Any last minute tips for interview at Kaiser???

Haunted · Jan 31, 2008

Just one, don't go! They just got busted, again for malpractice. Please do a websearch here on this mega monster. You will find lot's of information. Money isn't everything in nursing. Be affiliated with a company that values your ethics, and one you can respect as well. Just my opinion.

californianurse · Jan 31, 2008

Just one, don't go! They just got busted, again for malpractice. Please do a websearch here on this mega monster. You will find lot's of information. Money isn't everything in nursing. Be affiliated with a company that values your ethics, and one you can respect as well. Just my opinion.

I'm just curious, do you mean that a Kaiser hospital was busted for malpractice or the Kaiser CRNA program was under fire? I've heard great things about this program. Actually, I haven't heard anything bad about it. The only somewhat negative thing I've heard about this program is that you rotate hospitals/departments every month, which can become stressful. There is a poster on this site by the name of Quigley, who seems to be right on target with ethics, practice and advancing the profession. He went to the Kaiser school. He normally posts on the CRNA forum.

Anyway, I had a friend apply to the Kaiser school last year, and he said that he had a panel of 12 people interviewing him, asking him clinical questions. Don't know if it's different this year. Maybe they treated him differently because he didn't take the GRE and didn't have his CCRN.

Good luck in your interview!!

ICUDOUCME? · Feb 1, 2008

I interviewed there in '06. I didn't make it in. The following are some ideas that I think might have helped me.

They will take you into a holding area. A woman will be there talking to you all and trying to get you to relax and laugh. She is very funny. Be professional with her and laugh at her jokes. Don't say anything negative about anyone or anything.

When it's you turn, they will take you into a room with a panel of about 12 or so, a mix of program director, MDAs, CRNAs, current students, and nursing school faculty. You will be at a small table at the front of a U-shaped seating area. The table will have some water on it and a glass. My advice is to not pick up the glass unless you find yourself in a break of conversation and it makes sense to do so. Otherwise, it may be tempting to alleviate your anxiety by drinking from the glass between every question like I did. (My hands were shaking too so it wasn't a pretty picture).

They will start by asking you the typical type questions about why you want to do this. Make sure you know why you want to do this and express it well (practice makes perfect). Then, (and this is the part I think I blew) they will ask you about the kinds of patients you took care of in the ICU. Take some time here. Go into a story of a recent challenge and how you handled it (briefly of course). Be thorough but concise. My mistake was in not going into enough detail. I thought they would ask me drill down questions but they didn't.

The student will ask you how you think you may do in a mostly boring but mixed with terror-type scenario. The nursing admin types will ask you your views on advanced practice nursing and the value of a BSN vs ADN education.

Also, know a little bit about Kaiser and ask relevant questions about the program. I didn't ask any questions because I didn't have any. But think up a couple that you can fall back on that they may not have answered, or drill down on something said earlier, even if it's to the students about how they liked the various clinical sites.

Finally, try to relax and let your personality shine through the nerves. Everyone likes to be liked. Show them that you like them by smiling, meeting their eyes, and laughing every now and then (when appropriate of course). A little joke thrown in may not hurt if you are the type that can think on your feet and be witty (not me).

Good luck, it's a very competitive program! And they have enough applicants every year that they only interview the cream of the crop. So you must be pretty special anyway to get an interview. You will make it in to a school.

MmmQuiznos · Feb 6, 2008

Thanks a lot ICUDOUCME!! This info should help a lot!! Just getting myself prepared for the whole process and knowing what to expect makes a big difference. BTW, I like your name . . very clever. CUL8R. hehe