What are you doing?! Get back to your Christmas festivities! You shouldn't be doing interview revision now!
What? You just want a quick lesson on midwifery scenario interview questions and then you'll get back to stuffing your goose and steaming your pudding?
Oh alright then.
Midwifery scenario interview questions can be terrifically hard to prepare for. Admissions tutors usually ask you at least one of these 'how would you act in xyz situation' questions. You have to think on your feet. You won't be be 100% certain about your answer, and this can mean you freeze.
But: the interviewers are looking for potential, not perfection.
A few techniques you can use for midwifery scenario interview questions:
1. Don't feel like you have to answer immediately. It's not snapchat 🙂 It's fine, and even reassuring for the admissions tutors to see you taking a few seconds to think things through.
2. Ask yourself what the question is really asking. Interview questions are always designed to delve deeper than they first appear. Are the admissions tutors looking for you to demonstrate your compassion, empathy, or observational skills? Or are they wondering how much reading around the subject you've been doing? Try to see things from the admissions tutor's point of view and even if you don't give a perfect answer, you'll come up with the quality they wanted to see.
3. It's also a really good idea to state that you'd ask for the help of a qualified midwife you trust, if you're not sure of your answer and it's a question about clinical practice. But don't just says 'I don't know, I'd ask for help'; you have to have a go at a plausible answer.
4. Don't panic and you'll be fine. Even scenario questions which seem completely outside your comfort zone can be unpacked and broken down until they become easy to answer with common sense, woman centred thinking, and a little midwifery knowledge.
Here are some scenario questions for you to try:
 1. A busy doctor asks you to give an injection to a lady, telling you it's very important it's given right away. You've only ever given one injection before, under supervision. Your mentor is busy in another room. How do you act?
2. A lady tells you that she doesn't get on with the midwife looking after her, who also happens to be your mentor. She says she has told you this information in confidence and doesn't want you to talk about it to your mentor. What would your actions be?
3. A doctor asks you to chaperone while she undertakes a vaginal examination for a client to check how far dilated she is. The lady repeatedly asks the doctor to stop during the examination as it's painful, but the doctor continues. How would you support the woman in this situation?
4. You are working in a community clinic, and overhear a lady talking loudly in the waiting room about how gay people shouldn't be allowed children. You know one of your clients who is gay is sitting in the same waiting room. She happens to be a quiet, under confident lady. How would you address this situation?
5. How would you feel about caring for a women undergoing a termination of pregnancy for Downs Syndrome?
On behalf of the Cumbria University Midwifery Lecturing team – thank you for your feedback re. our interview specification. Jude Bragg
Thanks Jude 🙂 I think it’s fantastic, and I have excellent feedback from students from Cumbria as well. Happy Christmas! xx
These questions are so interesting, it didnt even occur to me that there may be some challenges at interview! whilst I dont know what the ‘correct’ answers are, I’d be quite confident saying what feels right to me about all of them – except the first. I’m completely stuck at what I’d do in that situation! ould be be sensible to say that I’d require my mentor to agree that the injection is required asap? If it was truly urgent, would the doctor ask someone else to do it if a student hasnt performed that job unsupervised, and is the doc making the decision?
The other questions: 2. That’s fine, if the woman isnt comfortable with any midwife then it maybe could be mentioned and suggest an alternative midwife?
3. I’d be stunned and shocked, and I hope that I would be able to ask the doctor to stop due to the client’s wishes, and ask them to discuss the process and info the process is gaining. If the client decided that they want it performed afterwards when they are more comfortable perhaps, or just not at all?
4. Not sure…maybe mildly say that the woman is expressing an extreme view and she is welcome to hold it whilst being aware that there are people with completly opposite viewpoint. Whether you have a gay client or not is irrelevant almost!
5. Every woman has the right to decide whether the pregnancy should continue or not. I would hope to follow her lead about how she views the circumstance – whether it’s a minor procedure to remove an unviable foetus, or if it’s the terribly sad choice to end the life of her child. Both views are valid and I hope I’d match their view?
Hard! And I have 2 week old baby and I’m trying to decide whether to apply to start in Sept 2015 or wait a year :-/ any thoughts on that, by any chance?!
Hi GeeGee, those are some excellent answers.
