Interview help - roleplay scenarios?

Bedside_Life RN · Oct 1, 2014

Safety! Safety! Safety! That is what they are looking for. When in doubt go to facility policy (this will never be wrong). I take that back, going by facility policy will never be wrong as long as it does not interfere with the scope, rules, and regulations set by the BON.

For or those who have asked me about interviewing I usually give them some topics or things to think about, such as the following:

You may be sitting with a couple of CSM's, a couple of RN's, and possibly a Nurse Aid. There may be more or less people than that. some will stay for the entire interview and some may not. They will all introduce themselves and their title and will give you a chance to say hi and introduce yourself. They will ask you why you want to work specifically for their unit. It's a good idea to mention a fact about the unit or the hospital like magnet recognition or their mission statement and goal.

Every person will ask you different questions. So be ready to answer things like:

- How are you going to benefit the floor.

- What is your dream nursing job.

- What have you struggled with in clinicals/work, and what did you do about it.

- Where do you expect to be in 5 years.

- What would you do if you did not agree with a policy or procedure, or you saw someone break these.

- What is an example of a time that you found yourself unable to manage your patient load and how did you handle it.

What would you do if you absolutely did not get along with a co-worker and were scheduled to work with them all of the time.

- When was a time that you found yourself in a situation where cultural diversity caused an issue in your care and how do you handle that.

- When is a time that a family member or members have put you in a bad situation and how did you handle it.

- What do you believe is your biggest life achievement.

- How would you handle a situation when a task that you delegated or another nurse's task was not completed correctly, or not at all, and it continually happened even after addressing them.

- What made you decide to become a nurse.

- When is a time that you fell behind and how did you handle it.

- What would you do if the shift before you continually set your shift up for failure, and would you try to pick up the slack. or.........?

- How would you deal with the stress of getting into a situation that you felt out of control and just could not handle it, while at work.

- When is a time that you feel that you have went above and beyond, and what does that mean to you.

- What would you do if you had to complete a procedure and did not know how to do it.

What would you do if the shift before you continually set your shift up for failure, and would you try to pick up the slack. or.........?

- How would you deal with the stress of getting into a situation that you felt out of control and just could not handle it, while at work.

- When is a time that you feel that you have went above and beyond, and what does that mean to you.

- What would you do if you had to complete a procedure and did not know how to do it.

- There will be delegation questions, safety questions, priority questions, and culture questions

Remember, TEAMWORK, PATIENT SAFETY, and EFFECTIVE communication are always good things to include. Look at everyone at the table when you are talking. Make eye contact and smile. Include how important every team member is and how they should be respected. Don't forget to show them that you are not a nursing robot and have a good personality. They are looking for a good nurse but also the best fit for their "family" haha. Good Luck!