You are alone in an elevator with two nurses from another floor who are talking about a patient. How would you respond?
Interviewers ask situational questions to test interviewees' people skills and their capacity to communicate and find optimal solutions. The answer here doesn't have to be work specific, unless it is apparent as in this question, but it's always a good idea to incorporate appropriate work behaviors in, when possible.
"My grandmother always taught me that when you are silent about questionable things, in a way you are agreeing with them, or people might think that you are. I feel strongly about protecting patient rights, and I would be very uncomfortable in that situation. I think that I would feel compelled to address it right on the spot and very pleasantly say that I don't feel comfortable with the conversation. If they were talking details and gossip, I would address it and definitely report it to supervisors. If it were a casual slip and vague in content, I would definitely report it to the supervisor if anyone else was on the elevator but if not, I would just address them directly."
"I encountered almost this same scenario, except it was two doctors that I recognized by sight but didn't know by name. I would handle this scenario in the same way I handled that situation. In that situation, I calmly said, 'Doctor, please don't discuss patient information in front of a person without a need to know this information.' The doctor nodded and said, 'Thank you,' and the conversation stopped. I think calmly and firmly reminding staff or physicians of a patient's right to privacy is the way to go, most of the time. If for some reason I saw a breach of confidentiality in front of a patient or visitor, I would report it to the unit manager in addition to my reminder to the staff."
