Questions to ask at a gn interview

[Tua15395]

Hey,

I had an interview for a med-surg unit and found out this week that I didnt get it. One of the reasons is because I didnt ask enough questions. What type of questions are good to ask. Thanks for any help.

[haunani, BSN, RN]

here's one list i found online that i pulled a few questions from, both pre-interview (when i first contacted the recruiter to get more information about the hospital and their new-grad program, since i'm applying to an out-of-state hospital) and in the actual interviews (2 so far):

understand the orientation and continuing education process offered.

• will i be offered additional time if i feel i need it?
  
• will my orientation be provided on the shift i will be working?
  
• will i have a preceptor or mentor?
  
• how often do you offer in-services and other education opportunities?
  
• what are your expectations for new hires during the first six months?
  
• are nurse educators available on all shifts?
  

ask about the working conditions.

• what is the policy for weekend and holiday rotation?
  
• is there flexibility to the schedule? can nurses trade days off with each other?
  
• who does the scheduling?
  
• how many nurses work on this unit? on each shift?
  
• how long have most of the nurses worked on this unit? (turn over rate?)
  
• how long has this position been vacant? why did the previous person leave?
  
• what are the responsibilities and accountability of nurses?
  
• what opportunities for professional growth are available to the nurses?
  

then ask about the management and administration.

• how do you motivate your employees?
  
• what do you do to boost morale?
  
• what is your management style?
  
• how much autonomy do your nurses feel they have?
  
• how do you demonstrate that you value your nursing staff?
  
• how often are performance evaluations done and what is the process?
  
• how much input does the staff have about patient care and other issues on the unit?
  
• how do you handle conflict between staff members?
  
• are there any challenges that this unit or facility is facing or anticipates in the next year?
  
• would you support a nurse looking to transfer for career growth or hold him/her back due to your own staffing issues?
  
• how do you ensure safe working conditions for your staff?
  
• what are the career growth opportunities?
  
• why would i want to work here?
  

and some of the questions i asked for the 2nd round interview with the unit/floor managers (the bolded ones in this list are the ones i actually asked):

o describe a typical day on the job.

o describe the ideal candidate for this job.

o how does this position fit into the organizational structure?

what do you perceive as challenges of this position?

what training/orientation is available for this position?

at the end of the interview, be sure to ask: what’s the next step?

can i provide you with any additional information?

[Goody86]

Huanani,

Great advice! I am always trying to think of good questions to ask at an interview, and you provided some I had not thought to ask.

[haunani, BSN, RN]

I'm usually the same way... I'm HORRIBLE at thinking of good questions to ask when I need to. When I was preparing for these interviews, I did some homework and searched and searched for good questions to ask and compiled my lists.

I had these in front of me, some with written out answers, during both interviews (phone interviews), to help me.