Ward Nurse Interview Preparation Guide

I wanted to pursue a psychiatric aide because the basics are important. A foundation to anything will allow you to experience a field from all angles. Especially in psychology it is importnat that as those helping the mentally disabled, we approach their situation from all angles, observing body language, eyecontact, behavioral patterns, expressions etc. As an Aide I will be able to see firsthand how a professional in the field carries out therapy and how they approach different patients from different mental state of minds. This is invaluable for me, and will shed a new informational light in the psych field for myself.

I've always been interested in gaining experience in hospital setting due to its fast pace, it's a challenge for me. I feel I have a lot to offer in this type of setting, I have a lot of experience with co-occuring disorders which I would imagine a lot of clients here are co-occuring. I have experience being in a past paced busy environment and managing conflicts on a daily basis. I love running groups. I have a lot of experience with assessments and diagnosing. I'm a team player and majority of my clinical experience has relied heavily on integrated treatment services.

Terr- CL was actively manic and running lose in the building. I was called to get the client. Spoke to client calmly and brought him into an office. Allowed client to express what was happening and his feelings and he calmed down. Wil. Stil- upset because case manager wouldn't place him in housing immediately. Loud in lobby and homicidal and suicidal suggestions. Called to building. Brought client in office, expressed frustrations. Called psychiatrist whom has good relationship who spoke to him on speaker phone. Developed plan going forward.

Do tell them- How you enjoy caring for your patients and making a difference in a patient’s life.

Don’t tell them- You like making money. Don’t keep going on about your profession either. Just keep it simple.

With placing clients in housing. Bi-polar CL who is vey erratic. I was able to anticipate which clients he would be less likely to conflict with this client and he managed to stay in our program for months without any issues./ Deal with this a lot with placing clients in housing.

Yes I have lot of specialities . I am a good lisoner as well as a leaner. I never leave till tomorrow which I can do today. Another specialities of mine is self confidence and because I am always ready to meet challenges.

I have the compassion, empathy and have gained many skills (with still more to learn & acquire) since taking on the challenge of changing my career and commencing my Aged Care training. I have wanted to do this for so long and I just wanted to be able to make a difference to someone's life or day. It's like when I lived and breathed hairdressing it was a privilege to be able to enter someones home and do their hair and make them feel and look good.

I started a psychoeducational group at the methadone clinic (colonial management group) I worked at, I noticed people coming to treatment but weren't fully informed on what methadone was. I designed and supervised a peer support program at CENTAUR I've assisted with supervising interns, met with them once a week, provided feedback on group facilitation, helped them with improving clinical skills I managed productivity tracking at CENTAUR and helped brainstorm ways to improve productivity.

Do tell them- Tell them about a past experience you’ve had that you feel you handled with care and understanding, always focus on the positive

Don’t tell them- About the time you got really mad at a patient because “he hit the call button too many times.” At times you can get frustrated but no one wants to hire a nurse that gets frustrated at their patients.

Completed graduate school. Trainings. Attend conferences. Seek guidance and support from those more experienced.