5. As an attending nurse, how will you handle a patient who is constantly complaining of pain, despite all efforts?
Answer:
Yes, there do come such cases. As a nurse I pay attention to the patient and find out what is causing the pain. I maintain my calm and patience with my patients and assure them that we are doing our best to relieve their pain.
If required, I also request the attending doctor to speak to the patient and let them know that they are being managed well.
6. What would you do if a patient is complaining about pain but does not want to be touched?
Answer:
Yes, there are a lot of patients who are very hesitant and are very fearful. All that they want is to be comforted and cared.
As a nurse, I try to comfort the patient first and see how the pain can be reduced. I try to re-assure them that we are doing everything to manage their pain.
7. Dr. ABC is very difficult to work with. At times he is very rude. How will you work with him?
Answer:
Dealing with a difficult doctor is one of the challenging tasks for nurse. What's important is to understand the reason behind that behavior.
The reasons for doctors to be rude can fall into 3 categories:
i. Pressure and Stress: The doctor himself may be under pressure and stressed. So, if his behavior is for once, I would not mind and just ignore it.
ii. Unhappy with the service: If Dr. ABC is rude as he is not happy with the service provided to his patients, I would discuss it with him and learn how he wants it to be done. Maintaining a professional behavior, managing the reports well, talking factually are some of the ways to manage a relationship with this kind of doctor.
iii. Habitual: If a doctor is rude and disrespectful out of habit, it is better to talk to him personally. In this situation, rather than gossiping about the problem, I would straight away talk to the doctor about his behavior and apprise him of the problems it is causing. I would try to build a good rapport with this doctor because ultimately we have to work together but if everything fails, I would report the incidents to the HR Cell of the hospital, as per the policies and guidelines.
8. Your shift is over for the day but the other attending nurse has not come yet. What would you do?
Answer:
A nurse's duty doesn't end with the work hours. Until and unless you have left your patients in another set of caring hands, you can't sign off.
This question is a test of your ethics and patience.
And to answer it, you can say something like, "As a nurse, we can't walk away until and unless the next attending nurse has arrived and we know that the patients are in safe hands.
In such a scenario, I wait for the attending nurse to arrive so that I can handover the task to them. However, if they do not show up even after waiting for a considerable time, I check with my supervisor if they can find a replacement."
9. Why do you want to work at our hospital?
Answer:
The answer to this question actually lies in the research you did about the hospital before the interview. Pick up some qualities that attracted you to this hospital that time and offer them as a well framed answer.
A good answer here also demonstrates your level of interest in the position.
For e.g. If you were impressed by the reputation of hospital in dealing with its patients, the work ethics and the facilities they offer, frame them into a good answer. You can say something like -
"I have heard about the good reputation this hospital holds for dealing with its patients, the work ethics and the advanced facilities for treatment here. These qualities attracted me towards this hospital and when I found that you are hiring for a position that matches my skills set, I was quite excited."
