Searching for a nursing job can be daunting, from filling applications, writing cover letters, and passing readiness tests and assessments. Nursing job interviews can be intimidating even for the most experienced nurses. Passing the nursing interview questions is something you can do without breaking a sweat. Here is a guide from our nursing experts to help you master your next job interview, including answers to common nursing interview questions.
Common themes for nursing interview questions
Because nurses provide continuity care and interact with members of the patient's interdisciplinary team, most nursing interview questions revolve around;
- Adaptability
- Teamwork
- Patient care
These types of common questions are referred to as behavioural interview questions. Making use of real-life examples is a good approach to answering behavioural-based interview questions. In interviews, a person may also be wondering what happens in situations you've had and how you can adapt to their environment. When writing the job description, using real experience is one of the best ways to get good information and answers.
Use the STAR method to answer nursing interview questions
The STAR method is a known way to answer behavioural interviews. An acronym lays out how you should organize responses and tell your story.
- Situation
Identify similar situations with a successful outcome.
- Task
Specify the tasks you were responsible for and state your contribution clearly and concisely.
- Action
Clearly state the actions you took. Highlight your best qualities while justifying your actions.
- Result
Evaluate the results. Define your contributions to the outcome and what was your takeaway from the experience. By using this method, it will be possible to convey formally how you have handled a real-life situation. Even when you are just beginning your career without impressive job experience and a little background, it's a useful strategy to tackle new grad nurse interview questions.
Types of interview questions for nurses
Being a nurse is a special position, and the questions being asked are just as unique. Be prepared to answer queries about your choice in nursing and what interests you most at work. There will even be questions about your teamwork as well as your self-motivation and ability to work alone. You should be specially prepared for any inquiries about how to handle any stress.
Pro Tips For Answering Nurse Interview Questions
It is necessary to examine the job description before responding to the interview questions. Note a list of everything the employer needs for a perfect candidate. Analyze your previous experiences and identify ways in which you will have met all the requirements. It doesn't matter if the jobs do not entirely relate to the job description you are applying for. Tailor your examples to indicate how you have handled situations in the past that would extrapolate how you react to future situations.
The examples you provide outside of work should show you are adept at thinking on your feet and handling situations far beyond your job. When answering the nursing interview questions, give examples that highlight your skills and ability.
While you are doing your prep for your nursing interview and analyzing the job description, it is essential to research what you are applying for. Be specific on your techniques of doing things and how those techniques to what the employer is looking for to reinforce why you are the ideal candidate.
Being a nurse requires teamwork, and your interview might consist of some team members that you will work with. Be prepared to meet the hiring manager, doctors, technicians, other nurses, and administrative staff.
Common Nursing Interview Questions and How to Respond to Them
Jobs searching can seem scary even for an experienced nurse. This guide is to help you prepare for your next interview, including some sample interviews with nurse candidates. It's easy to prepare for a nursing interview by filling out a preparation test and understanding interviewing questions and processes. For more information on nursing interview tips, please chat with our experts.
Tips when answering common nursing interview questions
Don't restate your resume
A resume gives a detailed summary of your experiences. The interviewers have already read it and won't need to read it again if you make a good impression.
Don't get too personal.
Don't get too personal when answering interview questions. The potential employer does not need to know which religion you subscribe to or any other details of your personal life.
Don't monologue
When responding to the common job interview questions, the potential employer does not need to know everything about you.
Tell me about yourself.
This question allows you to describe your passion for centred healthcare. Add some of your work qualifications and you'll be golden. Very well done! You should then provide an excellent account of your abilities and passion. This is one of the hardest nursing interview questions and chances are it will be part of the phone interview as well.
Here are a few tips on how to answer this question when in the interview room
- Adapt
Craft your answer based on what you already know the interviewer wants. Having looked up the companies mission and the job description, shift your answer to suit their needs.
- Be specific
Avoid generalized statements and give actual examples of what you have been able to achieve in the past.
- Stay focused
Focus on the most important details about yourself that will make you stand out as a strong candidate
Sample answer
“I am a driven nursing professional who enjoys providing patient-centered care. During my eight years as a pediatric nurse, I learned that quality care involves empathy first, which helps you determine the treatment. Every patient is different, and I am proud of my ability to juggle several different treatment loads. Helping my patients recover and regain health is my main motivation. Your company’s determination to ensure patient focussed and quality health care fits my skillset and goals as a nurse.”
