Nursing Home Interview, Essay Example

Overall, I was quite anxious entering the interview.  Although I had prepared extensively for the interview, including looking about copious data regarding the individual’s medical history, I was still unsure how it would ultimately turn out.  The interview started well, and I felt confident both with the initial flow of information, as well as asking for additional information where needed.  The main challenge was keeping the individual on-topic during the interview: Indeed, while he would initially respond to questions with pertinent information, after a while, he would begin to give information not pertinent to the question.  I felt relatively comfortable asking for personal information- this was likely because he was of a similar background to myself. The person interviewed was a male, roughly 78 years old, who had recently undergone a hip replacement.

I was able to effectively implement self-directed feedback and insight throughout the interview.  For example, several times when there were prolonged pauses in the conversation, rather than smothering the interviewee with more questions, I stepped back to give him room for contemplation and thinking.  This technique actually helped in cultivating a more productive atmosphere for questioning.  In addition, I also aimed to ask more open-ended questions in order to have the client talk more about his experiences and feelings.  Often times, especially in a clinical setting, people can become caught up in the need to “tick off” boxes; that is, simply to understand symptoms that fit into a certain categorization.  While this is a necessary part of the interview, a focus on just satisfying certain criteria can actually lead one away from the major problems that an individual is facing, whether they are ultimately physical or psychological in nature.

The data gathered from the interview was extremely useful; indeed, the interviewee gave more information than was needed and often times brought up issues that spurred further questions.  I feel confident in the ability of writing a report that will accurately represent this person’s condition.  Regarding my relationship with the supervisor, the supervisor prepared me thoroughly for the process, even putting me through a mock interview in order to raise my overall skill and comfort level.  I would not necessarily change anything regarding how my supervisor prepared me for the interview- I think she did an excellent job.

I received initial feedback from the supervisor: Overall, the supervisor was pleased with how the interview went. However, she recommended several areas where I might improve my technique. First, she stated that my introduction could be more extensive, especially since this is the first time I met the client.  Introductions are an important element in breaking the ice with an individual.  Second, she stated that establishing a rhythm in the interview is very important.  Indeed, while she liked the fact that I gave the individual ample time to the individual to speak his mind, however, she also recommended that I be more aggressive in controlling the interview- particularly when he starts to veer off course.  I have carefully thought this criticism, and will implement new techniques in my next interview.  Overall,  I was able to get the main points needed from the interviewee; in addition, through asking a number of clarifying questions, I actually developed a good relationship with the individual.