how to answer this question

[georgeomally]

I'm preparing for interviews and having trouble answering the question "what population would you have the most trouble working with" or "what kind of patient would give you the most trouble" What are interviewers looking for when they ask this? I cannot imagine they actually want us to pick a certain race or age group that we find it hard to work with? Is there something I am missing here? Thanks in advance

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[BellyDancingDoc]

Have you done much clinical work?

If yes (and I hope the answer is yes!), what group of patients was the hardest for you to deal with? For example, for me, it's heavy smokers. That deep, rancid smell of old tobacco makes me feel absolutely ill. It's very hard for me to stay in the same room with someone who stinks that way, and it's even harder to treat such a patient with care and respect, when I secretly want to spray him down with a decontamination hose and then run screaming from the exam room.

So yeah. In my case, I'd identify the group in question (heavy smokers), explain why (I try hard to fight it, but that smell makes me feel really ill) and explain how I deal with it (suck it up, treat patient with respect, and try to breathe through my mouth).

Get the idea?

 

[PEN15]

I'm preparing for interviews and having trouble answering the question "what population would you have the most trouble working with" or "what kind of patient would give you the most trouble" What are interviewers looking for when they ask this? I cannot imagine they actually want us to pick a certain race or age group that we find it hard to work with? Is there something I am missing here? Thanks in advance

I would steer away from actually picking a race because I don't think that's the purpose of this question. Instead, you should pick a generalized quality in people that irratates the hell out of you or have a hard time identifying with regardless of the colour of their skin. Belly gave an excellent example.

 

[armybound]

The hardest patients to deal with are the ones who are repeat fliers because they never listen to your advice. That's the most frustrating part for me.

Or kids. It's never easy working with kids.

 

[FemalesCANTDriv]

i hate morbidly obese ppl... they are killing themselves for no good reason and being selfish with food when there are millions starving in this world

 

[foofish]

Or kids. It's never easy working with kids.

Healthy kids are great, but there's something about an 8 year old dying of cancer that's harder for me to handle than an 80 year old dying of cancer.

 

[ReachingTruth]

I think that's an awesome question because the way you answer tells him if you consider race an issue or not. If you answer other than race and provide good logic behind it (like some of the above posts), it tells him you're able to accept weaknesses with yourself and perhaps, how you communicate with a certain population (smokers, kids, etc).

Just my take.

 

[mshollywoodmd]

Answering with a race would probably call question to your sense of social responsibility. If you have found in the past that you had trouble working with a certain race you should think about what in particular caused an issue. It probably wasn't the persons race itself (unless you have a prejudice against a particular race) but something about their personality,attitude, or personal choices. I personally haven't had a problem working with any patient...younger kids can be difficult when trying to give them EEG's...but overprotective parents are a pain. I understand that if your kid had a seizure you should be worried but fainting after the session is over is a bit much...but that's just my experience.