Interview Questions and Answers for a Care Worker
If you are a personal care worker looking for a new job, you may be wondering what you can do to increase your chances of getting hired. If you want to work in a hospital, a nursing home, or a patient’s home, you will have to go through an interview to see if you are a good fit for the job. You can feel confident during the care assistant interview if you know what to say and how the interview works. In this article, we’ll go over some of the most common questions asked at interviews for personal care assistant jobs and give you some sample answers to help you prepare for your own.
Questions to ask a care worker at an interview
Here are some common care worker interview questions to help you prepare:
- Imagine that someone in the room doesn’t want you to be there. What do you do?
- How would you describe the caregiving work you do?
- Why did you choose to work in care?
- How do you deal with privacy as a caregiver?
- Do you know anything about the laws that protect weak adults?
- Recall a time a patient’s situation made you feel sad. What did you do?
- How would you help a client who has Alzheimer’s?
- Imagine that a heart attack happens to one of your patients. What do you do?
Imagine that a patient does not want you to come into his or her room. What do you do?
With situational care worker interview questions, the employer wants to see if you can be kind when things are hard. You should show how you can give good care while also showing understanding and compassion.
Example: “I think it’s important to show patients we hear them, but also to be firm and give them the care they need. So I tell him or her, “I understand what you mean. In 20 minutes, I’ll come back to check on you.” Then I’d tell the nurse what was happening and ask her what she thought. I would then return to my patient “.
How do you feel about your job as a health care assistant?
Your future boss is giving you a chance to talk about how you work by asking you this question about being a health care assistant. Be clear and use examples from your own life when you answer.
Example: “I like to think that I make a difference in the lives of my patients by giving them the care they need. So, I put my patients’ happiness first. I like helping them, and I often ask for their feedback so I can get better at what I do.”
Why did you decide to work as an assistant in health care?
This is a common question asked at interviews for care assistant jobs. By asking you this, the employer wants to know what motivates you. Employers want people who are not only good at their jobs but also care about other people. Think about sharing a story from your own life that shows both your human side and your clinical skills.
Example: “When I was young, my mother got sick with a disease that broke down her body. I quickly learned how to help her. As I grew up, I spent most of my free time taking care of her. I felt good about myself when I was able to make her feel better. I realized then that my life’s goal was to help other people. I want to give the best care I can to my patients because I care about them.”
How do you hide the fact that you work as a health care assistant?
The interviewer is trying to find out how much you know about your job and how aware you are of it by asking you this kind of health care assistant question. Privacy is very important in the health care field. It makes people feel safe and makes them more likely to tell their care workers private information, which helps them get better care.
Example: “I never tell anyone else about my patients’ medical information unless they have given me written permission to do so. Some information is private and important, and it’s part of my job to keep it that way. I think that trust is an important part of having good relationships with patients, so I am careful with information that is supposed to be kept private.”
What do you know about laws that protect weak adults?
By asking you a question about a certain subject, the employer wants to see how well you know both theory and practice. In this case, the Department of Health has set up rules to protect weak adults. The job of a clinician is to keep people who are in danger safe. In your answer, explain the subject to show how well you know it. Then, give an example of how you would handle a situation like that.
Example: “People over 18 who have physical or mental illnesses that make them less mobile or less smart are considered vulnerable adults. They should not have to worry about getting hurt. I have to listen to these patients and write down what they say if they are being hurt physically or emotionally. I send them to someone else if they say it. If I see signs, like bruises, I should tell the patient I want to send them to someone else and then call social services or the police.”
Recall a time a patient’s situation made you feel sad. What did you do?
This is about the way you act. The person asking you questions wants to know how you deal with certain things. Caregiving can put you in situations that are hard on your emotions, so show your future boss that you know how to deal with them. You can answer by giving a relevant example and talking about how you dealt with it. You can talk about a time you failed as long as you show how you learned from it and got better as a result.
Example: “The first time I lost a patient, I felt very sad. I didn’t tell anyone about how I felt. I had trouble going to sleep for a while after that. I’ve learned over time that it’s important to deal with my emotions as they come up. I always have a good mood because I give my patients hope. But when I’m alone, I also take care of myself. If I don’t acknowledge my anger or sadness, I’ll feel worse and my work will suffer. Now, once a week I get together with a group of people. We can be more there for our patients when we talk about how we feel.”
How would you help a client who has Alzheimer’s?
By putting you in a situation and having you talk about a certain disease, your future employer wants to see how well you know about clinical issues and how well you can adapt. Alzheimer’s patients often have good days and bad days, which makes it hard to know what to expect. Use the chance to describe some symptoms to show how well you know the body and how patient you are.
Example: “I know that people with Alzheimer’s disease often have trouble remembering where they are. When my patients were having a bad day, I would be kind and patient with them. I would also watch how the disease changed as time went on. I would always make sure that the care he or she got was right for him or her.”
Let’s say you have a patient who has a heart attack. What do you do?
The person asking you questions wants to know how you deal with stress. In case of an emergency, there are plans for what to do. Your answer should show that you have been well trained and can deal with stress. Break down your steps, be specific, and show that you can stay calm as you answer.
Example: “First, I’d get help from a doctor right away. I would give the person aspirin if they are awake, unless their medical record says they are allergic to it. Then, if they had a prescription for nitroglycerin, I would give it to them. If the person is unconscious, I would start CPR and keep doing it until help arrives.”
