what to ask on hospital interview

RN2travel · Sep 22, 2005

Hi everybody. I am going to venture out nov. 1st to california for travel nursing. My first assignment................ :yelclap:
Any day now I am going to be getting a couple calls from 2 prospective hospitals in Thousand Oaks, and San Jose.
On the telephone interview, is there certain questions you ask about how a traveler works there? example....am i expected to float, is there orientation to the hospital, ect. ect.
Any help would be great!

A.What types of patients do you have at your hospital?

1.What is the nurse/patient ratio?

2. Do you have an orientation for travel nurses?

3.Who manages vents? CRT available?

4. Are there pt care techs? CNA's?

5. Do you use paper or computer charting?

6. What can I do to prepare myself for working at your facility?

7. Is there a particular uniform requirement?

8. Will I be floated? Where? Is traveler always floated first?

9. What is the work schedule? Weekends? Days off together?

10. 12 hour shifts? 7-7??

11.Are travelers permitted to attend educational opportunities offered by your facility?

Hope this helps. Its not the perfect list but it is my basic list and I just add to it as needed.

Good Luck, Carol

IdahoNurse · Sep 23, 2005

6. what can i do to prepare myself for working at your facility?

thanks for that one... i haven't asked that one before.

jillhall · Sep 23, 2005

Those are great questions. One question I ask concerning floating is....do the travelers always float or do staff members take turn floating with the travelers as well. If a hospital does not use very many travelers, and the travelers are always first to float, you may floath a lot and it would sort of good to know that. Especially if you don't like to float.

Ask about staffing patterns. Ask if Travelers repeat their assignments. That is a good indicator if people like it there. I always ask if the unit is travel friendly. Some are wonderful and others are more territorial. It is surprising how honest the unit manager will be during the interview.

I don't like always getting stuck with the yuckies assignments. I also like getting challenging assginmnets. I ask how open staff is to letting you get some of the good assignments. AT least if that is important to you.

I have thought about preparing a long list of things to ask. But staffing patterns, patient ratios and types of assignments are important to me.

Good luck traveling. You'll have a ball. :rolleyes:

KatieBell · Sep 24, 2005

These are really good questions (I especially like the one regarding travelers being able to take advantage of the educational opportunities...)

Maybe this thread, or at least Carol's questions could be made into a sticky.

Nurse_Smith · Nov 1, 2005

Well you have probally already moved on or re-uped, but I can add a few...

Charting types, dress code, breaks, time on orientation ( and fallow this up w/ your company and have it put in your contract), mandatory ot, weekend and holiday obligation ( again get it in your contract). Hope you had/ are havinbg a good time I lived in San Josa as a teen and did two contracts at Los Lobos in thousand oaks and loved both places. hope this helps.

abusedtravelnurse · Nov 3, 2005

California has has a penalty for delayed or missed breaks and meal periods.

I would ask how you get paid for those.