new grad OB interview

[yolo83]

Hello fellow nurses,

I have a peer panel interview tomorrow for labor and delivery and I'm a bit nervous. I applied for the job back in March and the manager called me for a phone interview. It went well and she told me to contact her once I passed boards. She called me the day after I took them and I had an interview and shadow the following week. I am praying I land this job just wondering what types of questions my fellow OB nurses would ask me. thank you in advance

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I am not an OB nurse, nor have I ever aspired to be one. I'm an ICU nurse of several decades duration. BUT new grad interviews are pretty much the same everywhere. Be prepared to explain over and over -- in varying ways -- why you want to be an OB nurse and why THIS unit or THIS hospital. Try to be friendly, emphasize your ability to work well with others and your dependability as an employee. To quote my manager, "We just want to hire someone that everyone wants to work with -- we can train them to take care of our patients."

Best of luck in your interviews!

[klone, MSN, RN]

Absolutely second everything Ruby Vee said. As a new grad, they're not going to expect you to have any technical knowledge. But they will want to suss out your personality, reliability, ability to work well with others, ability to be assertive, etc.

[hmf0006]

I just accepted a position in Labor and Delivery as a new grad (yay!). I also had a panel interview in which they asked me as series of situational types of questions. I was prepared but was not asked any nursing knowledge questions. What questions I remember being asked were:

• Tell me about yourself.
  
• Why do you want to be a nurse.
  
• Why do you want to work at this hospital.
  
• Tell me about a time you experienced a conflict and the outcome.
  
• Tell me about about a time you had a difficult patient.
  
• Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
  
• Tell me about a manager you liked and why.
  
• What do you like about Labor and Delivery?
  

I also put together a packet with my cover letter, resume, recommendation letter, and copies of my licenses/certification. Other than that we just discussed my certifications and the activities I was a part of on my resume. Just reflect on your clinical experiences (a conflict, your best day, etc.) and have a bank to pull from and be confident! I'm sure you'll do great!

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

A strategy that has worked well for me for various interviews I've had over the years is to do some research about the facility. Look up the mission statement and core values (or whatever this institution calls them). See if the unit has any special certifications, has won awards/ recognition relevant to the specialty or offers any special programs for it's patients. Think about how you personally align with or have particular interest in anything you came across during your research.

This is how I selected to apply for my current employer. And now I feel like I'm a good "fit" with this employer, which is beneficial for the employer as well as myself.

Side note about panel interviews - they are more about the team assessing whether you would be an asset to their team. Beyond the basics learned in school, much of the learning for a speciality and a unit occurs on the unit. What they are likely looking for is a positive attitude, strong positive character attributes, a willingness to learn and good basic critical thinking skills.

Good luck!