First Acute Care NP Interview

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · May 30, 2013

Is this an ICU with an established group of NP's working with intensivists?

I've worked in three different ICU's (16-bed Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU in a 900-bed urban medical center, 14-bed combined Med-Surg ICU in a 200-bed community hospital, and currently as part of a Critical Care service in multi-specialty adult ICU's in an urban medical/nursing school affiliated hospital). I have never had the burden of having to be the first NP, however.

Never had to bring a portfolio but it's a good thought. I have found my interviewers well versed with my CV during the interview and have copies of it during the interview. I've also had packed interview schedules like yours with different time slots allotted to different people in the organization.

A few things to say about my experience: Physician chiefs are the easiest to interview with. They start out with casual chatter about where I trained and where they trained and that they know someone in the organization I previously worked at. They lay out their expectations right from the start such as "this is not going to be a job where you write progress notes all day, you will be doing real work!". They will want to make you feel welcome and let you know what the hospital is all about.

Interviewing with fellow NP's, to me, is the toughest part. In my case, they are the ones that has more input on who gets hired. I've been drilled with critical care case scenarios in the past to figure out how I will respond to actual events in the clinical setting. In the end, many of us ex-critical care nurses could handle that pressure but the determining factor is whether they could see you as part of their team or not. It's a personality test in a way to see how well you will fit in.

smulliner · May 30, 2013

Hi Juan,

Wow- thank you so much for your response. I absolutely think you are spot on when it comes to what to expect for the interview, at least that is how I envisioned it going. I should definitely prep for more critical care scenarios.

Fortunately, this is a large academic center with a long history of hiring NP's in the ICU.

Again, thank you for your words of wisdom.

kayceeACNP · Jun 1, 2013

I know this is late and probably after your interview but I agree with all of what Juan said. I was hired into an intensivist group as the first NP in the group with the 2nd hired shortly after me with me not having much say in that hire (fortunately her and I work VERY well together). However, we have since then been attempting to expand our team to 4 NPs and our attendings gave myself and the other established NP final say in the decision telling us 'we want you two to feel like they could be good members of your team'. We have hired the 3rd and the decision was ultimately up to the two of us. We are still searching for number 4 but we'll find the right person. Our most recent hire has been here a few months and he has recently confessed to us that we (the NPs) were harder on him during the interview than HR, our administrators, our docs, etc.

Anyway, I hope your interview went well and congrats on getting through school