Emergency Services Technician Interview --please help!!!

Bobmo88 · May 22, 2012

I work as an ER Tech and it has been almost 3 years since I interviewed for the position so it is quite hard for me to remember what questions she asked me. I remember the interview being more of a dialogue though. I have no idea what your manager's interviewing style is like but it would be a good idea to be prepared for questions such as:

Why do you think you are qualified for this position?

How do you learn tasks in which you are not familiar?

How do you deal with stress?

How well do you work with others?

Why are you interested in working in the Emergency Room?

She might also give you a situational question in which you need to prioritize such as " A nurse asks you to pick up fresh frozen plasma from the blood bank, another asks you to take vitals on their patients and then you hear overhead that a cardiac full arrest will arrive in less than 5 minutes, what do you do?"

They might ask you a question in which a patient and/or family member becomes increasingly combative and how would you respond to that situation or try to de-escalate it.

Make sure you actually answer the question and give an example that supports your answer. I used to be a volunteer in the very ER that I now work in and I incorporated as many experiences in my responses as possible. Be confident and don't be afraid to take a little time to gather your thoughts with your responses, just make sure to ask your interviewer to give you a moment to consider the question or even to repeat the question.

Some other tips:

Arrive there early

Dress professionally

Have some peers review your resume.

Have a copy of your resume just in case they don't have it and perhaps another copy in case someone else is present.

Bring a notepad and pen and ask your interviewer if you can take notes during the interview.

Do some research about the facility and your specific department. Are they a trauma, cardiac, and or stroke center? How many beds do they have? What is the hospital's mission statement, goal(s), and or values? Finding out this kind of information shows that you are actually serious about the position.

Look over the requirements of the position if they are provided and give examples of how well you would do them or what steps you would take to learn them. If they are not provided, ask about what exactly your duties will be.

Ask about how long your training will be and what it consists of.

Be confident in yourself and let your interview reflect that. Let it be known that you are assertive, responsible, and have a desire to learn. Show them that you are someone that they can depend on and someone that will be able to transition right away into the stressful, fast paced, and often chaotic environment of the ER as a new grad nurse. Good luck and I hope I was able to help you.

nursegirl333 · May 22, 2012

I'll be sure to prepare for those questions. Thanks so very much!! That is all really helpful information!

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · May 24, 2012

"what are your strengths and weaknessess"

make sure your weaknesses are something like "i tend to be a people pleaser" or things like that so its something that can be turned around easily

nursegirl333 · May 29, 2012

Thanks to both of you for your input! I got the job!!!!!!!! :) I'm soo very happy! My first day is June 25th. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do to prepare? Like which skills I should read over in my books or something? I really want to excel in this position! Or do you have any tips or suggestions for the job in general? Thanks again!! =D

Bobmo88 · Jun 2, 2012

Congrats! I don't know about reading anything to help you prepare for your first day but my advice would be don't get overwhelmed. Just try your best to take what you already know and apply it to the job. I'm assuming they will have somebody that will orient you to the department so just as many questions as possible and maybe even bring a pocket notebook with you so you can take notes. You will learn a lot working in the ER and some things you will just have to learn on the job by experiencing it. Let us know how everything goes!