First nursing interview

[Scarlettz, BSN, RN]

I am going to have my first nursing interview soon. This is the first place to call me back (and I am so grateful! It's very hard to find jobs around here.) I really would just love to hear any tips that you would like to offer regarding:

-Questions that may be asked during the interview

-Questions that I should ask (especially for a LTC/SNF facility)

-What I should wear (even little things...Are small purses acceptable? Should I not have a purse?, Should I carry a portfolio of letter references if I can obtain them?

-Anything you would like to tell me about working in an LTC facility: skills used, what your day is like, management style questions, etc. This will help me formulate questions and/or answers for the interview.

-Anything else you would like to add

Also, I have never worked in the healthcare field before. My only experience is from my clinical. My background includes 6 years of retail experience and 3 years of babysitting. I have my associates in nursing, I am starting an RN to BSN program this fall, and I have a bachelor of arts in psychology degree. I've added this information incase you have any advice on how (or if) I should incorporate this in the interview.

Thank you!!

[mdgale]

having worked in ltc as a manager anddepartment head for many years, and now as a consultant, these are validquestions. when i interview a candidatei usually make up my mind within the first few minutes if i will hire theprospective person or not. firstimpressions truly are everything.

1. dress to impress. simple,professional, period. a small purse isacceptable.

2. come with your references in hand, printed on a decent weighted paper.

3. come to your interview early.

4. smile, greet and shake your interviewer’s hand.

5. ask for a tour of the facility and for the opportunity to "interview" current staff.

6. be a go getter.

7. ask yourself, if you are willing to work variedshifts. director’s of nursing needpersons who are willing to work where needed and when needed. i am not saying allow yourself to be abusedbut give the air of a true team player.

8. do not count your other life experiences out. everything in life is nursing. as a babysitter how did you handle criticalsituations? once as a nursery attendantat church i had a baby choke. iimmediately turned ht infant over and began back blows. what about customer service? have you ever dealt with a disgruntled familymember during your babysitting?

9. really pull in your psychology degree andtraining. nursing and psychology, theyreally go hand in hand.

10. let’s talk about retail. i recently helped my step-daughter get her 1^stnursing job as a new rn in a ltc facility. she said, “but i’ve never even worked as a nurse aide before. all i’ve done is radio shack.” i reminded her that even as nurses what we doeveryday is customer service. you willuse those skills to communicate with your patients, families, outside vendors, andnurse aides. bring your retailexperience into your resume and incorporate that into how you can handledifficult situations, customers, aka families, doctors, fellow employees, etc.

i could write a book on ltc nursing. this may not answer all of your questions buti hope it gives you a good start.

best wishes and please post how your interview goes.

:yelclap:

m. gale, rn, msn, rac-ct

[Scarlettz, BSN, RN]

Thank you- what a great response! I will keep you posted.

[a16sRN]

I don't know if you already had your interview, but I interviewed for an RN position on SNF and the interview process was pretty easy. One of the interviews barely asked any questions, but just explained how things worked in their facility. The other interview asked about how I got into nursing, if I would feel comfortable supervising/delegating, etc. - only basic questions. I dressed business casual. One of the places asked to copy my RN license and drivers license. For references, both of the places had me fill out a paper application and they have their own reference sheet to fill out, but if you want you can bring reference letters - doesn't hurt. Good luck.