Interview help!!!

Specialties Ambulatory

Published

Hey all. I have an interview coming up and was wondering what types of questions should I be preparing when working in the ambulatory care settings? I am a new grad without any experience so I hope you guys can help me. Thanks :)

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Specializes in Allergy, asthma, geriatrics, pediatrics.

You may be asked why you became a nurse in the first place, for your "likes and dislikes" in nursing, where you see your strengths and weaknesses to be, where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, and if there were any challenging times during your clinicals and what you did to face this crisis. Good luck, Nurse.

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i just had a job interview this wk and was offered the position. it was only my second face-to-face nursing interview and i wanted to be sure i nailed it. i checked on allnurses.com and also online for commonly asked questions and interview hints. the following is what i came up with.

i practiced the q/a to myself for days prior, had quick answers, even thought of incidences and stories i could tell if i had to elaborate on an answer.

a pharmacology test was also part of the interview process. i studied for it using saunders nclex review (has a section w/drug calculations. i did them all and sure enuff, they were precisely what was covered on the test).

even if the interviewer does not ask the questions that you have prepared for, sometimes you can direct the interview to where you want to go.

----------------------

nurse interview questions and sample answers

what made you choose nursing as a career?

i wanted to do something in my career that is challenging, interesting, and makes a difference in people's lives on a daily basis

how has your training prepared you for a nursing career?

i believe that nursing is unique in that it is both art and science.

science = technical aspects of nursing, skill, knowledge - book learning.

art = wisdom, compassion, and empathy.

what interests you about working here? i researched the organization for this answer and formulated a response.

several reasons.

1.working in prompt care, every day will be different, so being able to process, adapt, and respond accordingly is essential for this job. organization, being able to prioritize, use good judgement, willingness to work hard.

2.x company has the the largest system of rural health clinics in the state and i have lived in rural areas all my life. provision of healthcare is important to me, my family.

3.agree with x company's vision, mission, and values statements

do you have any professional affiliations?

yes, several.

what do you do to keep current with medical findings and practices?

continuing education is not only necessary for license renewal but is important for keeping skills fresh, increasing knowledge base, and being with others who do the same thing i do (networking).

how do you handle stress on the job?

by focusing on the most important thing, the care of the patient. i feel i owe it to my patients to stay calm and focused on them.

never let them see you sweat. if you lose their confidence, you will lose the ability to provide care.

how would you deal with a doctor who was rude?

first, i would try to avoid situations that would make this occur.

i would bring the question to my supervisor. if the doctor was displeased with me in some way, i would want to find out so i could take action to rectify the situation.

i would ask the doctor if there was something in my care of the patient that needed discussion.

how would you handle a patient who constantly complains about pain?

i would listen sympathetically to their complaint, reassure them that their concerns were being heard, and that we were doing everything possible to help them.

how would you handle a patient who complains about everything?

i understand that some patients will complain about everything, just because they are unhappy about what brought them to our care. i would listen and reassure them that everything possible is being done to make them comfortable.

how would you handle a family who is displeased with your patient's care?

i would listen to their concerns, and make sure that if any were well founded they were addressed immediately. sometimes family members are looking for someone or something to blame for what their loved one is going through. i would try to reassure them that the patient was getting the best quality of care available.

what do you feel you contribute to your patients?

i believe that i offer my patients comfort and confidence that they are being well cared for.

i feel that my patients know that i am there to provide comfort and understanding, that i will listen to their concerns, and that i will be their advocate.

what do you find difficult about being a nurse?

i think the most difficult part of being a nurse is having a pt who is afflicted with a dibilitating disease or injury that is going to affect them adversely for the rest of their life. especially when it occurs to children and young adults in the prime of life.

what do you find most rewarding about being a nurse?

as with anything in life, work, relationships...doing something right, doing it thoroughly, and to the best of my ability are always rewarding.

what would you do if your replacement didn't arrive?

i would notify the supervisor, and offer to stay until my replacement arrived.

would you describe yourself as organized?

absolutely! being organized is, for me, a key to time management, maintaining sanity in my life, in my home...

are you a self motivator?

yes! i’ve been self-employed for the past 10 yrs. and to be successfully self-employed if you are not able to get up and out the door to your place of business if you aren’t self motivated. also going back to school, dealing with the rigors of tremendous amount of studying, 7 am clinicals, plus i was working about 15-20 hrs/wk.

do you prefer to work alone, or as part of a team?

the concept of teamwork is important in nursing.

patient prioritizing, triage

you will also need to rank your patient care on specific needs of each client to provide care to which client is in need of your attention first. this can be obtained by following your abc's of care.

a: airway

b: breathing

c: circulation

pain: don't forget - pain is the 4th vs!

sell yourself in your interview. even if you are not a master at everything, go into this interview with enthusiasm and confidence.

good luck and knock 'em dead! :nurse:

