Tell me about a time you worked directly with patients or the public in a health or service setting where you had to manage someone’s anxiety or fear (for example, around a medical or dental procedure). What did you do, and what was the outcome?

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VirtualInterview.AI · Accepted Answer

During my second year assisting in a community dental clinic, I worked with a 9‑year‑old who was terrified of getting a filling. She was crying in the waiting room and her mother said they’d almost left twice because of past bad experiences. Instead of rushing, I spent about 10 minutes at eye level with her, letting her hold the mirror and explore the air‑water syringe and suction. I explained every step in kid‑friendly language and gave her control by agreeing on a “hand raise” stop signal. We also used tell‑show‑do for the anesthetic and drill sounds. By the time the dentist started, she’d stopped crying and stayed cooperative through a 35‑minute appointment with no breaks. At the end, she told her mom she wanted to come back to “see us again,” and her mom scheduled the next visit on the spot. The dentist later asked me to help coach other students on managing pediatric anxiety.

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