was not ample to receive a full dose of cisplatin. When I called the oncologist to voice my concern, he quickly disagreed saying "I have used cisplatin plenty of times in my career in patients with similar renal function." I calmly responded with my recommendation to at least reduce the dose and cited the literature to support my proposal. The oncologist replied favorably and thanked me for taking the time to help him care for his patient. After this incident, the oncologist and I would communicate on a regular basis and he would even ask for me when calling the pharmacy for advice."

Chad's Feedback

Great! You make good use of the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework to organize your response, and the story-based example you chose clearly demonstrates your ability to remain calm and communicate clearly when in disagreement, and come to a positive end result. Nice job!

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"I had a situation with a GP receptionist who told a patient that we did not send any request for his medications when we did. The patient was unhappy with the pharmacy. Usually, we send hard copies but that time an email was sent as it was urgent (what we usually do). I phoned the GP reception and told them that a request was sent by email but she said nothing has arrived. I found the email that was sent earlier and gave her the time it was sent. In the end, I just sent another email on the spot and made sure they received it before hanging up the phone. There was probably an issue with the system."

Stephanie's Feedback

In the "Revised Answer" suggestion, I've suggested a slight rewording of this response, with a closing sentence to relate back to the question.

"I had a situation with a GP receptionist who told a patient that we did not send any request for his medications when we did. The patient was unhappy with the pharmacy. Usually, we send hard copies but that time an email was sent as it was urgent, which is our usual protocol. I phoned the GP reception and told them that a request was sent by email but she said nothing has arrived. I found the email that was sent earlier and gave her the time it was sent. In end, I just sent another email on the spot and made sure they received it before hanging up the phone. There was probably an issue with the system. From this situation, I learned the importance of active communication and follow-through; I truly believe that all workplace conflicts can be resolved through communication."

How to Answer: Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Pharmacist job interview.

32. Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician.

How to Answer

Written by Stephanie Baumhover on February 8th, 2024

Answer Example

Written by Stephanie Baumhover on February 7th, 2024

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Stephanie's Feedback

In the "Revised Answer" suggestion, I've suggested a slight rewording of this response, with a closing sentence to relate back to the question.

"I had a situation with a GP receptionist who told a patient that we did not send any request for his medications when we did. The patient was unhappy with the pharmacy. Usually, we send hard copies but that time an email was sent as it was urgent, which is our usual protocol. I phoned the GP reception and told them that a request was sent by email but she said nothing has arrived. I found the email that was sent earlier and gave her the time it was sent. In end, I just sent another email on the spot and made sure they received it before hanging up the phone. There was probably an issue with the system. From this situation, I learned the importance of active communication and follow-through; I truly believe that all workplace conflicts can be resolved through communication."

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