Common Correctional Nursing Interview Questions

I'm collecting a compendium of Interview Questions and best answers for folks prepping for a correctional nursing job interviews. Could you chime in with yours even if you might have posted elsewhere on this forum? It would be good to have them all in one place for newbies searching this site.

Thanks for all the time and effort you spend helping new correctional nurses learn the ropes!

I had my panel interview today. There were 3 individuals asking the questions and it was over the phone.

Some of the questions were:

what would your current supervisor say if we asked what your strengths were? weakness?

Explain a situation when you were forced to make a decision that no one else agreed with?

Explain a situation when you made a promise to fulfill a duty that may or may not have been met?

Explain a time that you have struggled with finishing paper work, what is your solution to this?

Explain a situation where you worked with an employee who was always unhappy or frustrated, what did you do to solve this issue?

Specializes in Education.

Thanks for this thread! I had an interview and while the questions I was asked weren't really what was mentioned on this thread, I was able to use the information here to ask questions of my own. But things are now out of my hands, so all I can do is keep my fingers crossed and wait (im)patiently.

i had interview yesterday, and the interviewer said i will be first in line of waiting list hopefully they will call me soon i dont know. the interview went good he asked me about my work experience, what is point of view about the inmates, he gave me an idea of what the job will be if i get hired..hopefully they will call me soon and get this job..

Thank you all so much for your feedback and comments! This has been extremely helpful! I am a new grad RN and I have been diligently seeking employment with California Correctional Health Care here in the Bay Area. I have had zero luck finding work in a hospital, and although I could go and work at any nursing home/LTC/SNF/Rehab center, it's just not my area and not for me! I had dreamed of becoming a Police Officer long ago, and although I was destined to become a Nurse, my heart still lies in the Corrections and Justice system. I have been applying to several positions at the state prisons, and I don't know how much the system has changed since these prior posts of 2009, 2011, but I hope that now in 2014 I will have some luck finding work in Prison Health Care.

Thank you all for these great threads!

-Priya, RN

Specializes in NICU; Acute psych; pediatric psych.

So how did everyone's interviews go?!

I have an interview Monday 11/24/2014 at San Quentin. I hope thy ask some of these questions.

Hey there stranger! :) It's Tammy S. I always watched the applicants reaction to the inmates as we entered the facility, or went through medical where there might be groups of inmates. I always made the manipulation factor very clear, and I also relied fairly heavily on their responses about what they would do if they saw a co-worker doing something wrong (on whatever level that might be). It worked pretty well, as I usually ended up with dependable nurses who stayed and handled the inmate atmosphere successfully and did a great job. :D

Just finished my interview today. Wanted to thank everyone for their input. I was ready for them thanks to a little review based on info from this site. I had the Diabetes question, the rights of meds question and the components of a doctor's order. Also asked me about my willingness to work over and in bad weather and how my nursing experience made me the best candidate. I had to review some med orders for errors and know that CPR is not administered on DNR patients. I also had to answer whether my skills are good, adequate or I have no experience in various skills. I think I haven't forgotten anything. Oh, and the interview had three interviewers who sat at a conference table and fired these questions at me. Hope this helps someone else. :)

Specializes in Emergency Room.

I work ft in an ER for past 5 years. I have my tncc, enpc, along with years of nonviolent crisis intervention (cpi). I deal with behavioral health, pink slips, detox, and etoh withdrawal symptoms on a daily basis since we are so close proximity to a desired inpatient mental health/ detox facility. I will be starting grad school in the fall for acute care np. There is a pt position at the local jail that I recently came across. I'm thinking about applying. I only work 3x week and I'd like to work additional 1-2 days a week because I have so much down time. Would correctional nursing be a good fit for me? I plan on staying ft in the ER - just feel jail nursing would be new, fun, and interesting. Would also provide good education and new perspectives. Good fit? I may pick up an application today.

What would be a decent answer to that question? We ask applicants to tell us something we might not know about them from reading their applications.

I am interviewing in S.Cali next week. I have been out of school for a year and no nursing experience, freaking out right now! Don't even know what they would want for those questions. Ugghhh this will be my first nursing interview!!!!

Yikes!!! I am getting more nervous reading these! I'm afraid I'll freeze up. How did you answer some of these? I interview next week. First nurse interview and out of school for a year already :(

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