Psychiatric Nurse Interview Questions And Answers

This doesn’t need to be anything official. Think about a time when you stepped up to the plate and took charge of a situation. What was the circumstance? What made you take the lead? Who was involved? Did any opportunities arise from this situation?

Tell a story about a time you were stressed and under pressure to perform. Explain the situation and why you felt pressured. Describe step-by-step the actions you took to make it through the situation. What was the result? What did you learn? What might you do differently now?

Tell a story about the uncomfortable situation. What was the situation and why did it feel awkward. Explain the steps you took to leave the situation. What were the results of your actions? What did you learn?

Make sure the goal you share is related to your career. Explain the steps you took to accomplish your goal. What challenges did you face? How did you feel once you accomplished your goal?

Discuss a time at work when you received negative feedback. What was the feedback and circumstances surrounding the feedback? Who gave you the negative feedback? How did it make you feel? What did you do as a result of the feedback?

It is important to admit that you make mistakes and to own up to them. Talk about the specific mistake and why it happened. What was your role in the mistake? How did you know that you made a mistake? Who was involved? What did you learn? What have you done to improve? What were the results?

Every nurse has a common job description, but you must possess something unique. This question allows the interviewer to get a sense of what makes you stand out among the other job applicants.

"I want my patients to have the best experience possible and I consider that my sole responsibility. I will go above and beyond to see to it that my patients are well taken care of. I believe dedication is an integral part of being a successful nurse and providing the best care under any circumstances. Also, I offer a listening ear that they can feel comfortable confiding in. As well as knowing I will wholeheartedly advocate for them, if necessary."

Taking care of people who are experiencing severe mental anguish happens so regularly that it’s difficult to pinpoint specific instances. However, I remember helping treat a homeless man who was causing an uproar in the ward. He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was unable to afford the medication. The lack of access to the necessary pills, combined with the fear of being in a strange plac, meant that this individual was a danger to himself and others. After securely restraining him to prevent injuries, I followed a doctor’s order and administered a drug to ease the patient’s panic. However, the soothing words and understanding attitude I displayed while working with the patient were arguably just as potent as the pharmaceutical intervention. After the man’s discharge, he found me and offered thanks for treating him with such compassion.


First, think about the qualities you expect from a nurse, and would want from someone caring for you or a member of your family. Think about things like confidentiality and how that might be different from secrecy. Think about what the pitfalls might be for nurses engaging in social media like Facebook and Twitter. Turn the question on its head and think what might constitute being unprofessional.

Never talk bad about anyone during an interview. Explain the situation and why the individual was difficult. Share how you handled the situation. Try to turn anything negative into a positive. What did you learn from the situation? What might you do differently now? What was the “silver lining”? Were you able to talk through your differences? Did you become friends?

Tell a story about a patient you worked within a similar situation. What step-by-step actions did you take to obtain the information from the patient? What were the results of your actions?

Talk about the patient’s care and why they needed much of your time. What was the illness, trauma or injury? How did you ensure that this patient received quality care? How did you manage your other patients?

Talk about a time when you decided to take the initiative to complete a task or make an important decision. What was your motivator? What action steps did you take? What were the results of your actions?

About a year ago, on the night of my fifth wedding anniversary, I had to cover a shift for a coworker who suddenly got ill while tending to patients. Pitching in meant I had to tell my spouse we would need to shift our dinner plans to the next night when I was off. Although this initially caused disappointment, there was also a mutual understanding that if I did not cover that shift, the entire department would have struggled. Thanks to my decision, the department was able to continue delivering top-quality patient care, which was ultimately recognized by the nursing supervisor.

Explain step-by-step how you’ve performed in a similar situation. What specific words and terminology did you use? How did you know that the individual understood your explanation?

Tell a story about a specific time when you had a difficult time getting a patient to agree to something at work. What was the situation and what did they need to agree to? What specific actions did you take to get them to agree? What was the result?

Most nurses encounter difficulties while working. Talk about a time when you felt dissatisfied with your work. What were the circumstances and what happened? What was your role? Why did you feel dissatisfied? What would you do differently now? What did you learn?

Absolutely. Throughout my career as a psychiatric nurse, I’ve been supportive of nurses who are just entering the field. Even in nursing school, I helped friends study psychiatric nurse interview questions before they met with hiring managers in hopes of getting their first jobs. Peer mentoring helped me get where I am today and I want to reciprocate.

Mental health nursing isn’t simply about sitting down with people in one-to-one situations and counselling them. We work with people across all age groups with many different needs and problems. Show that you have an understanding of what it is that mental health nurses do. What sort of environments do we work in? What sort of things might we do by way of helping people? Have an appreciation of current issues in the news such as anti-stigma campaigns, the effect of living in society with a diagnosis.

Be honest and talk about the most difficult component of nursing. Maybe it’s working with a specific patient population. Or, acting in a leadership role. Whatever it is to you, always make sure to talk about the steps and actions you’ve taken to cope with the difficulty.

Talk about a time when you successfully relied on written (or typed) communication. What were the circumstances? What was being discussed? How did you ensure success?

Tell a story about a time when you did not know the answer. Explain step-by-step the action you took to find the information. Talk about the result of your actions.

Explain the conflict surrounding the situation. Who was involved? What was your role? Did anything positive come from this? What did you learn?

Tell a story about a hostile patient and your step-by-step actions. What was the patient doing that was hostile? How did you react? How did you feel? What procedures did you follow to interact with the patient? What was the result of your actions?

Talk about a specific instance when you went out of your way for your job or for a patient. What were the circumstances? Why did you choose to take the action? What did you do? What were the results?