"When Was the Last Time I Wow'ed a Patient?"

I recently went to a job interview and one of the first questions I was asked is, "When was the last time you wow'ed a patient?" Up until this point I thought the interview was going pretty well. I had worn my nicest suit, shaken my interviewers hand firmly when meeting, smiled when appropriate, and all of the rest of the textbook niceties of the dreaded interview. Nurses Relations Article

I recently went to a job interview and one of the first questions I was asked is, "When was the last time you wow'ed a patient?" Up until this point I thought the interview was going pretty well. I had worn my nicest suit, shaken my interviewers hand firmly when meeting, smiled when appropriate, and all of the rest of the textbook niceties of the dreaded interview. I'm usually quite calm in situations like these. I have a natural desire to be on stage, to act, to have the attention on myself. When this is the case, I usually perform to the best of my ability, manipulating my audience into loving what I love, hating what I hate, and most importantly, becoming smitten with me.

Then there was this question.

When was the last time I wow'ed a patient? I thought to myself. Picture the depths of the ocean floor. Picture the dark side of the moon. Imagine the inside of your eyelids. These things all resembled the thoughts that were coming to my mind. Nothing. I could think of absolutely nothing.

What does he want me to say? That I brought a box of donuts to my patient once? That I did cartwheels in the room or juggled flaming wands? Oh I know! I once put my entire fist inside my mouth! That really wow'ed Betty and her COPD exacerbation! Wow'ed her right to health!

On my way home from the interview I reflected on what that question could even mean. I thought about the fact that our hospitals are becoming more and more customer service oriented. They're no longer patients (that's an ugly word) - they're clients. It's no longer acute renal failure (that might hurt the kidney's feelings) - it's acute kidney injury. These are the types of changes many people within our health care systems spend their time making. These things are what we consider important.

What about the time I sent 200 volts pulsating through a man's body to bring him back from the dead? I think that probably wow'ed him! What about the time I stood silently in a room while a demented patient in restraints screamed about how much she hated me. What about the times that I've yelled at my patients to sit down because they were unsteady and medically unsafe to walk. Or the times when I've had to firmly remind my patients that while they are on my unit, I am the boss. Did these moments wow the patients? Maybe. Is that really our goal? To wow all the patients?

I've concluded that it's not about how customer service oriented we are with our patients. It's now about how politically correct we are. It's about being a good nurse, which stems from a desire to truly help people. When you care about people, you care about not offending them. You care about going the extra distance for them. You choose to do things like go to another unit to get chocolate pudding because you know they'll like it better than the vanilla, or take the time to grab the lotion and put it on their feet even at the end of your shift. Sometimes you do things like tell a patient what they don't want to hear. Sometimes we hurt patients, physically, emotionally, mentally, all for their own greater good. Sometimes patients aren't wow'ed. Sometimes they're healed.

I didn't get the job. They went with someone who was "more qualified". That didn't exactly wow me. Maybe though, this is a time when I'm not supposed to be wow'ed. I want to get the right job, on the right unit, in the right hospital, in the right city. Not getting this job did hurt a little, but maybe it's supposed to. Maybe we're not meant to be wow'ed all the time. Maybe we go through some hurt every now and again for our own greater good. When was the last time I wow'ed a patient? I don't know. Next question.

Specializes in Medical Surgical.

oh laughing out loud so hard right now!

Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

I can safely say I wow patients all the time. Each and every day I go to work, no exaggeration, I have at least one patient or family member who says, everyone is so nice and helpful here, no one ever makes you feel rushed or like they are too busy for you. I take pride in my job and I like to help people.

That's not to say you have to be smiley and subservient to patients all the time, but I like to go the extra mile when I can.

I recently had a similar question on a phone interview. Except my question was, " When was the last time you went above and beyond for a patient?" I can't remember exactly how I answered, but she was not satisfied with my answer,stating that was too generalized and kept trying to coach me for a more specific answer. I elaborated a couple more times, and even mentioned how at one time I won an ACES awared ( Award for Commitment and Excelence in Service). She informed me that was still to general. At this point, all I could say was " Um, Um, um , um..." I was literally left stammering, and at that point, I just felt like any answer I gave would not be good enough. Finally , I said, " Maybe we should just conclude this interview, now."

I spoke with some previous colleagues after this for some input. They all basically said the same thing... I may not have ever rushed into a burning building to save someone , but the many things that I did on a daily basis, contributed to an overall greater good.( troubleshooting, diffusing anger, friendly, always willing to help fellow staff members so that things run more smoothly for the patients!)

I figured I would treat this question as a learning experience for the next interview.

1 Votes
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

"When was the last time you 'wow'ed a patient?" is not the same question as "when was the last time you went the extra mile for a patient?" Since the question itself makes so little sense in the nursing world I guess it would be fine to answer one that you think is sort of close to that - and does make sense, which is probably what I would do - but it seems as though the person asking the question wants to hear about a reaction of some sort from the patient, because how would you know they were 'wow'ed otherwise?

It's the kind of question someone who is not a nurse or who hasn't been near a patient in decades would ask. It sounds like something someone in sales or marketing would ask so there is some risk in re-interpreting the question. It doesn't indicate a lack of imagination on the part of the interviewee if they are flustered by it.

Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
"When was the last time you 'wow'ed a patient?" is not the same question as "when was the last time you went the extra mile for a patient?" Since the question itself makes so little sense in the nursing world I guess it would be fine to answer one that you think is sort of close to that - and does make sense, which is probably what I would do - but it seems as though the person asking the question wants to hear about a reaction of some sort from the patient, because how would you know they were 'wow'ed otherwise?

