Surgical First Assistant Mock Interview
Master 30 Surgical First Assistant interview questions covering sterile technique, intraoperative procedures, and clinical judgment.
Question 12 of 30
What is an example of one of the most difficult cases you have ever worked?
Entry Level
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Example Answer
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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 have only recently begun my career as a surgical first assistant and can't think of an unusually difficult case that I have personally assisted with. Of course, I have heard stories of difficult cases, such as people who experience the loss of a limb, or a stillbirth, but I have not yet worked any such case."
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.
The interviewer understands that every surgery is not an elective procedure and may be a more difficult situation than others. When you are asked a question like this during an interview, it is not necessarily because the interviewer wants to hear a story of a difficult time, but more likely that he is trying to see how well you cope with difficult situations. As always, remember to protect patient confidentiality when giving an answer.
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.
"The most difficult case I ever worked was the surgery of a 14 yr old boy who had been in an automobile accident. The driver of the car that hit him was drunk. The boy lost his leg and the other driver walked away with only a few cuts and bruises. It was a devastating event."
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Anonymous Answer
While working in Pediatric Neurosurgery I observed a case where they discovered a large tumor that they were not going to be able to remove. That hit everyone present pretty hard, myself included.
Rachelle's Feedback
I can only imagine this would have been incredibly hard to handle. In your answer, it would be best if you could include details on how you managed your emotions during this time.
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