How to Answer: How would you handle a patient or physician yelling at you?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Pharmacist job interview.
23. How would you handle a patient or physician yelling at you?
How to Answer
Answer Tips: This is unfortunately a realistic situation and you want to pull from a real-world example if possible. If you do not have an example, you want to discuss your approach to this situation. A good answer involves discussing ways to de-escalate the situation, employ empathy with the person, and work towards an efficient resolution while protecting yourself and following policy.
You may consider adding that you are aware of what to do if you are threatened (call security or a manager), and also if you need to hand off a situation to another pharmacist if possible to de-escalate the situation further if needed. The most important tip is to recognize that engaging in the dispute is not appropriate and rarely leads to resolution.
Written by Stephanie Baumhover on February 8th, 2024
Answer Example
"I would tell the patient I am sorry they have to wait, and I know they must be uncomfortable. I would ask them if we could have the medication delivered to them. I would communicate that this is the current process and I understand this is not currently working for them. I would let my manager know about this in the hopes of it being better in the future and am sorry they are dealing with this.
Written by Stephanie Baumhover on February 8th, 2024
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