Surgical First Assistant Mock Interview
Master 30 Surgical First Assistant interview questions covering sterile technique, intraoperative procedures, and clinical judgment.
Question 16 of 30
How do you approach dealing with an angry patient, and why?
Entry Level
Experienced
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Example Answer
Community Answers
Darby Faubion has been a Nurse and Allied Health Educator for over 20 years. She has clinical experience in several specialty areas, including pediatrics, medical-surgical, critical care, and hospice.
"I think it is important to try and find out what has made the patient mad. If it is something such as not being called as quickly as he had expected, a simple explanation regarding what caused the delay may help calm him."
Darby Faubion has been a Nurse and Allied Health Educator for over 20 years. She has clinical experience in several specialty areas, including pediatrics, medical-surgical, critical care, and hospice.
"There are a couple of different approaches and safety is, of course, the most important thing to consider. A patient who is angry could become combative which could result in injury to him, to me, or to both of us. I feel the best approach is to ask what has made the patient upset and try to resolve the underlying cause, if at all possible."
Darby Faubion has been a Nurse and Allied Health Educator for over 20 years. She has clinical experience in several specialty areas, including pediatrics, medical-surgical, critical care, and hospice.
Knowing how you will handle a difficult situation will tell the interviewer if you have the right attitude for this job. Being a physician means you have to deal with people from very different backgrounds and with varying personalities. Give the interviewer an example of how you would handle an angry patient.
Darby Faubion has been a Nurse and Allied Health Educator for over 20 years. She has clinical experience in several specialty areas, including pediatrics, medical-surgical, critical care, and hospice.
"I believe acting calmly and speaking rationally is a great way to calm someone who is angry and I try to be the voice of reason without making someone feel that I am belittling them."
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Anonymous Answer
Undergoing a procedure is usually due to an illness. Most anger is based on fear, so it is important first to recognize that and to understand that the patient is not angry with me personally and to engage with them without being defensive. A calm response based on empathy generally works best for me.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your approach sounds excellent and very caring! If you have an example of a time when you used this approach to help settle an angry patient, this question presents a good opportunity to weave in a memorable story.
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