Interview Question - Took Initiative

When I was working the night shift in the emergency room of Yale New Haven Hospital, I was asked to sew up a small laceration on a patient who was HIV-positive and had stopped taking his antiviral medication a few months earlier.

I saw an opportunity to not just tend to his wound but also to improve his long-term health by connecting with him as a person and persuading him to restart his medication.

First, I wanted to understand why he had stopped taking these drugs. So, while suturing, I asked him what caused this decision. Initially, the patient was somewhat hostile to my questions. However, after a few minutes of polite conversation, he opened up.

The patient told me that he had some negative interactions with his previous physician. To avoid dealing with this physician, he stopped his medication.

With this understanding, I educated the patient about the potential dangers of not taking antivirals and how he was putting himself at risk. I also offered him other ways in which he could continue receiving care without working with that specific physician.

Result/Interest point at the end of the conversation, the patient thanked me for my care and said that he really appreciated the honest and supportive way in which I spoke to him. He also agreed to restart his antiviral medication and committed to doing so for the foreseeable future. This experience taught me that making patients comfortable can have a huge impact on outcomes.