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Situational Nursing Mock Interview

To help you prepare for your nursing interview, here are 50 situational nursing interview questions and answer examples.

Situational Nursing was updated by on May 30th, 2023. Learn more here.

Question 8 of 50

You are caring for a young patient who is being discharged with a prescription for an inhaler. Upon asking the patient if he knows how to use the inhaler, he says, "Yes, I do." Tell me how you proceed.

Although most medications are dispensed with administration instructions at the pharmacy, many patients do not understand how to administer to themselves which results in their misuse. For medications such as beta agonists or corticosteroids which are administered via inhaler, misusing the inhalant device could mean the patient is not getting enough medication to help manage their condition. This is common for all medications which is why it is important for nurses to ensure patients understand how to properly take their medications before discharge. The interviewer is asking this question to determine if the candidate would ensure the understands how to use the inhaler before discharging him, rather than simply taking the patient's word for it. To effectively answer this question, the candidate should describe, in detail, how they would verify that the patient understands how to use the inhaler. A more successful answer to this question would include a specific example from the candidate's nursing career where they helped educate a patient on their medication regimen before discharge or how they developed patient education protocols or materials for their unit or organization.

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How to Answer: You are caring for a young patient who is being discharged with a prescription for an inhaler. Upon asking the patient if he knows how to use the inhaler, he says, "Yes, I do." Tell me how you proceed.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Situational Nursing job interview.

  • 8. You are caring for a young patient who is being discharged with a prescription for an inhaler. Upon asking the patient if he knows how to use the inhaler, he says, "Yes, I do." Tell me how you proceed.

      How to Answer

      Although most medications are dispensed with administration instructions at the pharmacy, many patients do not understand how to administer to themselves which results in their misuse. For medications such as beta agonists or corticosteroids which are administered via inhaler, misusing the inhalant device could mean the patient is not getting enough medication to help manage their condition. This is common for all medications which is why it is important for nurses to ensure patients understand how to properly take their medications before discharge. The interviewer is asking this question to determine if the candidate would ensure the understands how to use the inhaler before discharging him, rather than simply taking the patient's word for it. To effectively answer this question, the candidate should describe, in detail, how they would verify that the patient understands how to use the inhaler. A more successful answer to this question would include a specific example from the candidate's nursing career where they helped educate a patient on their medication regimen before discharge or how they developed patient education protocols or materials for their unit or organization.

      Written by Kelly Burlison on June 3rd, 2019

      1st Answer Example

      "Even if the patient was adamant that he knew how to use the inhaler, I would get him to demonstrate how he uses an inhaler, either by using a teaching tool or by simply using an unrelated object to mock up the situation. Inhalers are more difficult to use than most people realize, and so many patients make mistakes when administering their inhaled medications to themselves. But this isn't only limited to inhaled medications, I always make sure my patients understand their medication regimen, and after I go over it with them, I have them demonstrate it to me or repeat it back to me, to ensure they understand. This is something I have always done in my nursing career and will continue to do so before I discharge my patients."

      Written by Kelly Burlison on June 3rd, 2019

      2nd Answer Example

      "Even if a patient assures me that he knows how to use his inhaler, I will ask him to demonstrate or explain its use to me. If we have a dose of his inhaler due soon, I will verbally review the steps of using his inhaler, and then I will ask him to show me using it. If he won't be due for a dose of his inhaler before discharge time, I will use the teach-back method, in which I will ask him to verbally 'teach me' to use his inhaler. It's important that patients can administer their medications to themselves upon discharge, and I always make sure to review patients' medications with them and check for understanding before discharge. I had a similar scenario with a patient who was being discharged with a new insulin pen. The patient told me he understood how to load the needle onto the pen, but when I asked him to demonstrate, he wasn't able to do it. We practiced a few times to make sure he understood the entire process, and he then was able to put the pen and needle together prior to discharge."

      Written by Kate Buckley on January 10th, 2023

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I would ask the patient if he is familiar with an inhaler and what it does. This allows for the patient to show what they know about their own disease process, even if they are young. I would ask the patient if he has any questions on the medication or the device and see if I can clarify anything he doesn't understand. I would then ask the young patient to demonstrate how to use it prior to discharge. Lastly, I would add any additional information on how to use it and things to look out for when using an inhaler."

      Cindy's Feedback

      Great. This question is seeking an answer that reveals all the ways you would ensure that the patient knew how to use the inhaler. You covered multiple methods which is a convincing approach.
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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!

    Learn more about Krista Wenz