Hospital Nurse Interview Questions And Answers

Here is a great example of a behavioral question. The interviewer is asking you for a concrete example of how you handle a situation. Remember, as we discussed above, give your interviewer an example from your past and how you dealt with a situation, so they can get a feel for how you would behave in a similar situation in the future.

In this nurse interview question, which is often her first, Bryant is looking to find out not only that nurses have taken the time to learn about the organization, but what is particularly attractive to them.

“Sometimes people won’t have an answer to this question and if other parts of the interview are great, I will still hire them. But I am looking for people who particularly want to work at this hospital.”

“I actually don’t like this question all that much and only use it when necessary. It might actually signal to the interviewee that the interview isn’t going that well,” Bryant commented.

But how should you respond if you are asked this question?

“Of course you want to spin your weakness into a positive and/or show that you are willing to invest in your own self-improvement.”

I’ve always loved nursing, but my interest in healthcare really started when I volunteered at a homeless shelter in college. This really inspired me to pursue a career where I could devote my time to looking after others. The more times I volunteered, the more I knew that nursing was what I really wanted to do.

I wanted to do something that is challenging, interesting and make’s a real difference in people’s lives. I feel very passionate about the healthcare profession and also see it as a way of contributing positively to society.

There was nothing I really hated. Sometimes we would be a little short of nurses on the unit and I remember a couple of nurses were not pulling their weight as much as they could.

This made my tasks a little more exhausting than they should have been as I had to shoulder the extra responsibility. After about 6 months of this I was starting to get a little worn down and felt I wasn’t giving my own patients they proper attention they should be receiving. So that was a bit annoying. But, as I said, I never hated the job or became resentful.

Some patients like to complain about everything. It’s just their nature and also I understand that they can be worried about being in a hospital. So I always try to be very patient and reassure them that we were doing our very best for them.

I would confer with the attending doctor to make sure that the patient’s pain was being managed effectively and tell the patient that everything possible was being done to alleviate their discomfort. At all times I would listen sympathetically to their complaint, reassure them that their concerns were being heard and that we were doing everything possible to help them.

Well, I definitely wouldn’t leave the unit. I’d wait for a decent amount of time and then talk to my supervisor and offer to stay until they turned up or someone else was found to fill in for her.

This has happened a few times and I usually try calling to see if they are on their way or what’s holding them up. It’s just a matter of using common sense and not rushing off because the person hasn’t arrived on time. But they had better have a good reason why they’re late.

Yes I do. I feel it’s important to stay informed about the nursing profession. I’m a member of the American Nurses Association and the California State Nurses Association.

While this isn’t exactly a behavioral question, it’s still one you need to be prepared to answer ahead of time. Because this is such a hands-on, specialized field, employers need to know what it is that makes you want to be a part of it. Don’t be afraid to get a little personal with your answer…just don’t go overboard!

Oh man, this question is actually the best question you could hope to be asked. Why? Because this is your opportunity to really sell the hiring manager on why you’re the Perfect Candidate without actually saying those words (no, really, don’t say those words…)

“This is one of my newest favorites [among nurse interview questions],” she explained.

“While there aren’t exactly right and wrong answers to this question, I am looking for someone with values that are either shared by our current team or which will augment our current team. If their values are really different, they wouldn’t enjoy the team any more than we would enjoy working with them.”

Bryant reflected that if the candidate answered this nurse interview question by only mentioning superficial things, it could sway her opinion.

She also noted that candidates should have the same concerns about what values are promoted and upheld in the workplace of their potential employer.

“I would suggest that candidates ask this question of the people interviewing them, to find out if they think the team is a good fit for them,” she added.

There are many things I find extremely rewarding about nursing. It can be something like seeing the joy when a mother hold her newborn infant for the first time or helping someone get back on their feet after recovering from major surgery. I also find interacting with patients and their families very rewarding.

By focusing on the care of my patients. I feel I owe it to them to stay calm and focused. I have worked in ER where very stressful situations arise quite frequently. I always call on my training and experience to handle anything that comes up in a clam and constructed manner.

No, I enjoy the personal contact with my patients and the comradeship with my colleagues unique to nursing. I plan on advancing my career as a nurse, not a doctor. I enjoy the medical field tremendously and plan to continue my nursing education throughout my career. I have no ambition to be a doctor, just the best nurse that I can be.

This question is a potential land-mine. Do NOT use it as an opportunity to badmouth your current or former position. Future employers don’t need to know you hate where you worked or that your old boss was a tyrant. Rather, focus on the positive aspects and how you’re leveraging those in your new job.

Some nurse managers might ask this common nursing interview question in place of the one about values, or as a follow-up question. It also gives the candidate the opportunity to tell more of their personal story.

The hardest part about answering this nurse interview question is that you want to be honest, without sounding trite. “I just want to help people” is a phrase that has been heard too often in nurse job interviews.

So think about the real motivators in your own life, practice what you want to say, and keep it relatively short.

Bryant offered this tip: be prepared to be interviewed not just by the nurse manager, but by other members of the unit.

“When you meet with other staff nurses, this is a great time to ask questions like how they work together as a team or how many patients they have each shift,” she stated. “You will spend more time with the other staff nurses than the nurse manager so you want to make sure it is a good fit for you.”

Nurse managers and staff will expect that you have done some research, so be prepared with a few relevant questions about the facility, unit and/or job.

