So, this thread may belong in the 'Nursing Interview' section, but I'm hoping that it will get more traffic from experienced nurses here (as opposed to terrified new grads looking for help).
What's the funniest, weirdest, or wildest thing you've heard during a nursing interview, either from an interviewer or an interviewee?
Here's mine: At the end of the interview, the interviewer always asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" I usually ask, "What is your unit's greatest strength, and is there anything that you're trying to improve on?" It's basically the strengths and weaknesses question; the way that managers respond to the weaknesses element is very telling. As a weakness, one manager looked at me and said point-blank, "Well, we have a lot of drama on this unit." I must have looked dumbfounded because she clarified by adding, "You know, like, cattiness." When I asked if they were doing anything about it, her response was simply, "No."
...Thank you for your honesty, and I'd like to respectfully remove myself from the applicant pool.
I was once giving an applicant a tour of my unit. She got a funny look on her face and looked down. As I looked down too, I saw that her half slip had fallen down around her ankles. It was the first (and last) time a candidate's underwear had ever come off during one of my interviews.
"I was the interviewer, interviewing a RN. The lady was middle aged, very polite, professional and was very classy looking in her skirt. I offered to give her a tour of the facility mid interview. She stood up and her slip immediately fell all the way to the ground - pooling around her ankles. Quicker than a blink of an eye she grabbed her slip, threw it in her purse and said "Yea, me! My weight loss plan is working good" and was ready to go on with the tour. She never missed a beat and the entire thing didn't seem to fluster her at all.
What a way to prove you can handle pressure! I hired her that day." NASCAR Nurse
Not everyone knows AIDET. I only do because I like Studer. That's an odd question. :/
When you were applying for an transfer within the same hospital I would think you would know LOL. She worked in a different department, and we had all been educated on the subject to the point of overkill at this point. It had been literally shoved down your throat LOL
My manager asked how a candidate used AIDET at her current position. Candidate response: "I don't have time for AIDET". She was not hired.
While many of the students I graduated with were vying for the new grad residency a few of us landed, one particularly arrogant person answered, "what number letter is the letter 'm'?" with, "I don't like riddles." My HR contact person told me that that student was guaranteed a slot, but after that, she was not hired.
Specializes in Post Acute, Home, Inpatient, Hospice/Pall Care.
Not everyone knows AIDET. I only do because I like Studer. That's an odd question. :/
No idea what AIDET is, I read it really fast and did a double take because I saw A DIET and that was funny with the answer I don't have time, lol! Now I may have to google it!
I was interviewing for a newly created position within our hospital system. The official title was "Breast Health Navigator". The vision the DON had for this program was multifaceted. She wanted me to work with the radiology dept. as they were bringing in digital mammography. She wanted us to reach out to the indigent and un/underinsured population and increase screening in our community. She wanted me to do education with patients coming in for biopsies and follow up with those who were positive for cancer diagnosis and help them navigate the health care system. It was a huge undertaking and it meant working closely with a lot of different departments so at my final interview (a formality), I met with a large panel--the DON, the oncology coordinator, the head of radiology, and 4 local oncologists and 2 surgeons. We're all gathered around before the formal interview begins. (I had worked closely with the oncologists & oncology coordinator for many years). The head of radiology, whom I had never met, comes up and introduces himself. "Hi! I'm Dave, the head of radiology. You must be the new breast lady." Stunned silence! Alrighty then. I don't know who was more embarrassed--him or me.
i got asked " how many times is acceptable to call out from work in a single year"
I replied with " well that depends...if its a monday or friday I am gonna be skeptical, if it is a thursday before a 3 day weekend im gonna say youre full of it...so umm twice in one year im gonna be less than pleased...infact there only to be late or miss work is if you are dead or in the act of dying in my honest opinion"
The interviewer then asked me (with a grin) how many days of work i had missed in my 12 year Navy career...i replied with " ONE, and i was on a board and collared because the paramedic took away my decision making privledges, yet i still managed to call my boss 1 hour before i was supposed to be at work, and i still went to work after my x-rays came back negative!"
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
And if she was offered the job, was she too embarrassed to take it?