Northwestern Memorial Hospital Interview

netglow, ASN, RN · Sep 11, 2012

Huh. Interesting. Northwestern announced layoffs very recently.

pullingallnighter · Sep 15, 2012

They do hire new grads in ICU, at least in the medical ICU. The phone interview is usually just a screening interview. I had two phone interviews and then had an in person interview with the nursing managers. For the second phone interview, just be prepared to answer typical interview questions like why this floor, tell us a time when you've advocated for a patient, etc. etc. HR does the phone interviews.

Just a heads up though, NMH just had a bunch of layoffs and everyone's a bit sore b/c they had all these senior nurses laid off and yet they sent out a mass email to employees talking about how they're going to build a new research building in downtown Chicago that will replace the old Prentice Women's Hospital. Also, the orientation process at NMH is drastically shorter than at other institutions. And there's an odd nursing hierarchy with multiple nursing managers managing multiple floors.

Good luck on the interview!

MrChicagoRN, RN · Sep 15, 2012

So...that was 2 weeks ago.

Did you have the interview?

Cherry29 · Sep 16, 2012

Yes...My interview with HR went well and then I had interview with the manager, education coordinator and had short questionnarie to do......however, I did not get the job....

MrChicagoRN, RN · Sep 16, 2012

Ok, you didn't get it, always disappointing, but focus on the positives.

You went on an interview, got experience in that so your next interview will be stronger. What went right, what went wrong? That's a question for you to ask yourself

.And be sure to send a thank you note for the interview and ask them to keep you in mind for any further openings.

Cherry29 · Sep 16, 2012

Thank you very much for the encouraging words.......I definitely will focus on improving my skills during interview.......:)

cbc123 · Sep 17, 2012

What sort of questions did they ask you in the phone interview?

CCRNDiva, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2012

May have been a blessing in disguise. I have not heard anything positive about Northwestern lately (and that includes current and former employees). I've also heard that it is not the most nurturing environment for new nurses with orientation reportedly lasting less than 2 weeks and poor staffing ratios. I had always considered NW to be my dream facility but have since realized that its true what they say, "all that glitters isn't gold", lol.

Please remember that interviews serve as a time for you to interview the facility too. Ask about the average tenure of the nurses, the number of open positions and the number of new grads on the unit you're interviewing with. An overabundance of open positions and new grads lets you know that the experienced nurses have left the building (usually a bad sign). Try not to be swayed by US News and World Reports rankings and magnet status. I've found that these top ranking, magnet facilities are struggling with issues that many community and regional hospitals have resolved years ago. You can get some solid nursing experience in community and regional hospitals. Please don't count them out of your job search.

Good luck!!

odonnemd · Oct 10, 2012

Hi! I'd really like to know what questions the nurse managers asked you when you interviewed in person with them.

Were they behavioral questions? Scenarios? What was the employment questionnaire like?

Any insight would be much appreciated.

Cherry29 · Oct 10, 2012

They asked following questions:

Why did you choose nursing?

Why do you want to work here (Northwestern)?

How did you find out about the job opening at Northwestern?

Why do you want to work on the floor (the one you applied)?

Where do you see yourself in next 3-5 years?

How do you handle a family who is demanding and insulting you?

What do you most like about nursing?

What is your salary expectations?

After the interview they gave me an exam. The exam had EKG strips, medications questions, signs and symptoms questions.

Educations coordinator also took the interview and she asked questions like: what type of patients did you take care during your internships? How do you handle difficult patients? and she also asked some questions about medications and signs and symptoms....

iurn86 · Dec 5, 2012

Just curious, after meeting with the managers how soon did you find out? I met with some yesterday and am curious how long it typically takes to hear. I know they said within 2 weeks... if it takes the whole time its going to the be longest 2 weeks ever!