How do I answer "what is your nursing plan of care" on a clinical based question?

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

So, at my last new grad interview, I was asked a few clinical based questions which, honestly, I was not expecting and I got stumped on simply because I have not reviewed anything within the past few months aside from what I was studying for in NCLEX. I was badly thrown off and was basically stumped and had the wing it...pretty badly I think (you know, the nervousness of the job interview, being a new grad, haven't been on the floor in months). One of the questions asked was something along these lines..."You are coming onto the shift and taking care of an elderly patient that came in for pneumonia, what do you expect the physician to order and what is your nursing plan of care?" They told me that they were not expecting a full on experienced answer because I'm a new grad but they wanted to see my thought process.

So, my question is, in what order and how should I be answering a question like "what is your nursing plan of care?" When I think about it now, I should be going along ADPIE. I remember I just got just stuck on assessment (vitals, pulse ox, listening to lung sounds) a. Part of the question was "what do you expect the physician to order" and all I could think of was chest x-ray and antibiotics. Then, that was it. I couldn't think of anything else to say. I guess I'm basically asking for someone to give me a full, good answer to that question.

I have another interview at the same hospital but different floor so I'm expecting clinical based questions again.

[enuf_already]

C'mon new nurse. You can do this! Your granny is in this bed and she is counting on you to make her feel better. What do people who have pneumonia usually look like? What might the doctor order to help them recover? What can you do to make sure they are not getting worse and are also making progress?

How are you going to help granny to breathe comfortably and not succumb to her pneumonia?

What do you think your priorities should be for granny and why?

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Like enuf_already said, you got this.

Think back to those endless care plans you had to do in school for an answer to your nursing plan of care. I'm sure you must have run into someone with a dx of pneumonia or something similar. What were your interventions?

Orders for PNA:

labs

repeat CXR

abx

O2

I'm sure you can think of more MD orders.

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

Thanks guys, the more I sit and think about it (even though I don't want to because of all the things I SHOULD have said but didn't which makes me feel like crap), there are a lot of simple things I missed such as keeping the HoB at 30 degrees or more, encouraging lots of fluids, and possible suction equipment. Maybe turning, coughing, and deep breathing to get rid of those excretions? Probably should have mentioned referring to the charge nurse (going up the chain of command) as a resource. Definitely O2 and breathing treatments/

Going through my med-surge book right now. Ugh, so frustrating how unprepared and how badly I need to review in general.

[Lainee]

I think those answers are good for a new grad. Always make the patient the priority.