O.R. Internship Interview - Help, please!

samandchase · Aug 23, 2008

I am a new grad that got a job in the OR at one of the top 10 peds hospitals in the country. I missed my first interview because of a scheduling mix up with HR. However, I still got the job. Here's what I did.

I talked about wanting to work in a high stress, technical part of the hospital. I said I was good at multitasking. Know that you are/will be the patients adovcate.

Also, get them to talk about themselves. People love to talk about themselves. The more they talk about themselves the more they like you.

Good Luck. God knows I need it.

smithd5 · Aug 23, 2008

I recently interviewed for an OR internship position, and found out a few weeks ago that i got the job! I have been working on a tele floor for a year but was also ready for a change.

I interviewed with the nurse manager and then the nurse educator individually, followed by 4 hours of shadowing the circulator. I was asked why I wanted to work in the OR, what kinds of experience I had with the OR (which was nothing but shadowing in nursing school), how I would handle a situation with a verbally abusive surgeon, if I would miss the patient intereaction that floor nurses have, my strengths/weaknesses, etc. The rest of the interview was them describing the position, the level of commitment that the program would require, including a lot of studying, and answering questions that I had.

Also, during my HR interview they asked if I was interested in any area other than the OR in case that job wasn't available - I said "no" and was told that it was the right answer, because they will not hire someone that isn't 100% dedicated to working in the OR.

I don't start the new job until mid-October but i'm very excited. Hope this helps and good luck!

NabiRN, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2008

In addition to what others have said, here are some more:

1. What does an OR nurse do? ... answer is always a patient's advocate.

2. prioritize -- how? show examples

3. mult-task -- show examples

4. When you are asked to do a case that you have never done before, how would you respond?

5. Working in a room with a lot of people and a lot of equipment ... how do you manage as a circulator? When five people ask you for things, how do you respond? Can you handle the stress?

6. You will be asked to crawl on the floor and lift heavy trays and equipment. Any physical limitation?

I don't remember other questions. I was right out of school when I had the interview and I got the job. However, I had experience in the OR and know exactly the crazy situations that they have in mind.

Lizzie9397 · Aug 23, 2008

I recently interviewed for an OR internship position, and found out a few weeks ago that i got the job! I have been working on a tele floor for a year but was also ready for a change.
I interviewed with the nurse manager and then the nurse educator individually, followed by 4 hours of shadowing the circulator. I was asked why I wanted to work in the OR, what kinds of experience I had with the OR (which was nothing but shadowing in nursing school), how I would handle a situation with a verbally abusive surgeon, if I would miss the patient intereaction that floor nurses have, my strengths/weaknesses, etc. The rest of the interview was them describing the position, the level of commitment that the program would require, including a lot of studying, and answering questions that I had.
Also, during my HR interview they asked if I was interested in any area other than the OR in case that job wasn't available - I said "no" and was told that it was the right answer, because they will not hire someone that isn't 100% dedicated to working in the OR.
I don't start the new job until mid-October but i'm very excited. Hope this helps and good luck!

If selected, my internship will start in October too! I really hope this works out for me. The more I've read about it, and thought about it, and went over my few recollections of trips into the O.R. with patients (c-sections to help catch the baby), the more excited I get. I really think I need this change...more intensity, more stress for sure, but new skills and experiences too. Sometimes I leave work thinking that if I have to feel one more fundus or get one more baby latched on to a breast...I'm gonna lose it.

cdsga · Aug 28, 2008

Our interview is very intense and unlike others. We are trying to weed out the curious and find the enthusiatic OR nurse with committment and drive to succeed.

Our questions look at critical thinking, prioritization, career goals, organizational skills, process improvements or accomplishments you have been involved in, teamwork, work ethic, how you handle conflict, assertiveness and reasons why we should hire you over others (what can you bring to the table?), professionalism, use of resources, patient care values, handling a disruptive and time sensitive environment.

Those are the basics.

We have a 45 min round table interview, and a 15 minute timed written interview.

After the interview is over, we go over the answers and discuss.

We have weeded out quite a few candidates, and have developed this interview process where we can be very discerning about who want to invest our time and effort into.

If they can survive the interview process, they can most likely survive the OR.

cdsga · Aug 28, 2008

wow samandchase--you should be in psychology--I'll look for the manipulative candidate now for sure. I think in our interview process with the type of questioning we do, we'd be able to see the pat answers. We are friendly with all our candidates and we have not hired some.

We look for those that will fit the needs of the hospital first, someone that has committment to stay after training, not someone who will train then go somewhere else. It takes a while to become a proficient confident OR nurse, and it's not for everyone. The love of high tech, and high stress is not always what we need.

samandchase · Aug 28, 2008

It was not my intention to come across as manipulative. The hospital that hired me would have picked up on that. These are only interviewing techniques that can be used for any job interview, not just for the OR.

samandchase · Aug 28, 2008

wow samandchase--you should be in psychology--I'll look for the manipulative candidate now for sure. I think in our interview process with the type of questioning we do, we'd be able to see the pat answers. We are friendly with all our candidates and we have not hired some.
We look for those that will fit the needs of the hospital first, someone that has committment to stay after training, not someone who will train then go somewhere else. It takes a while to become a proficient confident OR nurse, and it's not for everyone. The love of high tech, and high stress is not always what we need.

One other thing, a nurse with 30 years under her belt who eats the young is not what new grads need. Good luck to your new hires. I have a feeling they will need it. :no:

cdsga · Aug 28, 2008

Thats what we're trying to prevent--nurses eating the young grads and new hires.

An interview is a sales pitch for sure, we don't want folks that can't handle the harsh reality of the OR.

We are going to base our decision on a well rounded set of questions that are tough, but fair. 30 years is a long time--I don't like the taste of new nurses. I like to see them grow. I also don't like to watch them get so discouraged and beat down that they leave. We want our nurses to stay.

And for such a shark pit--there are lots of us in the 20-30 year range, we have a pretty good retention rate. We're proud of our interns and over 80%stay past the one year committment. Based on market research, that's pretty good. We've been doing the internship program for the past 8 years. We offer one for the PACU, ICU, L&D, and Med-Surg.:redpinkhe:up:

Lizzie9397 · Aug 30, 2008

Okay, so my interview was yesterday. The first part took about an hour, and then we took a quick tour of the department. Three OR nurses interviewed me, one was an RN-FA, another an evening shift supervisor, and the third was the nurse educator for the department. I met the NM of the unit only briefly.

The questions were intense, though not surprising, based on what I'd read here earlier. They asked me to describe a time when I'd had an altercation with or had to challenge a physician, about a time when I had to use my critical thinking and problem solving skills, how I interact with people with strong, confident personalities (like myself), how I'd feel "starting over" in another specialty after being considered a somewhat experienced nurse on my unit. I did my best to be genuine and tried to avoid to be what I thought they wanted, which was tough, because I really want this internship. These ladies have more than 75 years of combined nursing experience between them, and I will defer to their decision as to whether I 'll make a good fit.

They are interviewing 10 or 11 other nurses, and there are 4-6 spots open. I should know in about 10 days. Ten long, long days.

Lizzie9397 · Sep 16, 2008

Well, I got the internship. I start mid-October. Just thought I'd let you all know that.

I was worried that I came on too strong, but guess being totally genuine and putting myself out there was the right thing to do. They said they were impressed with me! It made me feel so good to hear that. If the rest of the O.R. staff is half as positive and encouraging as these ladies were, then I'm set.

I'm so excited to start my new job! But I will miss the babies a little...