Healthcare Assistant Interview Questions & Answers

What would you do if you noticed a patient's condition had changed or worsened?

My job isn't to diagnose — it's to notice, act and report quickly. If a patient seemed more drowsy than earlier, was breathing differently, or their colour had changed, I'd stay with them, reassure them, and take a set of observations if that's what I'd been asked to do. Anything outside the normal range — or honestly, anything that just didn't feel right about them — I'd report to the nurse in charge straight away rather than waiting for the next obs round, because with deterioration the earlier someone senior knows, the better. I'd tell the nurse exactly what I'd seen and what the readings were, and then record it accurately. I'd rather flag something that turns out to be nothing than stay quiet about something that mattered.

A patient asks you what's wrong with them or about their test results. What do you do?

I'd be kind but honest about what I can and can't tell them. Results and diagnoses aren't mine to give — that has to come from the nurse or doctor, partly because I might not have the full picture and partly because they deserve a proper conversation with someone who can answer their follow-up questions. So I'd say something like, 'That's a really important question, and I want you to get the right answer — let me ask the nurse to come and speak with you.' Then I'd actually make sure it happened rather than leaving them waiting and worrying. In the meantime I'd stay with them if they were anxious, because being ill and not knowing what's happening is frightening. It's about staying inside my role without ever making the patient feel fobbed off.