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thank you so much!!! i like how you gave me some good tips on how to tackle some of the questions that i have not covered before. i'm sure you're going to do great on your new job since you touch based everything so well. i wish i can master all these interview skills, but since i'm just a new grad, i will do my best and take every opportunity as a learning experience. thank you again :)

i just had a job interview this wk and was offered the position. it was only my second face-to-face nursing interview and i wanted to be sure i nailed it. i checked on allnurses.com and also online for commonly asked questions and interview hints. the following is what i came up with.

i practiced the q/a to myself for days prior, had quick answers, even thought of incidences and stories i could tell if i had to elaborate on an answer.

a pharmacology test was also part of the interview process. i studied for it using saunders nclex review (has a section w/drug calculations. i did them all and sure enuff, they were precisely what was covered on the test).

even if the interviewer does not ask the questions that you have prepared for, sometimes you can direct the interview to where you want to go.

----------------------

nurse interview questions and sample answers

what made you choose nursing as a career?

i wanted to do something in my career that is challenging, interesting, and makes a difference in people's lives on a daily basis

how has your training prepared you for a nursing career?

i believe that nursing is unique in that it is both art and science.

science = technical aspects of nursing, skill, knowledge - book learning.

art = wisdom, compassion, and empathy.

what interests you about working here? i researched the organization for this answer and formulated a response.

several reasons.

1. working in prompt care, every day will be different, so being able to process, adapt, and respond accordingly is essential for this job. organization, being able to prioritize, use good judgement, willingness to work hard.

2. x company has the the largest system of rural health clinics in the state and i have lived in rural areas all my life. provision of healthcare is important to me, my family.

3. agree with x company's vision, mission, and values statements

do you have any professional affiliations?

yes, several.

what do you do to keep current with medical findings and practices?

continuing education is not only necessary for license renewal but is important for keeping skills fresh, increasing knowledge base, and being with others who do the same thing i do (networking).

how do you handle stress on the job?

by focusing on the most important thing, the care of the patient. i feel i owe it to my patients to stay calm and focused on them.

never let them see you sweat. if you lose their confidence, you will lose the ability to provide care.

how would you deal with a doctor who was rude?

first, i would try to avoid situations that would make this occur.

i would bring the question to my supervisor. if the doctor was displeased with me in some way, i would want to find out so i could take action to rectify the situation.

i would ask the doctor if there was something in my care of the patient that needed discussion.

how would you handle a patient who constantly complains about pain?

i would listen sympathetically to their complaint, reassure them that their concerns were being heard, and that we were doing everything possible to help them.

how would you handle a patient who complains about everything?

i understand that some patients will complain about everything, just because they are unhappy about what brought them to our care. i would listen and reassure them that everything possible is being done to make them comfortable.

how would you handle a family who is displeased with your patient's care?

i would listen to their concerns, and make sure that if any were well founded they were addressed immediately. sometimes family members are looking for someone or something to blame for what their loved one is going through. i would try to reassure them that the patient was getting the best quality of care available.

what do you feel you contribute to your patients?

i believe that i offer my patients comfort and confidence that they are being well cared for.

i feel that my patients know that i am there to provide comfort and understanding, that i will listen to their concerns, and that i will be their advocate.

what do you find difficult about being a nurse?

i think the most difficult part of being a nurse is having a pt who is afflicted with a dibilitating disease or injury that is going to affect them adversely for the rest of their life. especially when it occurs to children and young adults in the prime of life.

what do you find most rewarding about being a nurse?

as with anything in life, work, relationships...doing something right, doing it thoroughly, and to the best of my ability are always rewarding.

what would you do if your replacement didn't arrive?

i would notify the supervisor, and offer to stay until my replacement arrived.

would you describe yourself as organized?

absolutely! being organized is, for me, a key to time management, maintaining sanity in my life, in my home...

are you a self motivator?

yes! i've been self-employed for the past 10 yrs. and to be successfully self-employed if you are not able to get up and out the door to your place of business if you aren't self motivated. also going back to school, dealing with the rigors of tremendous amount of studying, 7 am clinicals, plus i was working about 15-20 hrs/wk.

do you prefer to work alone, or as part of a team?

the concept of teamwork is important in nursing.

patient prioritizing, triage

you will also need to rank your patient care on specific needs of each client to provide care to which client is in need of your attention first. this can be obtained by following your abc's of care.

a: airway

b: breathing

c: circulation

pain: don't forget - pain is the 4th vs!

sell yourself in your interview. even if you are not a master at everything, go into this interview with enthusiasm and confidence.

good luck and knock 'em dead! :nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you so much!!!

You may be asked why you became a nurse in the first place for your "likes and dislikes" in nursing, where you see your strengths and weaknesses to be, where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, and if there were any challenging times during your clinicals and what you did to face this crisis. Good luck, Nurse.[/quote']
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Great infomation!!! I have two this week :-) thank you for your feed back!

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Specializes in LTC.

Very great feed back!

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