NEED HELP!! UCLA interview..

[blee1]

Hey guys, I know this is gonna sound dumb, but I have an interview with UCLA medical center next week and Im freaking out. The reason is because Ive never really had a formal interview before and Im not sure what to expect. What should I wear? What type of questions will they ask (this is for their new-grad internship program)? Help me please!!!

[tkhayman]

Hi,

The best thing is to dress professional no jeans cos those are frowned upon. What speciality is it for? There will be questions that relate for how to care for a patient and the steps. For ex: admitting pt with pneumonia what would you do? How do you get along with other people? What are you strengths and weaknessess? Why do you want to work in this dept? Why did you become a nurse?

Those are some questions i can think of for now. I hope this helps.

[blee1]

This is for their CV/CTICU. Im a new grad, do you think theyll ask me clinical questions? Should I wear slacks, shirt, and tie? or do I need a suit?

I am by far not intimidated by the ICU, and I am confident in my abilities to provide quality and competent pt care. Its just the interview thats stressing me out.

[carol72]

In my opinion wear a suit & don't wear any "loud" nailpolish. I would go on the traditional side (if you know what I mean).

[blee1]

Sorry, shouldve made myself more clear, Im a dude.

[YoungWiseWoman]

Sorry, shouldve made myself more clear, Im a dude.

LOL...yeah blee I saw the shirt and tie post, and then I saw the nailpolish post. I was like oh he is a dude.

Here's my : I think you should wear a suit, because you never want to under dress for an interview. A suit and tie is business, where a shirt and tie is more business casual. They usually ask questions about strengths and weakness and scenerio questions like: if you worked with a nurse who wasn't pulling his/her own weight what would you do OR how do you overcome difficult situations, etc. If they ask you about your weaknesses don't say something negative like "I never finish what I start" or "I'm always late." Say something that can be turned into a positive like "sometimes I'm just too organized" or "I'm a perfectionist." I would also look up things on the hospital's website about the culture, the mission statement, etc. Not to memorize information, but to get yourself familiar.

I also would suggest going to the bookstore and reading a book on interviewing. They have good techniques and I think there are some books that have sample interview questions categorized by career.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! I am interested in UCLA so let me know what you think.

Ketcia

[blee1]

hah, thanks ketcia. blaaah, im so nervous, ill let you guys know how it went. any other questions they might ask??

thanks for all your reply.

[kikay01]

I've never interviewed for UCLA but I recently went to interviews for Stanford's Intermediate ICU and Kaiser's ICU. Stanford's was one on one with the unit manager and was fairly laidback. Kaiser had a panel interview with three nurse managers. They asked situational questions, such as "describe a situation where you saw a co-worker doing something unethical and what you did to handle it", "why did you decide to be a nurse", "describe a situation in which you provided your best 'customer service' for a patient", "what/how can you contribute to our organization?", and "give an example of how you've gone 'above and beyond' for a patient?". In my opinion it's best to be overdressed as opposed to under dressed, so wearing a suit would be ideal. Also, regarding the "what's you strengths/weaknesses" question, I've heard that using "I'm a perfectionist" is a no-no as it's been overused. Just give an example of a weakness and present it as something you've recognized and give examples of how you have addressed it. Good luck!

[huladancer, ADN, BSN, MSN]

Good luck on your interview! My friend interviwed with UCLA last year and got hired. They did ask her some clinical questions, but she said it wasn't anything too difficult. For example, "what would you do if you saw a pt had difficulty breathing?" or "a pt just cam back from surgery, what would you be concerned about?" "how would you deal with a difficult family member?'... i can't remember what else they asked her. Hope this helps.

[blee1]

thanks! you from hawaii by chance?

[blee1]

i got the job!! cheeeeee!!! and theyre opening a brand new hospital right after i start next summer, cant wait!!!!!

[BeccaznRN, RN]

Congrats! I will be starting on the CTICU unit at UCLA after graduation, so I'll look forward to seeing you there!