The first question is really about making sure you wouldn’t work out of your sphere of experience or take on more than you think you’re capable of.
So your answer is absolutely fine. It just means you’d be able to stand up to an authoritative member of staff if you felt out of your depth.
What you probably wouldn’t know as an applicant is midwifery students wouldn’t give injections unless supervised. So you can see from the point of view of the admissions tutors, your answer would make you a safe student to send out on to wards.
Your others answers are also good.
I think your answer to question 4 could do with involving the client who is gay a bit more – you may want to talk about how you would make her feel supported and respected during her appointment, and assure her that you didn’t agree with the homophobic behaviour. This kind of confidence building is an important role of midwives.
It’s good to know you’d address the homophobic behaviour even without a gay client in the waiting room. I would be careful however about validating the opinion of someone being openly homophobic…I would suggest talking to the woman during her appointment about talking appropriately in the waiting room, and state that although you’re not angry and the professional relationship between you and her is of paramount importance, there are laws about verbal abuse towards gay, bisexual or transgendered people.
In terms of your other question about starting midwifery this year, it really depends on you and your family. Some students I know have done this very successfully; most I would have slightly older babies in my experience. It’s definitely very challenging to train with children…perhaps come over to facebook, search for ‘The Secret Community For Midwives In The Making’, and ask there? I think there are lots of mums who could give you their viewpoint. Hope this helps, good luck!
Thank you for replying so fully – I hadn’t thought of reassuring the client in person too!I didn’t think of the abuse laws, but that’s why I’d try and make it clear to the original woman that others don’t hold her view… Political balance for keeping both happy seems the focus, reassuring one and not telling off the other. Somehow.
I’ve requested to join the group, it sounds like an excellent resource, your website is excellent as it is 🙂
(Sorry inline reply doesn’t work on my phone!)
These are great questions! I love your blog!
My answers would be the following
1. I would explain to the doctor that I do not feel confident giving the injection to the patient as I don’t have enough experience in giving them. If the injection must be ‘given right away’ then clearly this is an important procedure, the patient could be very vulnerable and I would not want to make any mistakes which could affect the patient in a negative way. I would suggest the doctor find another person to administer the injection for the safety and well being of the patient.
2. I would respect the patients wishes and keep the information she has told me confidential. I would try speak more to the patient about why she feels she doesn’t get on with my mentor, and ask her what she would have liked to be changed about the care provided by my mentor if anything. I’d ask her if there was anything I could do to help the situation, or if she would like me to speak to someone about assigning her a new midwife if she was comfortable with me speaking to someone else, if not I would keep the information to myself. (Difficult question! Does this answer sound ok?)
3. I have been in a similar situation myself on work experience! A woman was undergoing a vaginal examination to asses her trauma after childbirth and she was clearly in a lot of pain but the doctor still carried on examining her. She did not say ‘stop’ though so I’m not too sure if the appropriate action to take in the situation you have given is 1. to support the woman by telling her I understand she is in pain, but the vaginal examination is being done to see how dilated she is and it will be over very soon, encouraging her when she is able to bear the pain and tell her she is doing really well, offering my hand to squeeze, and suggesting she has some gas and air to help her relax and help with the pain, or 2. to ask the patient if she would really like to stop the examination, and ask the doctor if he could stop and let the patient relax for a few moments. I’d ask the patient if she would like to let the doctor have another go in a few moments and advise her to relax and take some gas and air if needed.
4. I’m not sure if this is the appropriate thing to do but I would not speak to the woman while she was loudly speaking but when I am able to see her alone to avoid potentially humiliating the woman and causing a scene in the waiting room. During the abusive woman’s appointment I would speak to her about her behaviour and how it was not appropriate in the waiting area. During the gay patients appointment I would apologise on behalf of the abusive woman’s behaviour, and explain that we here at this practice do not condone her behaviour and found it unacceptable.
5. My feelings would not be important in this situation, as my job is to provide the best care for the woman. Every woman has the right to a termination and wether I agree or not is not relevant, I need to focus on supporting the woman through this time. I’d empathise with the woman however she views the procedure and keep her fully informed.
Hope I did ok! These questions are great practise for my 3 interviews coming up in the next few weeks! Thanks for posting!
