Situational Residency Mock Interview
Practice 30 Situational Residency interview questions covering clinical scenarios, patient prioritization, and decision-making under pressure.
Question 23 of 30
How would you handle difficult family members who disagree with the care that the patient agreed to?
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Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
Patient families can often be the most challenging to residents and physicians as they do not always agree with the patient's decision. Sometimes they will pull you aside and tell you their opinion. In asking this question, your team of interviewers wants to hear that you will join their residency program as a patient advocate and a respectful communicator to all people that you consult with during your time in their training program.
Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
"I would acknowledge that I understand they want the best for their family member, but explain that I cannot discuss the patient's care with them and that the patient has the right to make their own decision. I would encourage them to discuss their concerns with the patient directly and perhaps ask for a shared meeting with the doctor so their concerns could be addressed. I would definitely report the interaction to my nursing supervisor."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
As long as the patient is competent to make their own decisions, the best way to deal with these situations is to tell the family that they really need to talk with the patient. You also should not be talking about the patient's condition when they are not present. As you answer, talk about how you will rely on your ability to educate the family and loved ones of your patients and why doing so is the best for their care. Depending on the situation of the patient, buy-in from the family is extremely important on their path to healing.
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