Describe your biggest failure and what did you learn.

[nynewrn]

I think I gotta be careful on this one too... which ones shall I say as an example and which ones I shouldn't. Is there a rule in answering this question? It sounds tricky though. Thanks folks!

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

i often ask this question and see applicants freeze. i use it in conjunction with "tell me about a difficult situation you faced at work/school and how did you handle it?

what am i looking for?

a. recognition that we all make mistakes as humans.

b. often learn more from our mistakes that we do from success.

c. mistake is opportunity for improvement.

d. lesson learned and what applicant will next time faced with similar situation.

e. honesty and willingness to tell manager about issues affecting work/patient care.

trying to find out if person is rigid thinker not open to new ideas/change or person open to new ideas and willing to learn and grow...need mixture of both on your team. those expressing failure as great catastrophe or have high anxiety may not be best candidate to work as part of team...especially in my homecare central intake office where change happens often.

interview question - what is your biggest failure at work? - job ...

the simple dollar » 25 questions to think about before your next

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

My biggest failure was listening to the battle axe who was "precepting" me when I first started in the OR.

For some reason, she had a HUGE chip on her shoulder, and loved to make the "newbies" fall on their faces. She was overly critical, she would provide me with just enough information to get started, but would leave out key information so that I would be floundering during a procedure...and then I would make a jackwagon of myself in front of the surgeons. I would see her standing in the corner chatting it up with the circulating nurse (who was supposed to be teaching me) and see her rolling her eyes when I was too slow in retrieving something from the back table. She was openly verbal in her disapproval of my progress, even though I had only been there for 2 weeks.

After a particularly bad day, I went to her and said that I didn't think I was cut out for OR nursing. She said, "I agree with you. I don't think you have what it takes. Most newbies don't. You are just one of a hundred 'wanna-be' surgical nurses that have started and failed. So you shouldn't feel bad."

I went home feeling sorry for myself and thinking that I was a totally worthless nurse. I almost gave up nursing right then. Out of the clear blue sky, I got a call from my baby brother asking how my new job was going. I told him what happened, and prepared myself for the kind words that he would say to soothe my broken spirit. Instead, he told me, "Canes, WHAT are you thinking? You are going to let some washed up 'wanna-be' administrator walk all over you like that? Why are you giving her so much power? This isn't like you. You can't let this destroy your spirit. We have been through 7 levels of hell in our lives, and you have worked entirely too hard to quit now. Think of what a failure you would feel like if you quit because some idiot with an attitude used you to make herself feel better? GET OFF OF YOUR BUTT and find another OR job! Do it NOW and let me proof read your cover letter. Love you, by the way."

Yes, I got a strong dose of tough love from my brother who is 17 years my junior. From the mouths of babes...

I got off my duff and did what he said. I got an interview at another hospital. I was completely honest with the nurse manager, and without bad mouthing Battle Axe, gave her factual information regarding the orientation I received at the other hospital. I shared with her my passion for learning surgery and gave her examples of where I needed guidance. She was quiet for a moment (and I held my breath, thinking I totally blew it) and then she looked at me square in the eye and said, "You know, you aren't the first person that has shared this kind of experience with me regarding that hospital. They have no formal program in place, and as I understand it, Nurse X (Battle Axe) is desperately trying to institute a formal program. I have also heard that her job is contingent upon the formation and success of this program. I can see that you are passionate about OR nursing, and I can only tell you that you made a very wise decision by leaving that hospital." At the end of the interview, the manager gave me a great big hug and told me to expect a call from HR in the next few days with an offer.

As karma so often does, it came to visit Battle Axe and she was fired from her job for poor performance.

I turned a failure into an open door. Many times we don't recognize opportunity when it comes, but we view so many of our mistakes as failures.

We MUST transcend the perception of failure into a foothold of success.

[GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN]

Work friends are not really friends. They will throw you under the bus. I did nothing wrong, but someone else had a bad shift. They did not ask for help, but told the NM that I refused to help her. I am not a mind reader. Seriously, learn to read minds and realize that people you are friendly with may very well throw you under the bus if they have a bad day.

[nynewrn]

I always love your answers! thank u

[nynewrn]

Several years ago an older women who was wealthy with lots of family was admitted to the very ritzy LTC facility I was working at. An aid caused the women to fall (the aid later admitted to me). As a result this women who had no concerns with ambulation broke her hip. She come back from the hospital after surgery to recover.

To make a long story short the wound wasn't healing right. Dark serosanguineous fluid kept leaking. I kept saying we need to send her out somethings wrong. Since I was new and a new grad no one listened. One month to the day of her returning from the hip surgery I called the doc and told him I believed he needed to see this women immediately.

It turns out the doc requested her to come in, they took x rays and later she was admitted to the hospital for some procedure that was not made clear. Turns out I heard from a friend at that hospital when they x rayed this women they found an old sponge from the previous surgery that had been left inside.

That women came back to our facility and never walked again. I inquired if the family was going to be told about the sponge and I was told to mind my own business. I was such a coward. I should have told the family but I was afraid. What that experience did to me was I have never let anyone else down. I have almost been fired 2 times for butting my self into patient situations where things just weren't right. I realize I have never really recovered from that and it will follow me forever.

This is tough!