Hospital Nurse Interview Preparation Guide

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As a nurse who has to interact with a wide variety of individuals in the medical field including doctors, technicians, other nurses, and the friends and families of your patients just to name a few, your first answer had better be yes. Of course, what you say after that is what is going to make or break you in your interview.

“I ask this question because it provides them with an opportunity to share their unique strengths that may not have already come up in the interview,” she explained.

Nurses might want to provide specific examples of how they contributed to their current or previous team as part of their answer.

That really depends on the situation. I love working with a good team because I believe that providing the best care and treatment in a hospital is a team effort. But I have worked alone on wards before and enjoyed the autonomy and responsibility. But ideally I would prefer to be part of a well-structured unit that works together as one.

As a nurse who has to interact with a wide variety of individuals in the medical field including doctors, technicians, other nurses, and the friends and families of your patients just to name a few, your first answer had better be yes. Of course, what you say after that is what is going to make or break you in your interview.

My last boss at the hospital where I worked taught me the importance of time management. He was extremely deadline-driven and wouldn’t take excuses if the job wasn’t done properly and on time. His no-nonsense approach pushed me to work harder and manage my caseloads much more efficiently.

Yes I would. I like to have a checklist and make sure that each item gets the attention it needs. I’m very organized and thorough and I think this has definitely made me a better nurse.

Tough patients are going to be a regular part of your daily routine, and no employer wants to hire a nurse who is going to be unable to handle these types of characters.

Let’s be honest, nursing can be incredibly high stress. An employer needs to know how you handle that stress and whether or not you work well under pressure.

Don’t say the money. We all know it’s the money, but please, don’t say it. Employers aren’t stupid. They know that paycheck is a big part of why you’re applying, but don’t be that guy. Talk about your career goals and your vision for your future in your industry and how those directly relate to what you will be doing if hired.

Doing the best I can for every patient. I believe that every challenge can be overcome with the right attitude and hard work. I love nursing and the thing that motivates me every day is knowing that I am making a real difference to people’s lives whatever particular illness, injury or trauma they are facing in their lives.

“For many nurses, working in med-surg is a starting point—and that is fine. But I want to know where it is that they want to go. Is there another specialty they are hoping to move to? Are they interested in getting certified, or being involved with the unit or joining professional organizations?” Bryant explained.

You don’t have to have your entire nursing career goals planned out, but a little thought and self-reflection can help you be ready for these types of nursing interview questions and answers.

This is a trick question. No, the hiring manager isn’t actually asking you to tell him how much you hate the early morning shifts because you’re just not a morning person and you hate getting up before the sun does. Remember, they’re there to find a person to fill a job position, they’re not your therapist.

I once worked with a nurse on a pediatrics ward and we simply didn’t get on with each other. It was just a clash of personalities. After about 3 months it was becoming almost impossible for us to work together so finally I pulled her aside and asked her to have a quick coffee after work and find out what was wrong.

It turned out she was just to communicating differently with nurses in her unit in the past. After we talked about this for about 15 minutes we actually began laughing at what we both perceived to be slights on each other.

I’m a very easy going person but sometimes that doesn’t always come across well. She thought I was being too casual at times and it upset her while I thought she was too stressed and uptight every day. We ended up working it out and we’re very good friends now believe it or not.

“This is an important question because all nurses are leaders. Even if they aren’t formally leading their peers, they are advocating for their patients and looking for ways to improve the practice,” she said. “I want to know how a nurse thinks about leadership.”

The worst answers to this nurse interview question, in Bryant’s opinion, would be those that show an attitude that the manager should be fixing all their problems.

When I’m interacting with patients. I’m the happiest when I know I’m doing a good job for them and providing the best possible care. When a patient thanks or smiles at smile it really makes my day.

I think this attitude shows in the way I have been reviewed and rated so highly in my peer reviews. One of the reasons I would like to work for your hospital is that I will have even more interaction with patients on a more critical level.

“I get all kinds of good stuff out of this question because applicants know that I can verify their response,” she noted. “To answer this appropriately you need to be very honest. Hopefully there are positive things and the supervisor will substantiate that.”

“But they may have also had a difficult relationship with a prior supervisor and this gives them a chance to speak to that and to explain what steps they did to try to improve the relationship,” Bryant continued.

This is your opportunity to really showcase what it is that makes you unique from all the other applicants! Really think about this ahead of time and come up with solid examples that highlight this skill.

I’m looking for new challenges. I think it’s essential that I broaden my nursing experience and set new goals for myself otherwise I will remain stagnant. I hope to learn new skills, see how other units operate and really improve myself as a nurse.

I think it’s important to keep moving ahead and getting better whatever career you are in. But particularly in nursing which is changing rapidly with new nursing and healthcare technology. I see this job as being able to further develop my potential as a nurse and a person.

If it was just a once-off occasion I would probably let it slide as he could be stressed or worried about something I’m unaware of. But if he or she was constantly being rude to me – especially in front of my patients – I would definitely bring it to the attention of my supervisor.

If the doctor was unhappy with me in any way, I would want to find out so I could take action to rectify the situation. I would also ask the doctor if there was something in my care of the patient that they felt needed discussion.

A: I provide all of my patients with the very best care and advocacy that I can. It’s important for me to ensure that my patients are always comfortable and are confident in my abilities so they know they are being looked after properly. Also, I will act as their advocate if necessary and give a voice to any concerns they may have about their treatment.

My clinical training in the ER of City Hospital prepared me for the fast-paced care required of an ER Nurse. I also had an internship position at an Oncology Center after graduating last May which provided me with hands-on experience treating patients with cancer.

When I was undertaking my nursing studies, I was also fortunate to work part-time as a research assistant for Dr. Montgomery in San Diego who was undertaking clinicals on a new treatment for heart disease.

Although I was only there for the first 12 months of my nursing program, the knowledge that I obtained has help prepared me to assist with cardiac patients in a more effective way. I am very keen to specialize in cardiac nursing care if I can get the opportunity.

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.”

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!).

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…)

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.