Hi Melissa, thanks for your lovely feedback about the blog,
1. Wonderful answer, remember though clients in midwifery are not necessarily ‘patients’. It might seem a picky thing to mention, but your language should reflect the normality which midwifery is rooted in if possible
2. That answer sounds fine. There’s no one correct answer here. But usually if a client tells you something in confidence, and you’re not worried about them hurting themselves/someone else, or especially if there’s a child abuse situations going on, you’d keep that confidence. Have a look at the Nursing and Midwifery Code here: http://www.nmc-uk.org/Publications/Standards/The-code/Introduction/
3. Really excellent answer – it’s all about being an advocate
4. Excellent answer, again, there’s no one right answer, but you would have dealt with this tricky issue with grace, supporting the vulnerable client, while maintaining a relationship with the loud client!
5. A good answer, focussing on your compassion and empathy.
Good luck with your interviews!
Situation 1: This situation would depend on how confident I was and how well I had previously performed in performing injections. I would see if my mentor was not very busy so they could come and supervise (because it always depends on what they are busy with), and if I didn’t feel that I could give the woman the best care possible then I would ask another person to do it, because that’s the most important thing over everything else. (I saw earlier from your comments that this is a bit of a trick question because we wouldn’t be asked this so that’s a bit cheeky!)
Situation 2: I would ask the woman what it is exactly she dislikes about her current midwife, and if it’s something that can be rectified, such as the way that the midwife talks to her/ care etc, I would talk to my mentor and perhaps put forward how the way they interact with people may be improved if they talked X way, or if they were perhaps less abrupt. I of course wouldn’t mention any names but suggestions may help. If it’s something more inherent that she dislikes, I would inform her that she can always ask to see another midwife, because what really matters is that she’s happy with the care that she’s receiving.
Situation 3: I would ask the Doctor politely to stop because the woman has asked them to stop. This examination may be necessary, but if they are uncomfortable then we should explain why we are doing it, why there may be some pain and what it will do to benefit her. If there is more pain than is usual we can use that as an indicator that something may be wrong and use that information to better her care. However, this should always be done with her consent, especially as we are examining a very private area of their body and that can feel invasive.
Situation 4: It would not be appropriate to start a debate in the waiting room about human rights and equality, no matter my views on the subject, so I would ask the woman if I could perhaps talk to her outside of the waiting room. I would politely tell her that I am not saying she is not entitled to freedom of thought or speech, but I am concerned that her exercising these rights are promoting hate or alienating other clients. I would remind her that it is not illegal for differently orientated people to have children, and therefore we are obligated to give them the same care as everyone else; the best of our ability. Her voicing these views in a loud manner may discourage some women from seeking care here, which goes against our codes as caregivers.
Situation 5: Abortion in the UK is not illegal, and it is every woman’s right to decide whether she goes through the ordeal of pregnancy. We cannot force her to keep the baby, but I feel it is our duty to give women the right to an informed choice. I would ask why she feels she wants an abortion, and give her unbiased facts. If she still wants to have an abortion, I would help her go through all the correct channels to make this happen, because whatever her choice is, I have to help her with that in a non judgmental way, no matter my opinions on the reasons for abortion.
Hi Ellie. Well done, some excellent answers. I do also have one or two suggestions, that in my opinion could make your answers even stronger.
1. Yes, excellent, a safe answer. It’s worth nothing that just because a student is not *supposed* to be asked to do something doesn’t mean they won’t be. Lots of students will experience being asked to do something that’s not part of their scope of practice, and you will have to be able to act safely and stand up for what you know to be right. Well done, it sounds like you’d do this.
2. The overall answer you gave, in making sure the woman knows she can choose another midwife, is great. You may also want to acknowledge it is a tricky situation, and you may be best off discussing things with a course tutor, confidentially of course. In terms of giving constructive criticism to your mentor, remember you have to work with and learn from her, and it’s tricky to give criticism to someone in this situation as a student. I’m not saying it can’t be done just it’s good to acknowledge this may be difficult and talk about a strategy to ensure you will be able to retain a good relationship.
