New Grad Interview for ICU

Hi everyone!

I'm a very recent new grad (just passed NCLEX this past Tuesday!) and was just offered an interview for an ICU position at a smaller hospital on Wednesday. Is there anything specific I should know heading into the interview? Any specific medications or procedures? Anything that can help me stand out above other applicants? I feel pretty decent in regard to my resume - I have my BLS, ACLS, PALS, NIHSS, and have completed an externship in the ICU last Summer. I also currently work as a CNA, an Acute Care RN Extender, and Nurse Extern at three different hospitals (I took up the last two positions in an effort to help with the COVID-19 surge).

I'm super nervous! Thank you in advance!

[newnursenurse]

Hello, new grad nurse here as well! Did you go through your interview yet? How was it?

[tinysnailRN, BSN, RN]

21 hours ago, newnursenurse said:

Hello, new grad nurse here as well! Did you go through your interview yet? How was it?

Hi, yes I did! To be honest, it was quite different than what I was expecting - in a good way! They asked me more behavioral questions and a few questions about customer service, teamwork, etc. It kinda caught me off guard but I was super excited to answer because I have 3 years of experience working in food service and I also have experience as a CNA, RN Extender, and Student Nurse Extern to pull some answers from! The interviewer then briefly explained what the position duties entailed and a quick run-through of the ICU environment. At this hospital, I was also going to be cross-trained in the ED and Med/Surg/Tele (which is what I want!) The next day they called me to offer me a position in their ICU ?

Edited Sep 9, 2020 by sonida

[newnursenurse]

20 hours ago, sonida said:

Hi, yes I did! To be honest, it was quite different than what I was expecting - in a good way! They asked me more behavioral questions and a few questions about customer service, teamwork, etc. It kinda caught me off guard but I was super excited to answer because I have 3 years of experience working in food service and I also have experience as a CNA, RN Extender, and Student Nurse Extern to pull some answers from! The interviewer then briefly explained what the position duties entailed and a quick run-through of the ICU environment. At this hospital, I was also going to be cross-trained in the ED and Med/Surg/Tele (which is what I want!) The next day they called me to offer me a position in their ICU ?

Oh wow! That sounds so great! Genuinely so happy for you, congratulations!! I'm currently still applying for positions and haven't heard back yet.

[GoldfarbNurse2021]

I am applying for Graduate Nurse Neuro ICU position. My interview on 12/21 is with the manager and two assistant managers. What kind of questions should I prepare to answer during my interview? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance! @sonida

[rileyjw90, RN]

On 12/11/2020 at 3:25 PM, GoldfarbNurse2021 said:

I am applying for Graduate Nurse Neuro ICU position. My interview on 12/21 is with the manager and two assistant managers. What kind of questions should I prepare to answer during my interview? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance! @sonida

Digging this month old thread up to ask how your interview went. Interviewing in a couple weeks for an ICU nursing fellowship for new grads and also looking for tips!

[GoldfarbNurse2021]

1 minute ago, rileyjw90 said:

Digging this month old thread up to ask how your interview went. Interviewing in a couple weeks for an ICU nursing fellowship for new grads and also looking for tips!

@rileyjw90 awesome! Congrats on getting an interview - sometimes that's half the battle. I looked up a bunch of Youtube videos of people who shared the questions and answers during their ICU interview. I included the Youtube video that helped me the most in this post. Another thing that helped me was creating a Google doc and writing out my answers. A lot of interviews are being done over the phone right now, so it was kind of helpful if I felt off guard with a question I wasn't expecting. I got the job offer within an hour of interviewing, but I turned it down because I want to end up in the Operation Room in a pediatric hospital. I got a job offer that aligned more with my goal. Good luck! You totally got this ?