It's the kind of question someone who is not a nurse or who hasn't been near a patient in decades would ask. It sounds like something someone in sales or marketing would ask so there is some risk in re-interpreting the question. It doesn't indicate a lack of imagination on the part of the interviewee if they are flustered by it.

This is true, you can go the extra mile all day long and never get a thank you or even as much as an acknowledgement.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Wowing patients as the standard is exactly why I am in graduate school. Our goal should not be to wow every patient. That isn't why any of us became nurses. We are there to provide the highest level of care we can but some folks will never be wowed. Some people will run us to death and use us as waitresses for 12 hours and not even a thank you. That is our reality

Specializes in Geriatrics.
What about the time I sent 200 volts pulsating through a man's body to bring him back from the dead? I think that probably wow'ed him! What about the time I stood silently in a room while a demented patient in restraints screamed about how much she hated me. What about the times that I've yelled at my patients to sit down because they were unsteady and medically unsafe to walk. Or the times when I've had to firmly remind my patients that while they are on my unit, I am the boss. Did these moments wow the patients? Maybe. Is that really our goal? To wow all the patients?

I laughed so hard! What a stupid interview question to ask a nurse, or any health care provider I think. That sort of question is usually asked while interviewing a candidate for Clair's or Stitches clothing stores for teeny boppers, and it makes me angry and annoyed that I may be asked this sort of question after I graduate from my program. I am a casual PSW during the summer, and I wasn't asked this during my interview. I was asked questions that referred only to patient safety (thank goodness!) So if you don't mind, Mully, I'm going to print out your first post about this, and keep in handy for when my next interview comes. I may reword it somewhat lol, but that question has no place in an interview. Someone wrote that it's all about saving lives every day, keeping pt.s safe and helping them heal, and interviews for positions in the health care field should only be about pt. care and safety. Yes, doing extra little things for the pt. and family are important and should be done, but when a pt. complains about me checking their brief every hour or two during nites I just say, "it's my job and I would hate to leave you in a soiled brief, plus a soiled brief can cause skin breakdown". Thank you Mully, for posting and it's something I would have been totally unprepared for in giving an answer.

I 'WOW" my patients every day, because I tell them what I am doing and why I am doing it. I have found that my patients are better equipped to handle hospitalization when they know who-what-where-why-how we do what we do. We are just as much educators as anything else, and due to time constraints, education is sometimes rushed and haphazard. I think it would be helpful for us to take the time to explain why a patient is being awakened in the middle of the night, why they need another IV, why it takes so long to get into surgery, etc. I have been at the wrong end of the scalpel 9 times myself, so I might have a different view. I think that a lot of patient/staff difficulties come from fear. Perhaps the nurse doesn't feel it, but the patient certainly does, and as Maslow taught us, we can't learn while we are afraid. If we can lessen the fear, perhaps the education will stick and we will be able to relate to each other as patients and professionals in a better way.

All patients have the potential to be difficult, and there are days when screaming in the bathroom is the only mental health available. It is those days that determine the length of our careers as nurses. On the day when I know that I have been pushed past the point of compassion, I will stop being a nurse. I pray that each of us has the mental and emotional strength to be there for each other, as well as for our patients, for a very long time.

I think that most people see the political correctness as the folly that it truly is. A "client" is someone in for a manicure or haircut. Those that I assess, medicate, teach, intervente on behalf of, and care for in multiple ways are my patients. Renal failure is failure, and the kidney should have thought about the consequences earlier.;) As nurses we are dealing with the reality of situations, and that reality is what it is. The PC should be bagged up and left outside the door.

Specializes in psych, general, emerg, mash.

****..talk about ego's. Your not there for entertainment, or to demonstrated your lack of vocabulary, your there to show your confidence. If your co-worker is there and tells the patient you did the same procedure without a hitch yesterday or whenever. You dont see doctors trying to WOW, or AMAZE, or AWESOME a patient. Leave those overworked adjectives to the internet mentality. Approach the patient with calm.

Thank you for your honesty. The world is so changing and it expects us to remeber, "don't say that, don't do that, don't look like that. Wow, how about do your job and do it like you are working for God not the world.

Specializes in float pool.

I am afraid I would not get that position because I would probably repeat the question back in a sarcastic tone trying to understand what wowing meant. And I would probably start laughing because wowing a patient DOES sound like volts through the heart or a suppository. The most "wow" comments I get from patients are after I start an IV or give a shot and finish before they realize it is over. You know, "Wow! You're done already?"

Somehow, I don't think that is the fodder of a good interview answer. And I would probably just ask for the interview to end because I was trying for a nursing position, not a clown college.

Specializes in PCU.

Very excellent article. They are concentrating on the newest "fad" and in so doing losing sight of what is really important in our field.

I am not there to "wow" my patient. If I do, during the course of my day, happen to accidentally "wow" him or her, I did not mean to do it. I just did it because it was the right thing to do.

I may spend time with a patient after my shift is over, make an extra trip on occasion to let the patient know I thought of him/her, walk with them to ICU and stay until they are settled and feeling "safe." I do not do it because I want to "wow" a patient. I do it because they may need that extra mile more than I need to go home and rest. If they appreciate it, mention it, praise me, I am glad, but it is not necessary nor would I appreciate anyone telling me I "wowed" my patient.

I did what was needed when it was needed because someone had to...I am someone.

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