What is the hiring manager looking for?

Hiring managers use this question to assess candidates’ ability to work effectively in a team, communicate with healthcare providers from different disciplines, and contribute to the overall success of the team. A strong answer will highlight your teamwork skills, effective communication abilities, and commitment to patient care, demonstrating your ability to collaborate, communicate, and provide high-quality patient care within a multidisciplinary team.

How to structure your answer

To answer this question effectively, consider the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method.
– Situation: Briefly describe the situation, the healthcare setting, and the patient’s condition.
– Task: Explain your role and responsibilities within the multidisciplinary team.
– Action: Describe the specific actions you took to collaborate with other team members, including effective communication and coordination of care.
– Result: Highlight the positive outcomes of the collaboration, such as improved patient outcomes, increased efficiency, or innovative solutions.
End with a concise summary emphasizing your contribution and the value you added to the team’s success.

Tips to answer this interview question

Tips:
– Be specific and provide concrete examples of your actions and contributions.
– Use examples that demonstrate your ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with healthcare providers from different disciplines.
– Emphasize how your actions contributed to the team’s success and improved patient outcomes.
– Highlight your ability to adapt to different situations and work effectively in a team environment.
Avoid:
– Providing overly general or vague answers that lack specific details.
– Focusing solely on your individual accomplishments rather than highlighting the collaborative efforts of the team.
– Using examples that do not demonstrate effective communication or collaboration skills.
– Providing negative examples or experiences that reflect poorly on your teamwork skills.

Example interview answers to this question

Sample Answer 1:

– Situation: As a registered nurse in a critical care unit, I collaborated with a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, respiratory therapists, and physical therapists, to care for a patient with a complex medical condition.

– Task: My role was to provide direct patient care, monitor vital signs, administer medications, and coordinate the patient’s care plan with other team members.

– Action: I used effective communication skills to share patient updates with the team, raise concerns, and discuss treatment options. I also actively participated in team meetings, providing my nursing perspective and collaborating with other team members to develop and implement a comprehensive care plan.

– Result: The collaboration among the multidisciplinary team resulted in a successful patient outcome. The patient’s condition stabilized, and they were discharged from the hospital within a reasonable timeframe. Strong Points:
This answer is strong because it provides a specific example of how the candidate collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to achieve a positive patient outcome. The candidate demonstrates effective communication skills, teamwork, and a commitment to patient care.
Sample Answer 2:

– Situation: As a social worker in a community health center, I often collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to address the social and emotional needs of our patients.

– Task: My role was to assess patients’ social and emotional needs, provide counseling and support, and connect patients to community resources.

– Action: I worked closely with other team members, including physicians, nurses, and case managers, to develop and implement holistic care plans that addressed both the medical and psychosocial needs of our patients.

– Result: Through effective collaboration, we were able to improve the overall health and well-being of our patients. We saw decreased hospital readmissions and improved patient satisfaction scores. Strong Points:
This answer is strong because it demonstrates the candidate’s ability to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to address the social and emotional needs of patients. The candidate highlights the positive outcomes of the collaboration, including decreased hospital readmissions and improved patient satisfaction scores.