Different types of interviews....

My brother in law is in town job hunting. He paints cars. Also has trouble with interviews. After 3 interviews that he felt went badly- I asked him to be upfront about the jitters to the next interviewer. He did just that. The man went out of his way to make him feel more comfortable and he got the job.

i just finished my first semester at kaiser in pasadena. the interview i went through and most of my classmates was one of friendly atmosphere, personal questions not clinical, 15 minutes long. time is structured. i was nervous, but the interview was not intimidating.

some interviews I had started with the M.D of the program. He was intimidating cuz he asked very personal questions but the aim was to see if you really had an idea about what that program entailed. They must be tired of listening to whiners. Then it went to the program director, a crna and her asst. They did the questions aimed at what you think a crna does, what school is like, your ambition, motivation etc. Then it was questions that required you to really evaluate your own strenghts/weaknesses. It can be a stressful process but my experiences were me putting the stress on myself instead of the interviewers.

It's amazing how different the interviews can be. My first interview was 10 min with the director and only a "hi how are ya, why do you want to be a CRNA ..." I did not get a good feel for the program and I can't see how they learned anything about me. I ended up #2 on the waiting list.

My second interview was also with the director but took over 2 hours, was very structured, had lots of clinical questions, as well as getting to know me questions. I felt better about this interview and was told I was accepted before I left.

I have my last interview coming up in 9 days. I spoke with someone who interviewed at this school last year. The interview process takes all day and they provide lunch. There is a clinical exam ( I was told it is pretty basic and not to stress about it) and interviews with the chief MDA, Program director and asst. dean of the university. They also give you time with a panel of students to get the down and dirty of the program. I will let you know how that one turns out.

Originally posted by TraumaNurse

My second interview was also with the director but took over 2 hours, was very structured, had lots of clinical questions, as well as getting to know me questions. I felt better about this interview and was told I was accepted before I left.

Can you tell us what kind of clinical questions they asked?

Most of the clinical questions were scenario-type. I was given a pt scenario with hemodynamic parameters, I was then asked what I thought was going on and what should be done next. For example, one pt was obviously in cardiogenic shock so I had to identify that and state that he needed a pos inotrop such as dobutamine. Another pt was a trauma pt in hypovolemic shock but also needed a definitive airway. It was like running through a scenario in TNCC, ACLS or ATLS. I was also asked the normal hemodynamic parameters.

In another question I was given a set of vital signs. I was then asked how each gtt should be titrated if the pt was on it. She went through a list of the most common vasoactive gtts such as nipride, ntg, dopamine, dobutamine, epi, levo and maybe a few more. I did not have to give specific amounts of the drug, I just had to state whether the drug should be titrated up or down.

There was a question about finding a pt down (An ACLS/ABC question).

I also had to describe the most challenging pt I ever took care of and expalin why. There were also clinical questions that were more "nursing" oriented and less technical ICU such as conflict resolution, 'you find a coworker stealing..what would you do' questions (I usually have a harder time with the 'nursey-nurse' questions than the more technical ICU questions).

I hope this helps. You can PM me if you want more specific details.

i had 2 major interviews - the first was for acceptance to the program in which i interviewed w/ 7-8 men who were on the "board" for the anesthesia program 1/2 were CRNA's the rest MD's

the second was at a clinical site - i had a choice of 5 sites - had to pick a first and second choice and interview w/ both

i was never asked one clinical question - all personal - do you know what you are getting into, tell us about your support system, do you plan on working.....etc.

Unfortunately, I've only had one interview for anesthesia school to contribute. I don't think it was too stressful beyond the stress I placed on myself. I was asked to tell the places I have worked, experiences and to describe a recent "heavy" patient. Then, based on the gtts I said I commonly used on the application and the patient I described, they gave a few clinical questions to see how thoroughly I knew them. I didn't feel they asked anything beyond what an ICU nurse should know.

They didn't intentionally try to make the interview intimidating or stressful, it was just the importance that I put on it.

The only thing I would suggest is study the drips, obtain the CCRN, or at least study for it (lots of good information), and try your best to remain under control. They know you are stressed. i think they just want to see how well you can think/conduct yourself under stress.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

P.S. I got in, so it is do-able.

B

Just a curiousity question....did you all get an invitation to interview before the deadline or after. Also, i talked to the program director of the school which i have my heart set on, and she invited me to come meet "with us". So, its not a formal interview, but im going to treat it as such. Anyone else meet with the director BEFORE the formal interview, wierd? Thank you ahead for the input, its so nice to see other "obsessed" people who can't get the fire out of their belly to become a crna!!

I did meet with the director of the school in Chattanooga months before I even turned in my application. I met him, with transcripts in hand, to learn about the program to see how I liked it and see his response to me. He was very accomodating. He patiently looked through my transcripts and pointed out the potential problem areas. We talked at length about my work experiences - which after 10 years have been extensive. And we talked about anything I have done to ensure that anesthesia was the path for me.

He didn't ask many clinical questions. I asked him about this and he said that he could tell from our discussion a lot about my clinical abilities.

In the end, he advised a couple things to make my application look more attractive - obtain the CCRN, and round with SRNAs in the program (since they are voting members).

All in all, he was very accomodating and I very, very, very highly recommend forming a relationship with the people in charge. It lets them know how bad you want this education.

The biggest advice I can say is, if you meet with them and they recommend the CCRN, get it. If they recommend clinical rounds with a student, do it. If they recommend living in a hut in the rainforest for the next 6 months, do it. And keep them informed each step of the way. At the very least they might let you in to quit having you pester them.

Hope this helps.

B

what should my reason for the second interview be?? Can I ask to relooked at and possibly review my application ? I have emailed to ask and am waiting reply.. wish me luck..

:confused:

AnesthesiaBound, I have my camping gear and my rainforest tickets in hand:chuckle

Pleasetakeme, if i were you, i would cut out the email bizness. I emailed my director and my responses were so "standardized" in their reply....so i called and it was much more personable. JUST CALL them, get in their face...assertively, NOT aggressively. They need to know you mean business!! Like anesthesiabound said, they may just let you in to stop pestering them....that's my last resort, but im not to afraid to use that tactic:devil:

Has anyone else recieved notice of a formal interview BEFORE the application deadline. Just wondering impatiently....unforunately, patience is not one of my virtues when it comes to this sort of thing.