☛ Tell us why you decided to opt for a career in nursing.
☛ What do you think are the most important skills of a nurse?
☛ What do you think will be the main challenges for the role advertised?
☛ How do you manage your workload and prioritise tasks?
☛ How do you keep up to date with new developments in nursing?
☛ Can you give us an example when you have had to give bad news?
☛ Please give an example of a time when you have had to deal with conflicting priorities?
☛ Can you give an example when you have gone the extra mile for a patient in your care?
☛ What is your biggest career achievement to date?
☛ How would you describe your role within a team environment?
☛ How would you deal with a situation involving an irate family member or patient?
☛ Tell us about a time when you have had to lead or manage a team.
☛ An initiative is important in nursing, tell us about a time when you’ve had to use your own initiative to get something done.
☛ What would you say are your weaknesses?
☛ What type of technology are you familiar with using in the ward environment?

☛ Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
☛ What do you bring to this position? How do you stand out from the other applicants?
☛ What attracts you to this facility? To this position? What do you hope to get out of the experience?
☛ How would you describe your ideal job? Your ideal work environment?
☛ Why are you leaving your current position?
☛ What did you particularly like about your last position?
☛ What's your most important professional achievement?
☛ Who are your career role models and why?
☛ How do you set priorities in your work?
☛ Do you have any time-management tricks other nurses could benefit from?
☛ What are the most important lessons you've learned in your career?
☛ How much supervision do you want or need?
☛ What professional organizations do you belong to?
☛ How have you participated in the professional organizations you belong to?
☛ What nursing publications do you subscribe to?
☛ Have you attended any national conferences? If so, how did you benefit from the experience?
☛ Have you ever done any volunteer work? If so, what was it like?
☛ How do you keep up with the latest information in your field?
☛ What are your goals in terms of going back to school, becoming certified, taking on management responsibilities?
☛ Can you give an example of a time you were a leader?
☛ Can you give some examples of your problem-solving skills?
☛ What do you think are the most challenging aspects of meeting patients' needs?
☛ How do you handle a request you disagree with?
☛ What happened the last time you put your foot in your mouth?
☛ What actions would you take in your first month on the job?
☛ Can you give some examples of your creativity?
☛ Who is the most difficult person you've ever worked with and why?
☛ What type of management style do you work with best?
☛ Can you describe a time when you had to intervene for a patient, what you did, and why? What was the outcome?
☛ How would you rate yourself in communicating with patients—and with families?
☛ Can you describe a situation in which you dealt with a difficult family member?
☛ How do you motivate patients?
☛ Can you describe a time you went beyond the call of duty?
☛ Can you describe a situation in which you thought that you were right and others were wrong—and what you did about it?
☛ Can you describe a situation in which you were supposed to work with a person you didn't like and how you handled it?
☛ Have you ever been in a situation in which a co-worker put a patient in jeopardy? If so, what did you do about it?
☛ What would you do if you were asked to float to a specialty area you weren't familiar with?
☛ Can you describe a time your work was criticized and how you handled it?
☛ How do you handle delegation issues with unlicensed assistive personnel?
☛ How would your co-workers describe you?
☛ How would you describe your role in a recent code?
☛ How do you handle stress?
☛ Have you ever been fired or asked to resign?
☛ What would a background check on you show?
☛ Would your previous employer recommend you?
☛ What would you do if you were caring for an alert patient who suddenly got acutely confused and disoriented?
☛ What would you do if you found an elderly patient on the floor in his room? How would you document it?
☛ Have you worked with many foreign nurses? If so, what did you do to help them?
☛ How would you handle a situation in which you couldn't read a prescriber's orders?
☛ If you were offered your last job again today, would you take it?

A salary that rewards my experience, abilities, and ambition. At this hospital, I am far more interested in the role and the opportunities it offers me than the pay. But I would expect to be paid the appropriate range for this job, based on my five years of experience. I also think a fair salary would bear in mind the high cost of living here in Los Angeles.

Quite honestly, it is your cardiac care unit. As I mentioned earlier, I have a particularly strong interest in cardiology and your hospital has one of the top three cardiac units in the country.

I really want to get as much nursing experience as I can with cardiac patients in a hospital that is leading the way with the latest heart research and procedures. Your facility has a very good reputation for its programs and population and I believe I can gain a lot by working here.

I really think that the nursing experience that I will have gained will have helped me become a first-rate nurse. I believe in providing the best care that I can to all patients but there is nothing like the exp[experience gained from working in a medical unit for a number of years.

Ideally, I see my long-term future in hospital administration where I could put more people skills and nursing experience to good use to not only benefit the nurses under my control but also the patients and the healthcare facility overall.

Oh man, this question is actually the best question you could hope to be asked. Why? Because this is your opportunity to really sell the hiring manager on why you’re the Perfect Candidate without actually saying those words (no, really, don’t say those words…)

There are lots of rewards that come with a good job; the paycheck, proximity to where you live, the retirement benefits…but remember, when you’re in an interview, it’s not actually about you…it’s about them and satisfying their need, which is finding the Perfect Candidate (hint, it’s you!).

These types of nursing interview questions and answers may make some candidates uncomfortable, but they are asked for a purpose.

“I follow this question up with, ‘What would you do differently if you had to do it over?’” Bryant remarked. “A great answer to this question shows self-reflection and a willingness to improve.”