Basic Nurse Manager Interview Preparation Guide

Download PDF

Nurse manager job duties:
☛ Identifies patient service requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients and other persons in a position to understand service requirements.
☛ Maintains nursing guidelines by writing and updating policies and procedures.
☛ Maintains nursing operations by initiating, coordinating, and enforcing program, operational, and personnel policies and procedures.
☛ Assures quality of care by developing and interpreting hospital and nursing division's philosophies and standards of care; enforcing adherence to state board of nursing and state nurse practice act requirements and to other governing agency regulations; measuring health outcomes against standards; making or recommending adjustments.
☛ Maintains nursing staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training nurses and auxiliary staff.
☛ Completes patient care requirements by scheduling and assigning nursing and staff; following up on work results.
☛ Maintains nursing staff job results by coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results.

Instead of giving a chronological work history, focus on your strengths and how they pertain to the role. If possible, illustrate with examples.

Promotes and restores patient's health by developing day-to-day management and long-term planning of the patient care area, directing and developing staff, collaborating with physicians and multidisciplinary professional staffs, providing physical and psychological support for patients, friends, and families.

A good answer will reiterate your qualifications, and will highlight what makes you unique.
Good answer:
"I've been a Nurse Practitioner for the past ten years - my boss has said time and time again that without me, the hospital would fall apart. I've also taken the time to educate myself on some of the latest industry issues I regularly use (but didn't really understand the ins and outs of). What's good enough for most people is never really good enough for me."

While being a good listener is a great personality trait, your employer probably does not care all that much. It is unlikely that they are hiring you to be a shoulder to cry on. You will want to keep your answer relevant to the job you are interviewing for and as specific as possible. If you can, insert an example.

It is not that this answer is wrong. It is just that it wastes an opportunity. This question is practically begging you to highlight your positive attributes. So do not give a vague, generic response. It tells them very little about you. Instead, try and use this question as an opportunity to give the interviewer some insight into your character, and use examples where possible.

Interviewers do not like these types of "easy out" answers. And besides, they know you are probably not telling the truth. Think of a relatively benign (but significant) instance, and spin it to be a positive learning experience.

Try and stay away from anything that draws on the politics, culture, or financial health of your previous employer. No matter how true it might be, comments like these will be construed as too negative. Also, you do not want to focus on a function that might be your responsibility in the next role. So think of something you disliked in your last job, but that you know for sure will not be part of this new role.

Do not give vague answers. Instead, think about something you did well and enjoyed that will be relevant at this new job. This is an opportunity for you to share your interests, prove that you are a great fit for the job and showcase your enthusiasm.
Good answer:
"I'm a people person. I was always happiest - and most satisfied - when I was interacting with patients, making sure I was able to meet their needs and giving them the best possible care. It was my favorite part of the job, and it showed - I was rated as "Good or Excellent" 95% of the time in peer reviews. Part of the reason I'm interested in this job is that I know I'd have even more interaction with patients, on an even more critical level."

Employment gaps are always tough to explain. You do not want to come across as lazy or unhireable. Find a way to make your extended unemployment seem like a choice you made, based on the right reasons.
Good answer:
"My work is important to me, so I won't be satisfied with any old nursing job. Instead of rushing to accept the first thing that comes my way, I'm taking my time and being selective to make sure my next role is the right one."

You do not want to actually highlight a major regret, especially one that exposes an overall dissatisfaction with your life. Instead, focus on a smaller but significant, mishap and how it has made you a better nurse.
Good answer:
"When I was in college, I took an art class to supplement my curriculum. I didn't take it very seriously, and assumed that, compared to my biology classes, it would be a walk in the park. My failing grades at midterm showed me otherwise. I'd even jeopardized my scholarship status. I knew I had to get my act together. I spent the rest of the semester making up for it, ended up getting a decent grade in the class. I learned that no matter what I'm doing, I should strive to do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, it's not worth doing at all."

The job of a nurse requires stress tolerance, positive attitude and behavior and great care for detail. Nurse Managers have the ability to encourage all of these via praise, active listening, and occasional surprises ranging from time off to free tickets or chocolate bars. When necessary, the NM will have to identify employees that show lack of professionalism. To prevent this from happening, nurse managers can instruct staff in specially designed coaching and training. Give an example or two from your own experience.

If you can avoid it, do not give an exact number. The first person to name a price in a salary negotiation loses. Instead, re-iterate your commitment to the job itself. If you have to, give a broad range based on research you have conducted on that particular nursing role, in your particular city.

This question is a great opportunity to put a positive spin on something negative, but you don't want your answer to be cliche, joking or not. Instead, try to use a real example of a weakness you have learned to overcome as a nurse.

There is really no right answer to this question, but the interviewer wants to know that you're ambitious, career-oriented and committed to a future with the hospital. So instead of sharing your dream for early retirement, or trying to be funny, give them an answer that illustrates your drive and commitment.

Again, stay away from badmouthing your job or employer. Focus on the positive.
Good answer:
"I've learned a lot from my current role, but now I'm looking for a new challenge in nursing, to broaden my horizons and to gain a new skill-set - all of which, I see the potential for in this job."

If you get the job, the person interviewing you will some day be your previous boss. The last thing they want is to hire someone who they know is going to badmouth them some day. Instead of trashing your former employer, stay positive, and focus on what you learned from him (no matter how awful he really was).

I have always loved nursing, but my interest in health care really started when I volunteered at a homeless shelter in college. Seeing so many people without care inspired me to pursue a career devoted to caring for others. I kept going back and volunteering, which got me hooked. It was great to be able to contribute positively to society that then led me to a field I feel so passionate about.

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

Nurse Managers assign nursing staff to each department in the health care unit: radiology, emergency, etc. They do this in coordination with the departments and their own knowledge of current nursing practices, taking into account the needs of the nurses and their schedule as well.

The nurse manager assesses performance. Normally, a newly graduated registered nurses will be very familiar with all of the new nursing technologies and newly developed medical techniques. They will however usually require information as to how to improve performance, anticipate and prevent misunderstanding/conflicts, define goals, work as a team, etc.

Staying up to date with current nursing practices helps understand other departments before assigning personnel there. It is especially relevant when you provide training.

Introduce yourself to the interviewer. Tell about yourself and your background as a registered nurse and as a manager of nurses. Give specific department names and provide brief elaborations as to what you did there: Intensive care room, emergency rooms and operation rooms where you received and distributed patients.

Nursing management consists of the performance of the leadership functions of governance and decision-making within organizations employing nurses. It includes processes common to all management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling.

Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life.