Hi there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company, PassMyInterview.com.
And in this tutorial, I am going to teach you how to answer Nurse Behavioral Interview
Questions. If you have a nursing interview coming up for any healthcare organization
whatsoever, please make sure you stay tuned and watch his presentation fully from beginning
to end, because this is what I'm going to cover. I'm going to give you a list of common
nurse behavioral interview questions that I strongly recommend you prepare for. I will
also give you SUGGESTED ANSWERS to difficult and challenging nursing interview questions
to help you SUCCEED. I will give you some GREAT TIPS on how to be the standout candidate
during your nurse interview. And finally, I will tell you about FURTHER RESOURCES you
can get access to, to help you succeed! So, there’s four reasons why you should stay
tuned. And just very quickly before I start the training presentation. A very warm welcome
to this nurse behavioral interview training tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn. That
is me there in the center of the screen. I am a former fire officer of 17 years. And
since I have been helping people like you to PASS their job interviews, and I always
do that by giving you TOP-SCORING ANSWERS you can't find anywhere else! On that basis,
please make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel, so you don't miss out on any of the training
tutorials I am uploading. And please do make sure you GIVE THE VIDEO A LIKE because that
tells me you enjoy the content and I will then create more for you. Thank you very much.
Okay, let's get started. So, the first interview question, the first nursing behavioral interview
question that I want you to prepare for is: Describe a situation when you had to work
with a difficult member of a health care team. What was the situation and how did you deal
with it? A behavioral interview question is one where you have to respond with a SPECIFIC
SITUATION you have previously been in. And it shows then that you have the SKILLS AND
QUALITIES to perform the role of a nurse to a competent and highly effective manner. Here
is my suggested answer to this first nurse behavioral interview question. “I was assigned
to work on a busy ward at my local hospital and one of the medical staff was clearly quite
stressed with the workload. I could detect as the shift progressed that her stress levels
were increasing because she started to make minor mistakes. I decided to speak to her
to see if she was OK. I was initially met with a frosty and defensive response, but
I didn’t let this deter me from persevering. I suggested we took a short break together
and during that break I started to talk to her about the challenges she was under and
how she was feeling. It was clear that she had personal problems at home but nobody to
talk to about them. Over the next few weeks we constantly chatted when the opportunity
presented itself and our talks clearly had a positive impact on her wellbeing and mindset.
I encouraged her to seek professional advice, which I am happy to say she agreed to. We
built up a good friendship on the ward and I was pleased I had helped her to reduce her
stress levels as her performance at work quickly got back to where it should’ve been.”
So that kind of situation shows that when dealing with somebody who is being difficult,
whether they intend to or not, you are being mature and professional about the situation
and you are trying to resolve it for the wider benefit of the health care team and organization.
That is a situation that has a positive outcome due to your intervention. And that's the important
way to respond to that nurse behavioral interview question! The next one I would like to work
through with you is: Describe a time when a patient's family were dissatisfied with
the care or treatment you provided. How did you respond to the criticism? Here is my suggested
answer. “I was discussing a treatment plan with the family of an elderly patient who
was being discharged from hospital when the daughter told me she felt the plan was inadequate
for her father’s needs. I listened to her concerns carefully before explaining the reasons
for the choice of treatment and the benefits it would have for him. I also explained that
the treatment was based on my examination of her father and I reassured her that the
treatment plan would be reviewed periodically with follow up consultations. I also explained
that, in my experience this was safest and most appropriate treatment plan for him based
on his condition. I reassured her that the treatment would be changed if my assessment
deemed the need to do so in the future. Whilst communicating with her I was transparent,
and I also used easy to follow medical terms that she would understand.” That answer
is strong because you are listening to the person's concerns. You are then going through
the treatment plan and explaining why you have decided to choose that particular plan
and saying that it will be reviewed periodically. And also, you are being transparent, which
is very important as a nurse within medical scenarios, and you are also using easy to
follow medical terms, so you have strong communication skills, and that is also important. Don't
forget, if you are enjoying these, please make sure you HIT THE LIKE BUTTON and SUBSCRIBE
to the channel. Thank you very much! The next question. The next nursing behavioral interview
question is: Describe a situation when you were given vague or inaccurate information
within a medical situation? Here's my suggested answer for you. “At the end of a busy shift
at my current hospital, a Locum Nurse was handing over to me. The information she was
giving me seemed vague and unclear. She also appeared to be in a rush. I asked her to stop
speaking and to go back over the medical notes in a slower, more concise manner which would
allow me to follow up with any clarifying questions. She appeared a little bit put out
by my request, but I told her it was very important that we conducted a thorough handover
to ensure continuity and first-class patient care. She started talking through each area
with me in greater detail this time, and I needed to ask for clarity on a couple of different
points relating to how the patient had been responding to his treatment. At the end of
the handover, the information I had received was now much clearer and the Locum Nurse understood
how important it was to ensure all handovers in the future were concise and accurate.”