3. Yes, an excellent answer.
4. Overall a good strategy – though, as I mentioned above I would be careful about validating the opinion of someone being openly homophobic… although you’re not angry and the professional relationship between the ‘loud’ client and you is of paramount importance, there are laws about verbal abuse towar
ds gay, bisexual or transgendered people. She may be breaking these. Her being loud and unpleasant comments absolutely goes against the codes of practice you talk about. It’s best as you say to keep things polite but make sure she absolutely knows it’s unacceptable to talk like that around other clients. I would also add something about how you’d go on to care for the gay woman – she may feel attacked and under confident, and it’d be great if you could reassure her you’re there to support her and ensure she has rights and equality of care.
5. A good answer and approach – perhaps mention offering her emotional support too, as this is part of a midwife’s holistic role.
Well done, you addressed these very tricky situations well! I hope this helps Ellie.
1) I would explain to the doctor that I’m aware that you are busy but my mentor is busy in another room. (would depend on what she is busy with i.e. paperwork or caring for a woman) I would tell him that I understand the importance of the injection being given right away however, I would say that I don’t think it would be safe and in the best interest of the woman if I was to administer the injection alone without supervision.
2) I would make sure that my body language shows that i’m open to listening and repeat things back to her to make such i’m understanding and not interpreting her issues with my mentor in the wrong way. I would explain to her that I can keep the information she has told me in confidence as long as it doesn’t cause harm to herself or her baby. I wouldn’t tell my mentor if she has asked me not too. If I did need to disclose the information she has told me I’d go to someone else other than my mentor as this could make the situation worsen. If I was unsure I would ask my tutor for advice on how to whistle blow if I was unaware of who to go to. I would also explain to her that she has the right to request another Midwife without giving reason, if she is unhappy with her care. I would explain to the woman that if she wants me to find out who she can talk to, to request another Midwife, I would find out how.
3) I would kindly remind the doctor that she has asked for him/her to stop as she is in pain, If the doctor would then continue I would disclose this to my mentor. I would talk to the woman and ask if she is ok and if she would like to speak to someone about the doctor examining her, I would tell her that I’d be present if she’d want me to. (This would be a horrible position to be in, as a student Midwife i’d feel very out of place telling a doctor to stop. However, I wouldn’t hesitate because the women comes first and my duty would be to advocate and protect the woman and to act in the best interest of the woman.)
4) I would go over to the lady who is in the waiting room and explain to her kindly, that if she couldlower her voice and that what she is saying is her opinion and she is entitled to that. I would explain that she may be making others feel uncomfortable and if she could refrain from talking about this until she is in a suitable environment. I’d explain that this isn’t the right environment to express her views as others may be offended. I would also talk to the woman that is in my care;firstly i’d apologise for the distubance and ask if she’d like to talk about what happened; I’d remind her that the woman’s views aren’t everyones views and reassure her that everyone has an opinion on everything nowadays.
5) I would feel empathetic towards the fact she is undergoing a termination, I would treat her the same as any other woman in my care. I wouldn’t discriminate and make sure that the woman feels fully supported by myself, both emotionally and physically. I would ask if she would like to talk about any issues or concerns she has and remind her that if she wants advice on anything, that I’d be there to help. I’d probably give her leaflets on the emotional side of things to take home after we have spoken. Just so she can refer back to it and remind her that what she is feeling is normal and refer her to any counselling/groups if she was to need this.
( I have to admit it did take me a while to answer these, longer than I’d have in a interview but it’s all good practice I suppose.. for my MMI at Hertforshire on the 25th 😀 ) Thanks ellie for the practice questions x
Awesome answers, I think you did really well. I especially like your point ‘everyone has an opinion these days’ – how true! Well done Danielle, congratulations on your interview and good luck!
1. If I was put in this situation I would probably feel completely out of my comfort zone – which straight away tells me something isn’t right. The fact that a doctor is asking me as a student to give the injection as a matter of urgency suggests they haven’t really given much thought about my competency or my status as a student. Therefore I would tell the doctor I have only given an injection once and do not feel confident to do so in this situation without supervision/help of my mentor. I would try to offer my help considering they are ‘busy’ by finding a qualified midwife to give the injection as I was told it was urgent but I would ensure the doctor held responsibility that the injection is given and make it clear that I am not prepared to do it.
