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Discussion

New Grad RN program specific scenario interview questions

I recently got turned down in an RN new grad program due to freezing up on a couple of questions. It was on a med-surg floor and they gave me two scenarios where I had to read the question (think like a normal nursing school test question) and had to explain them what the patient was presenting and what would I do as a nurse.

Needless to say, I froze up because I didn't expect anything like that. I prepared myself with the "typical" nurse interview questions. They basically wanted me to say things like what the expected Dx would be, what labs would I expect, what would my priority assessment/actions would be, what diagnostic tests, what medicines would I expect the Dr. to order... all that jazz. I answered the questions, but only after they "walked" me through. I left the interview feeling defeated and knew I did horribly. Of course I didn't get the job.

Has anyone else experienced questions like that before? Any advice for how I can prepare for another interview? I may possibly have another interview soon, but my previous experience makes me nervous. I feel like there is no real way to prepare yourself for questions like that other than really know your nursing stuff.

Any advice at all would be appreciated!

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    Well, you could prepare yourself with knowing the answers to common med-surg scenarios- maybe pick some major disease processes (hyper/hypoglycemia, COPD, GI bleed, and chest pain, to name a few) and brush up on what to do.

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    never had an interview like that and I think it should have been handled differently to allow you some time to think. However, you did learn to be ready for just about anything.

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    whoa that sounds intense! Definitely find out what type of patients the unit gets (ask the HR rep or look on their website) and find out what their specialty is (renal, respiratory, cardio) then prep yourself " patient presents with decreased BS at the bases, you see retractions and hear wheezing - know to sit them up, administered neb treatment, put on 2 liters, etc.

    Every interview is different! Maybe that wasn't the place for you. But your resume must be great if you are getting interviews!

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    Wow I would have felt completely side swiped getting a question like that! I'm sure you did your best given the situation and I would think this is not a common practice for interviewing new grads. I feel the more distance between graduating from school and obtaining a job puts us at a disadvantage of forgetting a lot of material. I plan on putting most of my energy in applying to jobs and preparing for the interview. I know it would be a good idea to review content until I secure a position, but its hard to motivate yourself when you don't have a way to apply the information. (and especially hard for hands on learners like myself). Thanks for posting this. I agree that trying to find out what the floor specializes in or the types of patients most often treated would maybe help you prepare for something like this.

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    Hi! I just had this experienced and came across your post. Did you happen to find something that helped you better prepare for scenario questions and future interviews?

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