This shows that you understand the importance of a handover and that you do get the information
that you need. You are not afraid to say so when you feel something is inaccurate or missing.
And that answer is particularly good because at the end, you are educating the locum nurse
on the importance of making sure that handovers are done thoroughly! Now, don't go anywhere
because I still have more nurse behavioral interview questions to work through with you.
But when you're ready, if you want to CLICK THAT LINK, you can download my full set of
24 Nurse Interview Questions and Brillion answers! The next question, though, that I
would like to work through with you is: Describe a time when the medical department you were
working in was going through significant change? This is a common nurse behavioral interview
question because CHANGE HAS TO HAPPEN on a periodic basis within any healthcare organization.
Whether it's the National Health Service (NHS) or, you know, the health service within the
country that you are based in. Change is very important because the needs of patients change
all the time and medical treatment and advances change all of the time as well. As a nurse,
you have to be OPEN TO CHANGE. Here's my suggested answer. “I am a strong believer that change
brings about good things, and providing it is embraced positively, improvements will
often follow. Recently, the healthcare organization I was working for needed to reconfigure, which
meant many of us within the healthcare team would be moved to different departments. The
change was needed to balance out the skillset and experience across the organization. Quite
a few people within the team objected to the changes, but personally I could see the benefit
of them. I explained to my colleagues the changes would allow us to get to work with
other people from across the organization, and it would be a good opportunity for us
all to try new departments and different medical working practices. Eventually, everyone within
the team could see the benefits of the changes and most people were quite excited about them.
Change within healthcare organizations is vital. As the healthcare needs of patients
change, and medical advancements improve, we as nurses and healthcare workers need to
also adapt.” That response shows that you are POSITIVE ABOUT CHANGE. You understand
why is important. You are also WILLING TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS to view change as a positive
thing. The next question. Explain a situation when you provided medical educational advice?
“There have been many occasions where I have provided medical educational advice to
patients, and it is something I try to embed in my daily work as a nurse because we have
a duty to educate people. Recently, a young man was admitted to the hospital due to pains
he was experiencing in his liver. Upon inspection and investigation, it became apparent that
his alcohol consumption was well over the recommended daily amount and concerning habits
were developing that could lead to prolonged alcohol abuse or alcoholism. Throughout my
time treating him, I used the opportunity to explain how irresponsible alcohol use could
cause significant and potentially irreparable damage to his liver, and whilst I did not
use shock tactics, I made it quite clear that visits to the hospital would be a recurring
theme unless he changed his lifestyle. I then went on to provide details of support services
that were available in the local area and I encouraged his mother, who was with him
at the hospital, to get involved with ongoing help and support. Fortunately, I never saw
the young man again at the hospital and I was hopeful that my early educational input
would have had a positive and influential impact on his mindset and habits. As nurses
and healthcare professionals we need to continue to provide educational advice as this will
have a positive impact in reducing pressure on healthcare services as the population continues
to grow and people live longer.” That's a good example of where perhaps you are treating
somebody and you recognize there was an issue that could get much, much worse. You then
offered educational advice and encouraged somebody who was with him too, you know, to
be a supportive person in that process. You've talked about supporting services that were
available, and you also show that you recognize how important it is to provide medical educational
advice because of the pressure the healthcare services are under. The next thing is, please
do CLICK THAT LINK in the top right-hand corner of the video and go through to my page at
PassMyInterview.com, where you can download my full set of 24 Great Answers to Tough Nurse
Interview Questions! I hope you enjoyed that. Thank you very much for watching. And I wish
you all the best for passing your nursing interview. Have a brilliant day!