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Discussion

Externship interview questions...help!

Hi friends,

I’m an S1 nursing student and I have an interview lined up for a Summer externship in Tulsa, OK, but I’m also waiting to hear back from UTK Medical Center, MD Anderson and some other places.

The last time I had an interview was in high school, so I’m really out of practice, and I’m not sure if externship questions are different from just nursing job interview questions. Pandemic stuff has also limited some of our clinical experience times, so it’s hard to come up with a bunch of unique examples.

Do I just try to prepare an answer for as many interview questions as I can come up with before the interview? Any advice helps! 

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    Sit down and write a list. Make it higher-level concepts than the low-hanging fruit of “I always knew I wanted to be a nurse to help people,” wanting to work a year in critical care or ER and then go to CRNA or NP school, and the other cliches. Seriously. Everybody’s going to say that. And as somebody who used to do those interviews I’m here to tell ya, they do, you could set your watch by it, LOL. Hint: most people will NOT do that.


    Do your homework. What interests you? How does that intersect with your chance to do a deeper dive into it at your target institution or unit? 
    Did you get fascinated by hematogenesis and want to see more about how pts with the various leukemias get care?
    When a new family starts in OB, what does nursing do to keep them interested in using the same hospital for their other health needs? Are there outreach programs the nurses are involved in? Could you do any of that?
    Since people are living longer in better health, are you interested in specializing in geriatrics to see what nursing can offer them for better quality of life? 
    Hospitals are becoming more attuned to doing wellness care and prevention for underserved or special needs populations, often in coordination with several departments or city programs. Are there clinics or other outreach programs you could be in?
    There are really amazing new technologies for people with spinal cord injuries- how does nursing fit into that?

    An externship can be CNA-level scut work but even there you can keep your eyes and ears open. 

    Have a serious talk c yourself about why you want to have this experience THERE. If you know yourself, you won’t have problems talking about yourself. 



     

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    Most interviewers ask behavioral questions - in other words, "tell me about a time when..." You can answer those with scenarios from clinical experience, from volunteering somewhere, pre-nursing jobs, from school projects - it doesn't all have to be direct patient care, because they know you don't have much experience at this point.  

    Have an answer prepared for: "tell me about yourself;" "biggest strengths and weaknesses;" and "where do you want to be in 5 years." Beyond those questions, most of the remaining questions will be situational - tell me about a time when you... had a disagreement with a coworker/peer; provided exceptional customer service; had lots of priorities and limited time; disagreed with a supervisor; made a mistake." 

    Lastly, they'll give you the opportunity to ask questions.  Your questions shouldn't all be focused on 'me, me, me.' Use that as an opportunity to show where your interests lie.  In other words, instead of asking how many weekends you'll have to work or when your first raise will be, ask about opportunities for advancement within the hospital - do they promote from within? Do they support nurses getting certified in their specialty? Are there ways for you to be involved in quality improvement? Ask your interviewers what they like best about working there. 

    Walk in the door with confidence and a smile. Keep that confidence and smile through the interview until you're back in the parking lot. And good luck!

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