2. I would talk to the lady about why she feels the way she does and see if there is anything I could do to rectify it. The fact that she has told me how she feels in confidence is important and I need to respect her wishes – (the only time confidentiality may have to be breeched is if somebody has disclosed important information to me that suggests there is a risk to someone’s health or well-being, but in this case I would explain the importance of involving the appropriate people to protect the person in question). I would also suggest that the lady may be able to be cared for by a different midwife if she wishes and then discuss this possibility with the matron or midwife in charge, again explaining that to allocate a different midwife I will need to speak to the matron.
3. I would do my best to support the woman with encouragement and empathy however as the woman is clearly asking the doctor to stop shows she is not consenting to the procedure. As the chaperone it is my responsibility to over-see the care/procedure and to protect the woman’s dignity and wishes so I would ask that the doctor stops immediately. The woman is clearly in pain so I could also ask the doctor if it is possible for an analgesic to be given to make the woman more comfortable through the examination, if this is possible and the woman gives her consent I may be able to collect entonox, making sure the woman is happy for the examination to continue.
4. Under no circumstance would I want to make either lady uncomfortable by interviening publicly, therefore I would see if it was possible to see either lady as soon as possible to interrupt and avoid the situation from escalating. When seeing the gay lady I would apologise on the other lady’s behalf and thank her for her patient, tolerating behaviour. I would make it clear that we do not condone the disrespectful behaviour and while people are entitled to their own opinions, we do encourage people to be respectful and practise their views in a private way. When seeing the loud lady I would make it clear that we do not condone that behaviour and that there are laws on vocally abusive language or homophobic behaviour. I would respect her views and this would not have an impact on the quality of care I would give to her but I would politely ask her to consider others and not raise her opinionated views in the clinic.
5. I would not feel differently about caring for this woman from any other lady. I would show her my empathy and understanding of her decision and respect her incredibly hard decision/circumstance. For this reason I would be very mindful of things that I say acting with tact and sensitivity. I would also ensure the woman and her partner/family have information on any help or emotional support they could receive regarding this situation.
Hi Becky, thanks for your comment 🙂
1. Love the emotional intelligence you’re showing here, feeling uneasy as a sign there’s something not right. A good, insightful, and most importantly safe answer.
2. Another great answer, and good confidentiality awareness. Women can indeed ask for a practitioner not to care for them. You may want to ask a personal tutor from the university for help too- and currently at least, a supervisor of midwives would be someone to talk to in a difficult ethical situation too (changes to supervision are planned for this and next year).
3. A brave and correct answer – in an emergency situation stopping an examination might conceivably be harmful, but this is rare, and a woman’s rights should be respected. Entonox is great midwifery knowledge. Asking for a senior member of midwifery staff may be a good option too, but a great answer overall.
4. A very good answer, it’s such a difficult situation! You may want to mention to the homosexual client that legally and morally, the views expressed are wrong, and you will be taking action.
5. A wonderfully empathetic, compassionate and authentic answer.
Well done!
Hi Ellie – I love this page it is so helpful and interesting to see all of the individual approaches. I have a mock interview at my college tomorrow and the real ones are all in January.
1. I would explain to the doctor that I didn’t have the breadth of experience to carry this out unsupervised. My main priority is the care of my lady and I would not be willing to take any risks. If an experienced professional could support me I could go ahead, if not someone more qualified would have to take administer the injection.
2. I would at first talk to the lady about why she felt this way and reassure her of the of my mentors abilities. If she felt uncomfortable going ahead I would advise her that we could request another midwife as her experience and having a positive environment could effect the progression she makes and her wellbeing. Obviously to go ahead with the request of another midwife we would have to have a discussion and although she didn’t want anyone else to know how she felt I would reassure her that she would not be judged or discriminated against, everyone wants her to have a positive experience here.
3. Examinations can be painful as the nature of determining dilation is invasive so I would support my client and try to reassure her that it would be over soon and it is a step closer to meeting baby. However, it may be that she needs a break, in which case I would ask the doctor to stop and let the client have a minute to rest, using this time to comfort and support the lady, explaining the process. The loss of control in the childbirth experience can be very difficult to deal with and this should be recognised and validated.
4. I would call the loud lady aside straight away to explain that her views are not acceptable in the clinic and are in fact illegally being expressed. I would explain that is it my job to make sure that her experience and everyone else’s is a supported and positive one and that this behaviour goes against that. She would have to keep those opinions to herself while she is here. I would then call the gay lady aside and explain to her that I have dealt with the unfortunate situation and that her opinions are not acceptable and do not reflect anything that we stand for. She may be quite distressed or feeling very venerable at this point and so extra support and time may be required, including suggesting other supportive services if required.
5. My position would be to help and support this client at what is probably the most difficult situation of her life. I would make sure that she is well informed and offer her all of the support, guidance and care that is available. My job is not to judge but to make every situation as comfortable as possible.
These answers are more instinct than anything so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
1. A busy doctor asks you to give an injection to a lady, telling you it’s very important it’s given right away. You’ve only ever given one injection before, under supervision. Your mentor is busy in another room. How do you act?
I would explain to the doctor that I had only given the injection once before under supervision and didn’t feel comfortable administering the injection to the patient with no supervision. If the doctor dismissed this and told me to continue without supervision, I would seek help from another midwife I trusted with more experience to administer the injection to the patient or supervise me whilst I administered it.
2. A lady tells you that she doesn’t get on with the midwife looking after her, who also happens to be your mentor. She says she has told you this information in confidence and doesn’t want you to talk about it to your mentor. What would your actions be?
I would ask the patient for a bit more information; communication is a big part of midwifery. Without communication a midwife cannot care for their patient correctly which can neglect a patient’s individual needs. It’s also important a patient has the respect of a midwife. If the patient didn’t feel comfortable communicating with her midwife then I would explain the negative impact this could have on her care needs. I would make sure she was aware that if she changed her mind and would like me to discuss this with the hospital to seek a different midwife for her, I would. I would give her my telephone number to contact me if she changed her mind. Regardless of who the patient’s midwife is, my mentor or not. The reason I wanted to be a midwife was to help and care for patients who require midwifery care, they are my first priority not my mentor. If the midwife hadn’t acted professionally towards the patient then I would explain to the patient that it needs to be reported so that the midwife in question could receive feedback and improve her practice.
3. A doctor asks you to chaperone while she undertakes a vaginal examination for a client to check how far dilated she is. The lady repeatedly asks the doctor to stop during the examination as it’s painful, but the doctor continues. How would you support the woman in this situation?
I would firmly ask the doctor to stop the procedure immediately. I would offer reassurance to the patient and explain that the doctor was wrong to continue with the procedure after the patient had asked him/her to stop. I would show empathy and compassion to the patient and ensure they felt supported by me. I would then explain to the patient that we should report what happened to a higher authority than the doctor, if the patient agreed then I would report it with their consent.
4: You are working in a community clinic, and overhear a lady talking loudly in the waiting room about how gay people shouldn’t be allowed children. You know one of your clients who is gay is sitting in the same waiting room. She happens to be a quiet, under confident lady. How would you address this situation?
I would ask my client to come into my clinical room with me along with her partner. I would communicate with the client about every day topics whilst I observed her body language and feelings over what she had just heard. If she didn’t mention it or seem upset I would continue with her appointment. If she mentioned what she heard or showed signs of distress about it, I would support her and try to reassure her and make her feel better. Diversity and respect for all people is so important, I find I difficult to understand how people can judge other people because they are different, everybody deserves respect and dignity.
5. How would you feel about caring for a women undergoing a termination of pregnancy for Downs Syndrome?
As a inspiring midwife, my concern is for my patient. The woman who wishes to terminate her pregnancy is my patient. It’s important in these situations that as a midwife, you don’t judge the patient and their decision. I would always care for the patient, in this situation I would get a bit more information from the patient. With a kind gentle approach, I would ask why they had decided to terminate the pregnancy. In order to make sure that patients in this situation knew the medical facts about down syndrome, I would give them information and leaflets with support and give them time to think about their decision.
If the patient was sure that termination was their decision, I would support them through this. Termination isn’t just a quick procedure that is done within a day and then patient’s get back to every day life. I know this through personal experience, termination can leave a patient with extreme guilt for years, as it did to me. My termination didn’t involve midwives as I was only 5 weeks pregnant when I ended the pregnancy. I suffered with guilt for 7 years after my termination and felt lost and unable to receive help. I think as a midwife, supporting a patient who has most likely seen the foetus through the antenatal scan or bonded with their bump and baby; it’s important to give them all the support they need and information on help for after care and feelings. It’s important that the midwife looking after a patient during termination shows compassion, support, care and commitment.