Interviewing with University Hospital in Cleveland, OH

TinFL · May 12, 2011

First go to the site and learn about the hospital,(are they magnet), what is their on going research, mission statement (this on is huge) read it, memorize it, apply it to the questions they give you. You should expect the general "tell us about yourself, do you have any weakness, how do you feeling about working with this population". When I interview for my job, they were just awarded one of the top 50 best hospitals in the U.S and I went to their site and found out the person interviewing me (the unit manager), was one of the first nurses to graduate from the new DNP program at our local university. So of course I congratulated her for her achievement and talked how it was important to me to work for a hospital that values nurse and seeing that they are Magnet recognized, assured me they are. Rememeber, it's also an interview for them too. Ask questions! Opportunities, pay raises, nurse turn over rates. They want to know you have done your research on them too! Be passionate, tell the truth and you'll get it!

studnurse12 · May 14, 2011

Yes, definitely look up their mission and think about how you can apply that in practice. I'm a nursing student going into senior year and I applied for a nurse tech position there (and got it!) and had a phone interview and an actual interview with them. That was one of their questions. They asked really similar questions in both interviews. Like the person said above, get to know the hospital. They want to see that you care enough to do some research. Be honest, too. I just looked into what UH was all about, current projects, and what they offer and I even told them during the interview that I don't have any personal experiences with them. They'll ask you for examples from clinical and classes, too, so try to think of some standout moments that are good examples of your character as a nurse, coworker, and person. Think of things you could have done better and how, too. Good luck!

birdie22 · May 15, 2011

First, you really arent an "old" new grad yet. I graduated in Spring 2010, and was just hired at a hospital. So, dont sell yourself short.

Regarding an interview, common questions like "tell a time when you experienced conflict with a coworker" and "name a time when you advocated for a patient" are often asked. They usually dont care what the specific example is, but rather how you handle the situation. As others have mentioned, I also had to relate some answers to the mission statement.

What floor are you interviewing on? Just have plenty of examples to relate to the position you are interviewing. Oh, and bring copies of your resume and references if you have them. GOOD LUCK!

tana_sou · May 16, 2011

THANKS for all of the advice!! I'll take them all in great consideration in preparing for my interview. I've already memorized the mission statement and looked into the vision and standards of the hospital. I suppose I just have to recall some of my clinical experiences so I'll be bettered prepared to apply my experiences to the questions.

@Birdie22 I'm interviewing for the Ortho unit at Richmond Medical Center. Are you currently employed with UH? If so, how does the hiring process work? Will there be another interview after this? I'm just curious how that all works.

@studnurse12 I have the same question for you, how did your hiring process work for you?

birdie22 · May 16, 2011

I started a couple weeks ago at UH. After my telephone interview, I was scheduled to interview with my nurse manager. She told me that they would be making a decision in the next week. So, about a week later, they emailed me saying they were going to do a background check. Then, about a week after that, they called and offered me the job. So all total, it took about two and a half weeks. A good question to ask whoever you are interviewing with is when a decision will be made.

RN_2016 · Jul 21, 2016

I started a couple weeks ago at UH. After my telephone interview, I was scheduled to interview with my nurse manager. She told me that they would be making a decision in the next week. So, about a week later, they emailed me saying they were going to do a background check. Then, about a week after that, they called and offered me the job. So all total, it took about two and a half weeks. A good question to ask whoever you are interviewing with is when a decision will be made.

Hello birdie22!

How was your UH experience? Did you start as a new grad nurse?

I'd appreciate any feedback!

Thank You!

birdie22 · Jul 21, 2016

Hi! Yes, I started at UH as a new grad. I absolutely looooveeeee UH!! It really is a great place to work and care for patients. When I started, there was a nurse residency program. You got together with the same group of new nurses about once a month for the first year and just talked about your trials and tribulations. I really liked it because you get to connect with other new grads from other floors and see how their experiences were relative to your own. I heard they changed the program up a bit since I was in it, so I'm not really sure exactly how it is currently run. The orientation process is a little bit different depending on what floor you're on (ICU, med-surg, L&D, etc). If you are from Cleveland, I'm sure you're aware of the UH vs CCF "rivalry". There is no right or wrong choice, its just what culture and team you feel more comfortable working for. I love UH because they give 100% quality care for every patient, every single time. There is no turning away any patient because of insurance issues, etc. What can I say, I'm obviously bias. Feel free to PM if you want to more details about my own experience. Happy to help!

birdie22 · Jul 21, 2016

Hello birdie22!
How was your UH experience? Did you start as a new grad nurse?
I'd appreciate any feedback!
Thank You!

Hi! Yes, I started at UH as a new grad. I absolutely looooveeeee UH!! It really is a great place to work and care for patients. When I started, there was a nurse residency program. You got together with the same group of new nurses about once a month for the first year and just talked about your trials and tribulations. I really liked it because you get to connect with other new grads from other floors and see how their experiences were relative to your own. I heard they changed the program up a bit since I was in it, so I'm not really sure exactly how it is currently run. The orientation process is a little bit different depending on what floor you're on (ICU, med-surg, L&D, etc). If you are from Cleveland, I'm sure you're aware of the UH vs CCF "rivalry". There is no right or wrong choice, its just what culture and team you feel more comfortable working for. I love UH because they give 100% quality care for every patient, every single time. There is no turning away any patient because of insurance issues, etc. What can I say, I'm obviously bias. Feel free to PM if you want to more details about my own experience. Happy to help!

RN_2016 · Jul 21, 2016

Hi! Yes, I started at UH as a new grad. I absolutely looooveeeee UH!! It really is a great place to work and care for patients. When I started, there was a nurse residency program. You got together with the same group of new nurses about once a month for the first year and just talked about your trials and tribulations. I really liked it because you get to connect with other new grads from other floors and see how their experiences were relative to your own. I heard they changed the program up a bit since I was in it, so I'm not really sure exactly how it is currently run. The orientation process is a little bit different depending on what floor you're on (ICU, med-surg, L&D, etc). If you are from Cleveland, I'm sure you're aware of the UH vs CCF "rivalry". There is no right or wrong choice, its just what culture and team you feel more comfortable working for. I love UH because they give 100% quality care for every patient, every single time. There is no turning away any patient because of insurance issues, etc. What can I say, I'm obviously bias. Feel free to PM if you want to more details about my own experience. Happy to help!

This helps so much! I can't say thank you enough!

I am not from the area but I have heard of the big three hospitals over there.

I have a phone interview soon and i do hope there is an available spot for me at the Rainbow Babies Children's Hospital. Do you know by chance how is their New grad support to nurses at the Children's Hospital or any feedback from nurses who work at Children's? I am also interested to know your timeline after you received the offer.

I am a new member here on allnurses and the private messaging feature isn't available yet for me. hehe i sure will PM you soon as I get that private messaging feature in my account :>

birdie22 · Jul 21, 2016

I'm not very familiar with Rainbow's new grad process is. However, the few nurses I do know who work there love it. I started at UH over 5 years ago, so I'm a little rusty on my timeline but Id say it was about 4 weeks between my formal offer and my first day of orientation. When the recruiter calls and offers you the job, they let you know when the next on-boarding dates are and you pick from them. They are usually every 2 weeks or so. I imagine this process is pretty typical elsewhere as well. Good luck!

RN_2016 · Jul 22, 2016

Thank you so much for the response, birdie22! You're the best!!