How to Answer: You are caring for a patient on your unit who is now resting well but has tried to get up and fallen multiple times over the past couple of days. As you prepare to leave the patient's room, do you restrain her to prevent her from falling again?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Situational Nursing job interview.
36. You are caring for a patient on your unit who is now resting well but has tried to get up and fallen multiple times over the past couple of days. As you prepare to leave the patient's room, do you restrain her to prevent her from falling again?
How to Answer
While it may seem like the most rationale step to take in this situation would be to restrain the patient, only current behavior should determine whether a patient should be restrained. The use of restraints can have physical and psychological consequences for the patient, so it is important that nurses and other medical professionals be very careful with their use. In this situation, since the patient is resting well and not agitated, the nurse should avoid using restraints. The interviewer is asking this question to determine if the candidate understands that restraints should be used judiciously, and to effectively answer this question, the candidate should indicate they would not restrain the patient in this situation. A more successful answer this question would include an example from the candidate's nursing career where they chose not to restrain a patient based on current behavior, despite previous history of falls, violence, and/or intentional or unintentional self-harm.
Written by Kelly Burlison on June 3rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Since I have been an inpatient nurse for many years, I have dealt with these types of situations many times, and in this situation, I would not restrain the patient. Even though the patient has fallen since she has been admitted, if she is currently resting well and isn't agitated, I would not restrain her. Restraints are very difficult for patients, and I will not use them unless it is absolutely necessary. This reminds me of a patient who I was caring for recently who had been violent and restrained while in the ICU, but when he was transferred to my unit, he was much calmer. The nurse who cared for him the shift prior to mine had kept him restrained, as she was fearful of him, but the patient was now much more lucid and the restraints were stressful to him. Once I took the handoff, I immediately removed the restraints from the patient, and from then on, he was able to relax."
Written by Kelly Burlison on June 3rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Restraints should be used as a last resort, as they can be upsetting to patients and their family members, and they may increase the risk of other types of injury, such as skin tears or pressure wounds. I would work with my patient care tech and other nurses to implement other measures, such as frequently rounding on the patient to make sure her elimination needs are met. We could also place a bed or chair alarm underneath the patient to make sure staff are alerted if she tried to get up, and we could place fall alert socks on her feet so that the color indicates to all staff that the patient should not get up by herself."
Written by Kate Buckley on January 10th, 2023
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About the Author
I began my career in emergency medical services (EMS) over 30 years ago, working as a Firefighter-Paramedic, EMS Captain, Mental Health Technician, ER Technician, EMT and Paramedic Adjunct Instructor, and EMS Educator. During my career, I had the privilege of serving on over one thousand interview panels to help various organizations choose the right candidate for the job.
I have created curricula and training materials to prepare candidates for interviews and held mock interview courses for all types of healthcare professionals. My interview experience includes hiring emergency medical technicians, paramedics, firefighters, nurses, medical assistants, home health aides, and physician assistants.
As a coach and contributor for MockQuestions, I am excited to help you navigate your upcoming nursing interview. While these situational questions assess your critical thinking and communication skills, interviewers also ask these questions to gain insight into your personality to determine if you will be a good fit with the company culture. Remember to be relaxed and be your authentic self. Best of luck in nailing your interview!
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