New Grad interview experiences

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi,

I have heard from several classmates that hospitals/employers are trending toward asking scenario type questions during the employment interview process, and I was just wondering if any of you had this experience. If so, what type of questions were you asked? I find this interesting and would love to hear your interview stories.

Thanks!!

Jogi

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

Mine included:

Best patient experience

Worst patient/family experience

Tell about a time you had to show compassion when dealing with another cultural/religious belief

Tell about a time you saw something that was unethical (or not done right) and how did you deal with it (or "right" the wrong)

What did you like best about nursing school?

What did you like least about nursing school?

Tell about a time you had to deal with a difficult co-worker or boss and how did you handle it?

And on and on....those are the ones that come quickly to mind....

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You got lab back on your patient and Potassium was 2.5 what would you do next?

You came into your patient's room and they were complaining of chest pain what would you do?

You came on shift and you got report on 4 patients - 1. scheduled med is late 2. complaining of pain 3. their doctor is on the phone regarding potassium lab value of 2.5 4. complaining of chest pain what order to you go see them and why?

Your patient had abdominal surgery yesterday, what care do you anticipate for the day?

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Specializes in ED.

How do you handle a conflict with an employee?

Tell me about a difficult situation with a patient and how you handled it.

Tell me about a time when you were a leader.

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Specializes in Case management, hospice.

This was my killer...

"You have 2 patients in need of care, which would you see first?"

I said "the pt that was the least stable"

Her: "They are both exactly the same and critical."

Me: "they are both critical?, Then I would ask another nurse to assist me"

Her: "there is no one to assist you, which would you see first?"

Me: "Well, I would just have to do a quick assessment on each, and based on the pt hx I would see the more critical pt, no two pt are exactly the same at the same time."

Her: "OK"

Jeeeze, ***, how do you answer that question!!!! Seriously! :banghead:

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Mine for Mayo health system was "How would you land the patient if you are one of 3 providers competing for that patient"

My reaction "Mayo is about the dollars."

I wasn't offered a job.

I am 2/3 in other interviews for job offers.....

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I was hit with a couple med questions along the lines of "so tell me what is the half life of a common aminoglycoside?"

:no:........:o

Otherwise, it was common "so tell me about yourself" questions. Have not been hit yet with scenario questions.. thank god.

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Thanks for sharing! I am hoping to have an interview for an internship with a local hospital very soon. I am starting to panic and I am super worried about the interview questions I may be asked. I have been a stay-at-home mom for many years and have no experience with interviews. I'm so worried that I will get to the interview and freeze up or say something crazy because of the nerves. Or, even worse, not answer the scenario questions correctly! I graduated in May and at this moment in time, I feel as though I do not remember anything! I'm sure it has to do with my rattled nerves, but is it normal for a new grad to feel this way? I really want this internship. Any tips to help relieve my stress/anxiety is appreciated. It really helps to read about different interview experiences. Thanks for sharing.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

For many of these scenario questions, the point is not whether or not you "know the right answer," but whether or not you approach the problem in a reasonable way. For example ... you assess before you act ... you admit you need help and access your resources ... you will look up the answer in a book if necessary ... etc. They want to see how you will behave when you are put in a challenging situation. Do you try to "fake it" and possibly do something dangerous? Do you put the patient's needs ahead of your own ego? Are you to proud to ask for help? Can you identify your limitations? Do you approach problem-solving in a logical way? etc.

So ... take a deep breath and go about addressing the scenario in a way that is protects the patient and gets the problem solved. Don't panic because you can't spout off a simle answer. That's not the point.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

Here are some questions I was asked on interviews:

How do you react under stress in the workplace?

What coping mechanisms do you have in place to help you deal with stress?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Why do you want a job in this area?

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I was asked a bunch of priority questions, lots of cardiac scenarios...dealing with probs with other employees...someone you have advocated for...an hour and a half's worth, and didn't get the job....200 apps for 12 positions...it sucks in the bay area for new grads...the ones that got the jobs had some kind of prior experience.

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Specializes in PACU.

Man, I hope I don't get too many of the "tell me about a time when . . ." type questions at future interviews. I am having a hard time thinking of examples for those things sitting on my couch surfing this site. I got some of those at an interview for a non-nursing job when I was 18 and I just stared at the dude for a minute then said I could not recall any such situations, that the were stupid questions, and that I was leaving. The job would've been terrible, anyway.

At my first nursing interview there were several of the "how would you handle . . . " questions, which are fine, because they can be approached in a logical manner and don't require recollection of some obscure event in my dim history. For example, "how would you handle a conflict with a family member?" I said something to the effect of "I would first try to calmly determine where the conflict is coming from and see if there is some way to improve understanding to resolve it. I would listen to the family member's concerns without being judgmental and try to work out a mutually agreeable solution. If that could not be done, I would direct the family member up the chain of command." Maybe it's just the way my mind works, but I have a MUCH easier time answering hypothetical questions like that, even if they are more complicated.

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