How to prepare for scenario interview?

[citylights89, BSN, RN]

I searched the archives and couldn't really find what I was looking for there. Next Monday, I am having my second out of a possible three interviews for an internship at a major local hospital. They told me during the first interview that the last 2 interviews would be nursing scenario based. I also asked 2 classmates who were able to get on at the same program how did the second interview go. Pretty much, it's like a verbal NCLEX. My question is, how do you prepare for that type of questioning?

[amygarside]

Maybe what you can do is to brush up on the different nursing procedures that are being done. Then practice to be more confident when you answer the questions. Remain calm and avoid being nervous.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I would think about the process of problem-solving. Be prepared to talk about how you would go about solving a problem or deciding on an action.

For example: What would your priorities be in an emergency situation? (Circulation? Airway? Breathing? Calling for help? etc.)

What would do if you had an unfamiliar clinical situation? (Look something up in a resource manual, policy manual, etc.? Ask a colleague for advice? Make sure the patient is safe before you did anything else? etc.?)

How do you go about making routine decisions about common patient care situations? (Assess first? Diagnose? Plan? Intervene? Evaluate the effectiveness of your actions? etc.?)

How do you deal with interpersonal relationships with your co-workers, patient families, managers, etc. (Do you have any general principles that you tend to follow -- such as not gossiping ... or handling a potential problem by talking with the individual directly and early before the problem grows into a big problem ... etc.)

In other words: In many cases, the key part of the answer to a scenario question is your revealing how you would go about deciding on your actions. Do you panic? Do you throw proper procedure out the window? Do you use your resources appropriately? etc. You can't prepare for the actual scenarios as you don't know what they will be. But you CAN prepare to discuss you approaches you would use in any scenario. Have those common approaches (and words) in your head so that you can demostrate that you would use an appropriate approach to keep the patient safe and deliver the appropriate care -- even if you had to look something up or ask for some help in the process.

[citylights89, BSN, RN]

Yeah, I figured there wouldn't be a way to prepare for all the questions because I really won't know what they are going to ask. I know that I know this stuff; it's just a matter of not being nervous and letting the interviewer see that I know it, too. i wonder whould it be wise for me to look over some of my NCLEX material, just as a refresher for my basics? It would seem that the questions would be pretty basic, but you never know. In the heat of the moment, I don't want to flub.

[citylights89, BSN, RN]

Well, I guess the 2nd interview went fine because I was told to go to HR immediately after the interview to schedule the third one! Wow! So now I have only 2 days to prep as it's on Wednesday. Great googly moogly, I hope this is a good sign!

[swt potato]

Hi do you mind sharing the scenario questions you received if you still remember, I would like to practice.

Thanks!