Surgical First Assistant Mock Interview

Master 30 Surgical First Assistant interview questions covering sterile technique, intraoperative procedures, and clinical judgment.

Question 24 of 30

Tell me about a time that there was an unexpected emergency at work. How did you handle the situation?

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Darby Faubion

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.

"During my clinical rotation in an urgent care setting, a patient that I was seeing with my preceptor collapsed with an apparent cardiac arrest. At that point, instinct kicked in with my basic lifesaver training and I began to administer CPR while my preceptor went to grab the defibrillator. Upon his return, my preceptor administered shock with the defibrillator and the patient was transported to the hospital for recovery. Staying calm and relying on my training was key in that situation to help save a life that day."

Darby Faubion

"During my time working as a tech in a residential treatment facility, we worked with many patients who were detoxing from extreme alcohol and drug dependency issues. Late one night, a patient in the detox unit was threatening to harm either himself or staff and the unit was put on lock-down. Along with the charge nurse, I was able to use my de-escalation training to calm the patient down to a relaxed state through simple conversation. Had I not had that training, I wouldn't have known the proper things to say and attitude to have with him to calm him down. After the incident, it was back to business as usual on my unit."

Darby Faubion

With this question, the interviewer wants to see if you are capable of adjusting to unexpected things on the job. Be sure to mention that you are able to prioritize in order of importance and that, when emergencies do occur, you are able to return to your job once the issue is resolved.

Darby Faubion

"In my current position, I have been called out to assist with a traumatic injury emergency. Upon receiving notification of the patient being brought in, my supervisor notified me that I needed to be in the trauma surgery room waiting for the patient and the rest of the team. Once the emergency situation was handled, I was able to return to the work I was doing before the call came in."

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30Surgical First Assistant Interview Questions & Answers

1.Why did you choose a career as a surgical first assistant?

2.If you were scheduled to assist with a surgery, but had reason to believe that the surgeon was impaired and may be unsafe to perform surgery, what would you do?

3.What do you dislike most about being a surgical first assistant?

4.Do you feel like you have strong relationship building skills?

5.If you were working a case where a patient had signed consent, but just before being sedated, he stated to you that he doesn't think he wants the surgery, what would your response be?

6.Give me an example of an interesting surgical case that you assisted with.

7.Working in a surgical setting is often very stressful. What are some ways that you prepare yourself for potentially stressful situations?

8.Has there ever been a time that you felt you should not participate in a specific surgery? If so, how did you handle the situation?

9.How would you handle a situation if a family member was angry because of a poor surgical outcome regarding their loved one?

10.Have you ever been yelled at by a surgeon, and if so, how did you or how would you handle that situation?

11.What is something about you that most people may not know?

12.What is an example of one of the most difficult cases you have ever worked?

13.What kind of coworkers do you find difficult to work with?

14.Many healthcare workers report experiencing 'burn out' at some point in their careers. What do you do to help prevent this in your life?

15.If you suspected a team member of having a hangover or being under the influence of other substances, what would your response be?

16.How do you approach dealing with an angry patient, and why?

17.What sets you apart from other surgical first assistants, and why are you the best candidate for this job?

18.What are some of the first things you'd like to accomplish if you are offered this position?

19.What are some aspects of your specialty that make it unique compared to other specialties?

20.Have you ever felt it necessary to go to someone who is higher in the chain of command than your immediate supervisor to resolve or report an issue?

21.What is one of your biggest weaknesses and what are you doing to improve in that area?

22.Have you ever considered going to back to school to get a higher degree or to change career paths?

23.Talk about a time that you had to deal with a significant change in your work procedures or in your workplace. How did you handle that change?

24.Tell me about a time that there was an unexpected emergency at work. How did you handle the situation?

25.Would you ever consider relocation? If so, what areas are you open to?

26.Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a coworker and how it was resolved.

27.What is your greatest fear about being a surgical first assistant?

28.What makes you feel you will be a good fit for our organization?

29.There are many different personalities among peers and coworkers. What would you like for people to notice about your personality?

30.Working in surgery requires a great deal of attention to detail and often multi-tasking. What do you do to help keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed?