Nursing interview

[sarablacky]

Hey everyone! I am conducting an interview for my Nursing Leadership and Management class and was hoping I could get someone who is a registered nurse to answer these questions for me and list what your job title is and the floor that you work on I do not have any "network" in this area so I would greatly appreciate any response!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

1. What made you decide to go into the nursing field?
   
2. What do you find difficult about being a nurse?
   
3. What do you find most rewarding about being a nurse?
   
4. What are some qualities you feel a nurse leader needs to display and why?
   
5. Do you feel as though you possess these characteristics?
   
6. Are there any aspects of leadership that you feel you lack or could improve on existing qualities?
   
7. How has your outlook and/or behaviors changed over time?
   
8. How do you deal with change?
   
9. What do you think will be the greatest challenge for professional nurses in the next five years?
   
10. How do you support or advocate new ideas?
    
11. What role do you play in performance improvement initiatives?
    
12. How important is it to you that a nurse leader displays trustworthiness?
    

[klone, MSN, RN]

Not sure what you mean by not having any network in your community - don't you have clinicals? Can you talk to a nurse manager at the hospital where you do your clinicals? What about public health departments, local health clinics, local nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities?

Generally, interviews with nurse managers are expected to be someone in real life, where you can sit down and ask them questions to their face, and verify that they really are a nurse manager, something you cannot do with the anonymity of the internet. Also, this is a FABULOUS networking opportunity, and I've known a few students who have scored new grad jobs based on the contacts they've made in their community with nurse managers.

[BahoRN]

I agree with klone. You need to find a leadership mentor, someone in a position of nursing management that will show you the in's and out's of leadership. You will need to sit and talk with them, go to meetings with them, see how they handle conflict resolution and conflict recovery, calculate FTEs and how scheduling is done...the list goes on and on.

Check with your school to see if they can provide contact with nursing managers. They should've provided/offered this necessary relationship, especially because it is a course requirement.

What about your previous clinicals? Can you not call on previous managers to see if they are willing, or perhaps know someone who might be?

From personal experience, I had to provide my preceptor's resume and a signed agreement stating they would take me under their wing. No manager worth their salt would agree to participate in anonymous interviews, or participate in any fictional clinical requirements.