Why did you become a nurse?
While these are not behavioural-based interview questions, you need to be prepared well ahead of time. Since nursing is a hands-on job, the employer will be interested to know why you wish to be part of it.
The job requires nurses whose ambition meets the rules of the profession. Having compassion and an urge to take care of others goes a long way for nursing, employers want to know who has a strong desire to be a nurse.
Sample answer
“I have always been fascinated by the medical field since I was a child. Helping people in practical yet compassionate ways is very natural, so pursuing medicine as my career was a great fit. My family had a pervasive medical background. Many of my aunts and cousins are nurses, and it seemed like a natural progression.”
What are your professional goals?
Hiring managers want people to find ambitious nurses who know exactly what their objectives are. Every single goal should be clearly elucidated and measurable.
Sample response
“I am currently aiming to finish up my MSN and move into a position as an emergency room nurse practitioner where I can continue to learn by working with seasoned nurses and continue developing in the field of nursing. I would like to mentor nurses and share what I have learned through experience. I also look forward to advancing into a management role as well. It is important to me that I help others grow and succeed.”
Why do you want to work here?
Describe your feelings about the health system. Avoid mentioning money.
Here is a sample answer
“I’m inspired to work in a health facility that champions patient-centered care, and I saw numerous awards like Vizient 2019 Bernard A. Birnbaum, M.D., Quality Leadership Award for high-quality patient care, and U.S. World News Reports for hospitals. I feel excited to work in such an institution like yours and would feel a great deal of pride to be part of this group. “
Do you like working in a team?
Collaboration and flexibleness are vital for building a healthy team. Flexibility and cooperation are essential roles to facilitate a healthy team. Explain step by step how you have worked in a team before.
Sample response
“I absolutely thrive while working as a part of a team. ways I find that working on a team allows for the best outcomes for patients because everyone has a different way of looking at a challenge and multiple perspectives can bring about creative resolutions to issues. Also, working on a team encourages me because I enjoy celebrating the successes of my team members. Last, I feel confident in my capabilities to work alone if necessary because I am organized and take pride in my productivity.”
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Every nurse had unique qualities. Your weakness does not portray you in the right picture but shows your love for what you do. Your best strength lies in your ability to provide education and to empathize with our patients. You don't want your weaknesses to make you feel incompetent. However, honesty is the best prescription.
Please focus on the strengths that fit the job offer and use your real achievements to prove them.
Sample response
'' My biggest strengths are my compassion and ability to solve complex problems. There was this one older adult who had night terrors. He’d wake up screaming every few minutes. I thought how I would have felt if it were me instead of him.''
For weaknesses, pick a weakness that the employer will find manageable. A good example would be '' My biggest weakness? I get agitated when other nurses don’t pull their weight, and it shows.''
Describe a time when there was a miscommunication between you and a teammate.
Miscommunication is inevitable in a team. Having coping skills is critical. Try to present a conflict you had no responsibility for but yet you played a vital role in solving the situation. This shows your attitude through public speaking and delivering honest feedback concerning other persons' viewpoints. It would be best if you never talked down about others when answering your responses to the questions. Choose your words closely and concentrate on explaining what you did well without putting people down without putting them down. Pick your words with a high-quality focus, explain what you do well, and use a friendly tone and not put someone down.
Sample response
“One of my collegues struggled to communicate during the handover period to begin her shift. Frustrated and looking exhausted from a long day at work, I pulled her aside and said, “You really need to give me more information about the patients during this time. I keep getting confused, and that’s not your fault because you aren’t giving me proper information.” She corrected her ways and started writing down notes for the hand over. I learned thebenefits of speaking up and being direct at every moment.”
What is your perfect idea of effective patient and family education?
Each patient had his learning style. Focusing on how to work with patients with a wide range of different backgrounds is important. Including the family involved in the treatment process is critical because they will likely eventually serve as the primary caretakers of the patient going forward. Show them how vital their involvement in this process is and show them how they can help. Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to tailor your care to the needs of the patient.
