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!

Orca said:
We always ask applicants how they believe that their nursing practice might change as a result of working in a prison environment. We are looking for things such as maintaining professional distance, not offering to do favors for inmates, security concerns and so forth.

We ask applicants to tell us something we might not know about them from reading their applications. We ask them about their best work-related trait, and a how they would deal with someone they observed working outside his/her scope of practice. We also ask them how they approach problem solving, and to give an example of how they applied this approach to a work problem.

I don't have the interview questions in front of me, but that covers a good part of our interview.

Would a candidate who had a family member in the prison system be disqualified or would you look at them with more interest since they have some "experience", if you want to call it that, with the prison system?

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
will.to.nurse said:
Would a candidate who had a family member in the prison system be disqualified or would you look at them with more interest since they have some "experience", if you want to call it that, with the prison system?

In my system, that wouldn't have an effect one way or another. We ask the question at the end of each interview whether the applicant has a friend or family member incarcerated in any correctional system. The purpose of the question is not to assign the person to the facility where the inmate is incarcerated, in the event that the applicant is offered employment.

Visiting or corresponding with an inmate is not considered experience with corrections.

Hello, what is the online exam like? How can I prepare?

I have been with corrections for about 5 months now! I have decided to apply for a lead nurse position!! Any ideas of the questions thney may aske??

I had my interview recently and I dont believe they were the same as any questions mentioned here.

1) An inmate informs you that they fell, hit their head, and lost consciousness. What do you do?

2) A female inmate informs you that she has been having right quadrant abdominal pain. What is your assessment?

3) The DON informs you that you need to float your clinic LPN to another county jail but they refuse. What do you do? (This was a role play scenario)

4) An inmate hung himself and when you arrive you find that the CO has already cut him down. They report that he is breathing and has a pulse. What is your assessment?

5) You find out a staff member is diverting medication. They inform you that it is common practice when you confront them about it. What do you do?

Those were the only nurse questions but others were asked about how to protect inmate privacy, how I prioritize, if I've ever had to confront a co-worker about something they did wrong and what was the outcome, why I'm interested in corrections, and why I want to leave current position.

I love how this thread has been active since 2009!!! I was not thinking of correctional nursing as an option for me but after reading all the comments and seeing how supportive everyone is with one another, I may start to consider it.

A few interview questions I can recall--

What are you strengths and weaknesses?

An order of priority question as far as who you would take care of first (a, b, c,d) ---cannot recall specifics.

a. chest pain

b. triage call of inmate who sprained ankle in the yard

c. scheduled dressing change

--can't remember d.

I had a question about administering insulin to an inmate who's blood glucose was 42. He states his blood sugar is always that low. What do you do?

Something along the lines of: How do you set your goals for the day and how do you accomplish them?

Describe how you care for patients with mental health disorders and those with a low IQ

That's all I can remember..for now! :)

Hi everyone! I am an LPN living in Canada and I just had my interview at a pre trial centre. I read through this entire thread a few days ago and really prepped for the interview and a ton of stuff on this thread was mentioned, so thank you everyone! my interview went really well and i left with all the documentation to fill out to get the hiring process going woohoo!

some of the questions that i can remember were:

- what would your coworkers say your strengths were related to work?

- what are some of your weaknesses?

-why do you want to work in corrections?

- what experience as a nurse do you have that would contribute to the role of a corrections nurse?

- name a time you had a conflict with a coworker and how you resolved it?

-you are administering medications to your patient, and they say they have never seen this drug or taken this drug before. What do you do?

-you are administering medications and your patient normally gets a half pill, but you realize afterwards you gave them a whole pill. what do you do?

- how do you think health care differs in this setting?

- if you are faced with a stressful situation in the workplace, what do you do? how do you handle stress?

- name the 5 rights of medication

-name one drug from each of these classes: antipsychotic, anti anxiety, anti hypertensive, anti hyperglycaemic, anti depressant, narcotic

there was a few other questions but i can't remember them all. Thank you everyone who posted on this thread. i hope some of my input helps!

Specializes in Sociology: Gerontology..

Hi,

I was a correctional nurse, at the Allegheny County Jail. I spent almost 2 years, nursing, there! It was a very difficult job! I had to pass meds, now-and-then, up to 500 Inmates!!! And, it was very difficult, to keep up with all the computerized documentation, as well! I didn't always have the needed meds, to pass, either! I did inform the higher-ups, about this, too! Most of my co-workers were ok. I had one supervisor,...who thought she was the BEST nurse on this planet! She dismissed many Inmates, that complained of chest pain, etc. All she liked to do, was fiddle with her multitude of pencils, and pens, etc.,...and surf the web! The other supervisors, for the most part, were ok! This was a Pittsburgh, PA, jail. I got so frustrated, with this low paying job,...and all the legal responsibilities, I left. If you can work with a very proactive company,...the services the Inmates,...you may have a better experience?!? Good-Luck!!!

Specializes in Med/Surg Acute Care RN.

Hello.....I had an interview fee days ago and was asked the following? It's for RN position...

1. Have you ever worked with someone that you didn't get along with?

2. Have you ever had to deal with an aggressive patient?

3. If you caught a co-worker falsifying documents, what do you do?

4. How do you feel with HIPPA with coworkers and none coworkers?

5. If a inmate comes to clinic said he had fight, lost consciousness, what do you do?

6. Found an inmate that was hung, he was cut down by CO they said he has pulse and is breathing, what do you do?

7. Female patient come to clinic c/o RLQ pain x 2 weeks, what do you do?

That's all I can remember.....

2018

I had an interview for a Washington Correctional RN position. The questions they asked me were many scenario questions.

ex) Why do you want to work here?

what is an something you felt you accomplished?

What do you do if you find out you administered the wrong medication?

You find a patient pulse less, what do you do. Know your CPR

A patient is psychotic, throwing feces, denies treatment. What do you do ? Bring it up to your manager/Supervisor

How to you give CPR to someone who was spinal cord injuries?

If your supervisor doesn't like you, go talk to the director

They will ask what patient would you triage and give you 4 patients. think Airway, Breathing, Circulation

Hope this helps

Just had my interview last Friday, September 14 2018. I got tons of questions. DON has three pages of paper with her. Here are some of the questions I remember:

1. Why do you want to work as correctional nurse?

2. Prioritize which one to attend first,

left ear pain, SOB but with inhaler and the last one was inmate having chest pain

3. What your recent supervisor the good traits you have?

4. How are you going to deal with coworkers that having conflict with?

5. What professionalism means to you?

6. What do you like most on your previous job? whats the least you like about it?

7. Any frustrations you encountered while working as a nurse?

8. What are your career goals?

9. How many absences in a year would you consider for termination?

10. What do you like most about what all we discussed today?

11. What do you like most about the things we discussed today? and the least as well

12. What brings you to medical field?

13. How do you respond to negative criticism?

14. How are you going to handle negative criticism from your supervisor?

Rating from 0-10 how well you do

injections/lab works

communicating with physician

mental health

chemical dependence

computer

paperworks

There still more but I forgot .

DON said I'll be contacted in two weeks if selected. She gave me business card if I have questions or so.

Hopefully I'll be hearing good news from her soon.

Fingers crossed.

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