What do employers really want to know about you?
When you're a nurse, it can be hard to know how to prepare
for an upcoming interview.
I'm Alexa Davidson, an RN with over 10 years
of hospital experience.
In this video, we're going to discuss the top 10 nursing
interview questions and provide example answers.
Be sure to stick around to the end, where we'll
share a tricky question that is very common for nurses
to be asked.
It seems deceivingly simple, so stick around
and you won't get caught in its trap.
Question # 1: Tell me about yourself.
Interviewers often begin with this question
to ease into the conversation.
Don't just summarize your resume or daily responsibilities.
Aim to connect with your interviewer
and describe your big achievements.
A great strategy is to refer to your origin story,
in other words, your childhood, and make a quick link
to your career goals and what motivated
you to enter the nursing field.
Here's an example.
"I always knew I wanted to work with kids.
This inspired my specialization when I went into nursing.
Now I have about 12 years of nursing experience, most
of which are in pediatrics.
As a new grad, I worked in an adult med/surg trauma unit.
I was then able to transition my care from adults to pediatrics
by transferring to the PICU.
After almost two years, I advanced nursing specialties
to the pediatric cardiac ICU.
Here, I was able to take care of some really high acuity
patients.
We took care of all three stages of single ventricle repairs.
After working in the PCICU, I became a travel nurse
and worked in all different hospital settings
across the country.
Now I'm ready to settle down into a full time PICU
position, where I can continue to grow as a nurse."
If you'd like to learn more about how
to answer this common question, we
have an entire video devoted to the topic
that we'll link in the comments.
Before we move on, if you've watched this far,
let us know by giving us a like, subscribing, and hitting
the notification bell.
Question # 2: Why do you want to work here?
Hiring managers want to know that you've
done your research about their facility
and that you're genuinely interested in being
a part of their team.
They want to hear that you're open to learning,
not that you know everything already.
Show your interest by talking about how their facility will
impact your nursing career.
Here's an example answer.
"I'm interested in working in this PICU
because I want to expand my skill
set as I prepare to one day become a family nurse
practitioner.
I know that you are a specialty center for rare diseases,
particularly oncology, and I think
this will help me learn about some of the possible health
trends in the community that I may be treating one day.
I noticed that you ranked in the top 10 best
children's hospitals in the nation last year,
and I'd love to be a part of a team that
maintains that standard."
Question # 3: What are your career goals for the next five
years?
And how will this position help you achieve them?
Interviewers often ask this question
to determine whether you're a fit
for the facility and the unit.
The best way to prepare for this question
is to learn about the mission and culture of this workplace.
For example, if you're interviewing
to work at a teaching hospital, there's
a good chance you'll be expected to contribute
to a culture of learning.
You'll want to express interest in joining committees
that help elevate their standards of care.
Try to mention the aspects of the company that appeal to you
and how this role aligns with your career goals.
We have a great video that explains this, which
you can check out right here.
Let's see an example.
"Once I get off orientation, I'd like
to get involved in the unit by joining some sort of quality
improvement committee.
I was a central line infection prevention
champion at another hospital, so I
could see myself helping with CLABSI prevention here.
After about a year, I'd like to start getting signed off
on my advanced competencies.
Once I've done that, I could see myself doing a research project
to get my Clinical Nurse III status.
Long term, I'd like to take all of that experience
and go on to NP school to become a family nurse practitioner."
Question # 4: Describe a time you had to come to a compromise
when working with others.
Nurse managers want to know that you're a team player.
They want to hear that you work well with others
and that you are willing to compromise, especially when
patient safety is at stake.
Here's an example.
"I once worked on a quality improvement project
in the PCICU which was created to revise our standards of care
for parent involvement for infants post cardiac surgery.
A teammate and I were interested in implementing protocols
that would allow parents to hold babies sooner
after cardiac surgery.
A few team members were not comfortable with allowing
parents to hold babies who had invasive lines in tubes,
so we presented the evidence from other cardiac ICUs that
had been successful with early parent involvement
after heart surgery.
It took a lot of discussion, but ultimately, we
were able to come to a compromise, which
allowed parents to hold babies with intercardiac lines
but not ET tubes after surgery."
Question # 5: Give an example of something you've done
or supported that brought a positive change to your work
area.
Not only do hiring managers want to know that you're
open to change, they want to see that you're
willing to take part in positive change for the unit.
Managers like to hear about a committee you joined
and the results of a project that you worked on.
They are looking for insight into how
your contributions can impact patient care if they hire you.
Let's see an example answer.
"When I was working in a PICU a few years ago,
we had an incident where a patient with a trach
had an emergency, and the correct supplies
were not at the bedside.
I joined a committee to put emergency trade caddies
at the foot of the bed for every patient with a trach.
I worked with different disciplines,
including respiratory therapy, pulmonology,
and the medical team to make sure we all felt comfortable
with the supplies in these kids.
A year later, we were able to see a significant reduction
in incident reports related to trach emergencies."
Question 6: What type of situation at work
has caused you stress?
What did you do to overcome the stress?
It's important to have a clear explanation of how
you handle the emotionally and physically demanding
aspects of your job.
To answer this question successfully,
describe the techniques you've developed for stress relief.
Think about a time you faced a stressful situation
and describe what you did to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Here's an example answer.
"I can recall a time that I floated to the NICU
and was given a four baby assignment.
I was concerned about how I would manage
my time between four patients, when it's
typical to only have three.
During report, all I could think about was how overwhelmed I was
and how I'd get through the shift.
So after I got report, I took a minute to myself
and did a 4-7-8 breathing exercise
that I used to help get through stressful moments.
I reminded myself that these patients were stable
and they wouldn't be in an assignment
together if they were really sick.
I changed my mindset from how am I
going to get through this to I've got this.
I'm a competent nurse, and I wouldn't
be asked to take this assignment if I couldn't handle it."
Question 7: Explain a situation when
you provided patient education and what was the outcome?
It comes with the territory.
But as a nurse, you likely have to explain
some complex medical terminology or care instructions
to your patient or their family.
Because of this, it's common for a nurse
to be asked this behavioral interview question.
In these instances, use the STAR method.
Describe a specific situation, your task,
the action you took to address it,
and the result you achieved.
Here's an example answer.
"I once took care of a baby who was having difficulty
getting off of tube feeds and had an NG tube that
had been in for months.
The medical team approached the parents about placing a G tube,
and they weren't so sure about it.
As the nurse, the parents came to me
and asked what they should do.
I explained to them the benefits of getting
a G tube and how it would make their daughter's life better.
To ease their fears about surgery,
I explained the process to place the tube
and what the recovery would look like.
Once I cleared up all of their questions and misunderstandings
about the procedure, the parents ultimately
decided to go forward with the G tube placement.
And their daughter was discharged home much sooner."
Question 8: Name a time, you had a conflict or disagreement
with another staff member.
How did you resolve it?
As a nurse, you'll interact with so many stakeholders.
These could be other nurses, doctors, or other health care
professionals.
And you all want to do what's best for the patient.
When asking this question, hiring managers
want to know how you may approach conflict
in the workplace.
Your response should provide insight into your personality
and indicate how likely you are to function well within a team.
Past behavior often shows how you can
react to similar situations.
So be sure to provide an example that you are proud of
or explain the lesson you took away from the experience.
It is important to emphasize the resolution that
took place, as opposed to dwelling
on the conflict itself.
When you answer this question, emphasize
your interpersonal skills, such as active listening, teamwork,
flexibility, and the ability to follow the chain
of command when necessary.
Here's an example.
"There was a time that I was admitting a patient
with sepsis who needed a lot of tasks
to be completed right away.
I had a plan for the order in which I
wanted to complete them.
The physician came into the room and wanted
to know why certain meds hadn't been started yet,
and I could tell she was growing impatient with me.
At first, I was feeling frustrated,
but I took a step back and realize
that issue here was that the two of us
were just not communicating.
The physician needed to know that I
had everything under control, so I verbalized my plan.
I politely responded with the order
in which I planned to carry out the tasks and asked,
is there anything you would change about that plan?
This let her know that I was on top of things,
but I was also open to feedback.
Ever since then, we've worked well together,
and I've made sure to use closed loop communication
when admitting patients and discussing the plan
with the provider."
Question 9: Tell me about a time when
you had to deal with a patient that was upset.
How did you handle the situation?
As a nurse, it's important to have compassion in patients.
When asked this question, consider
giving an example of a time when you
encountered a difficult patient and helped to improve
the patient's outcome.
Make sure to mention if you provided
extra resources that helped make the patient more comfortable.
Here's an example.
"While working overnight in the PCICU,
I had a 15-year-old patient who was going for heart surgery
the next day.
The patient called me into the room
several times within an hour with various concerns.
Even though I was falling behind on my scheduled care
of other patients, I sat down with him
to ask what he was feeling.
It turned out that he was worried about surgery
and just was not used to being away from home.
I spent a few minutes asking about his pets at home,
and I even arranged for the pet therapy dog
to visit him after surgery.
After that, he went to sleep and no longer
called repeatedly during the remainder of his stay.
This situation helped me learn to look
beyond patients' attitudes for underlying concerns."
Question 10: Why should we hire you?
I know what you're thinking.
This seems so simple.
Why would I say this is the trickiest question to answer?
Most people are fooled by the apparent simplicity
of this question, but selling yourself
as the best candidate above all others
isn't always easy as it seems for a nurse.
In reality, your education, experience, and qualifications
might look identical to other candidates on paper.
So what makes you special?
Nurses are so used to putting the needs of others
first that it can feel out of character
to put yourself first.
To answer this question successfully,
you should address the unique skills and experiences
you offer and share why you're a good culture fit.
Let's take a look at a sample answer.
"I'm passionate about pediatrics and making a difference
in the life of kids.
I know that being in the hospital is a scary time.
And if I can make a patient and their parents more comfortable,
then I know I'm in the right place.
I think I'd be a good fit for this unit
specifically because of the experience
I will bring from having been a travel
nurse in a number of different settings.
I have established a strong foundation for peds cardiology
and trauma care, but I'm excited to learn
about the specialty diseases you treat at this facility.
I really value the teamwork and culture
of learning that I've noticed in this PICU,
and I would love to be a part of that culture of excellence."
I hope you found this information helpful
and that you're able to apply it as you
prepare for your next nursing interview.
Let us know you like the video by hitting the notification
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For more information on interviewing best practices,
I recommend checking out this playlist.
And for advice on which weaknesses
to share in an interview, check out this video.
Thank you so much for watching.
See you next time.