Can you explain situations without using medical jargon?
The nurse must communicate medical information to a patient efficiently. The trick would be to get the patient to recall what they heard first. If a doctor has orders for radiology for a patient. You need a reason to explain why radiologists will prescribe for this patient. Confirm if the patient has understood the process by requesting feedback so everyone has the same idea. Explain medical jargon to the patient in a language they understand.
During the interview give an example answer for a medical jargon for patient outcomes.
Sample answer
''I have different patients with different educational backgrounds and ages, so I am required to break medical jargon down into simple, understandable ways. For example, whenever a doctor requests radiology for one of our patients, I explain to the patient they are getting an X-ray. Also, I ask the patient to repeat what they think they were asked to do. That way, we were all on the same page''
Have you dealt with a family member or patient who was dispensed with?
When you're a nursing student, you can answer these questions both as hypotheticals and from different aspects of yourself. This is a good example of adjusting to patients' needs.
Here is a sample answer'' I decided to take the difficult patient especially slowly to address his needs.''
How do you prepare for the scenario? Has your previous experience with challenging clients surprised you? What does it take to solve challenging situations? Share with the hiring manager what a tough experience you had. This is a good illustration of how to handle tricky customers and/or clients who need you to adjust to their needs.
Tell me the problem you had with a patient in the past.
Nursing has its share of problems. The key is to know how to resolve difficult patient concerns in a productive way.
Sample answer
“Hi, I am an (RN/Nurse) and care for children in a hospital. When I was in nursing school, I saw first-hand how trying to get children to take their medication can be a challenge. Just one day I asked a sick kid what his favorite flavor of ice cream was, brought some back next time on my shift, and he gobbled it down with the meds. The effect was the same as if we had given the kid nothing, but my life sure got easier. So here’s my tip: use something you know your kids like (pudding or applesauce work well) with the medicine and it should be smooth sailing from there.”
Describe an instance where you had to work with a challenging coworker.
Make sure no one gets stuck. You want an answer to what you learned about the situation. All the examples should demonstrate the capacity to adapt and deal with problems. Hiring managers want to hire someone who can overcome difficult situations and figure out a solution.
Sample response
“I worked the night shift with a collegue who consistently showed up late for their shift. I took time to talk with the nurse and challenged them if switching shifts would help them arrive to work earlier. My co-worker said it would be of great help since the particular hour they were scheduled was challenging for them. We switched, and that resolved the problem. I learned that taking initiative goes a long way.”
Tell me the one situation where you felt proud of your healthcare team?
All nursing units do experience success. The ability to show what you did that made that situation a success helps to improve your hiring team's credibility.
Sample response
''I am a medical-surgical nurse, where I primarily take care of post-operative patients with many types of cancer. I see a lot of success from doing my job, such as making sure that my patients are getting the education they need to make it home safely. One time, a patient with gastric tubes had issues with their site getting infected. The infection was able to be cleared and healed by proper wound care and patient education provided by myself. When the patient was healed, they were able to return back home safely.''
How do you answer questions from a patient's family and friends?
Family members often ask questions. Sometimes you can't answer all their questions quickly and efficiently. It's vital to have the ability to make time for answering a patient's questions. You demonstrate a genuine willingness to meet the patient wherever they are important.
Sample response
''I give my best, but I try to be honest about what I can do to help. I learned that I can’t do everything, and it’s good to set boundaries with people. Just because someone asks you to assist with something doesn’t mean we have to automatically say yes. We have to take care of ourselves first, you know?”
Give me some time when you were in a leadership position
Recent graduates from nursing school can talk about leadership experiences as a volunteer and academic projects. Potential employers seek individuals who have experience as leaders.
Sample response
“As a licensed RN, I have gravitated toward leadership positions. In one of my roles, I led a group of LVN’s. I developed a team that dedicated itself to patient-centered care and efficiency. We made sure to involve families in the care and specialize treatment plans to individual patient’s needs. One of my proudest moments was seeing one of the LVN’s earn their RN certification. In that sense, I felt more than pleased with the results.”
Get our job interview questions & answers cheat sheet!
Do you need to prepare for your nursing interview? Reach out to us for the nursing interview questions and answers at an affordable rate.
