ICU interview

Describe a time you made a error, what you did about it, and how it changed your practice.

Describe a challenging encounter with a physician, how did you handle it, and how did it affect your relationship with the physician?

Oh, I've got dozens of 'em. Real life interview questions!

I would be prepared for question about relationships with MD's. Talk about your willingness to learn the drips, mention something with emotionally supporting families going through something tough and providing education to them about disease processes. Your critical thinking skills need to be on point for ICU nursing, talk about how you are excited to develop those skills. If you are a detailed person, mention that.. because you'll be working closely on 1-2 patients, paying close attention to every single aspect of their care. Good luck - I love critical care!

Hey...I got the job! :)

Congratulations on your new job!!

I realize I'm a little late here, but still wanted to share this horror story for any others who want to know what terror looks like.

I was a few months shy of graduating from nursing school and interviewing for my dream job in the ICU of a hospital I loved from my clinical rotations. There were virtually none of the standard interview questions - just a scenario. A scenario I am pretty sure had no right answer. It just kept going. A no-win situation.

What would you do with a patient who did this.....that didn't work. That was normal. There was no improvement after you did that. Etc. It covered everything from the direct patient care, how and when you call for orders from a MD, how you deal with family members, how you prioritize urgent interruptions to the 'primary crisis' and on.

It. Was. Terrifying.

But I got the job. :) And if I were ever to interview a nurse someday, maybe I might borrow that tactic. Hehe.