new grad bad interview

[rn_yogi]

Has anyone been asked clinical questions in an interview they couldn't answer? how did you overcome this? could you overcome this?

it's the new grad dilemma. you can't find work and get experience and the longer you are out of school the further removed you are from nursing and all of the knowledge you acquired. I have to work in a non-nursing/healthcare field right now just to pay my bills. I'm not in an environment that's keeping me fresh and updated so I'm forgetting so much. How can I overcome this? I feel like an idiot going into interviews (I've only had 3) where I can't answer clinical questions.

[ExpatHopeful, LPN, LVN]

what sort of questions have you been asked?

I was only asked general questions asking me to a recall a time when I had interacted with a patient whose condition changed/was from a different culture/was angry about their care etc. To prepare for these questions I gathered up my nursing care plans from school and my clinical journal entries and reread them. It helped me to be able to recall specific instances that I could talk about in my interview. For example I could say 'on this clinical I cared for a patient who was being weaned from his tracheostomy and was having thick secretions. This is what I did for him and what I was looking for during my assessments' or whatever.

I definitely sympathize with you - it must be tough forgetting the little details that come to mind so easily when you are fresh out of school.

[EDnursetobe]

not sure I can help,

but someone once told me if you don't know the answer to a question during a nursing interview, always go back to the nursing process. So like start with "well first I would assess...." and then follow the process

Not sure if that's helpful but that's what I was told...