Scenario Questions for New Grad Interview

kguill975, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 30, 2013

Maybe I don't know much about new grad interviews, but it seems the questions would focus more on safety, than anything else. You don't have the knowledge yet, to be able to answer questions about complex patients. I remember my internship interview being more about personality questions, and how I would deal with a difficult surgeon, and working in a high pressure environment. The area of OR nursing is so specialized, there won't be much that they can ask you, that you'll know the answer to. Good Luck, anyhow, and relax!

born2circulateRN · Apr 30, 2013

I'm not an OR nurse, yet! :-) I have an interview very soon.

But, I think 2 big things to remember is:

(1) Being the patient's advocate (2) Sterility

I've been researching lots of articles and threads here on allnurses.com - I've found some pretty awesome ones that give great information.

Good Luck!

CarolinaBSN2012 · May 1, 2013

Many times the manager is not looking for a right answer. They are looking at how you handle yourself in stressful situations. The OR is a stressful environment. By asking questions in this manner the manager can recognize characteristics such as surgical conscious. Good luck with your interview. I have been in the OR for 16 years and I love my job.

Ellen.SalvadorRN · May 1, 2013

Congrats on getting an interview! I did an externship in the OR and recently got hired as a circulator. Questions they asked me are:

-Tell me about yourself

-Tell me about a time when you worked with a difficult surgeon.

-What do you expect from a team?

-tell me about a situation when there wasn't a standard protocol.

-how do you ensure a smooth working environment?

No matter what situation they throw at you, an important formula for behavioral interview questions is STAR:

Situation - what the issue/problem was?

Task - what your task was?

Action - what action did you take?

Results - what were the results from your actions? what did you learn?

Good luck with your interview!

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · May 3, 2013

Consider these scenarios:

1. You are the circulating nurse, and you just came back from lunch. Your lunch relief nurse said that she interviewed the pt and everything looked fine. The pt is on the OR table, and you are doing the pre-induction "time out". The consent reads "left below the knee amputation". However, the pt has been marked on the right. What do you do?

2. You are circulating during an emergency case. There is no time to do a count because the pt came straight up from the ER to the OR. What's the protocol for counts in this scenario?

3. You interviewed your pt in the pre-op area, and he told you that he was allergic to Toradol. The case is finishing, and the surgeons are closing. You hear the CRNA announce that he's going to administer Toradol. The attending surgeon has already dropped scrub, and is on the phone dictating. The first year resident is closing skin. The surgeons don't pay attention to the CRNA, but you know that the pt is allergic to Toradol. You have dutifully written the allergy clearly on the whiteboard, so EVERYONE should know. You stop the CRNA, and point to the whiteboard. He gets snarky with you. You look to the surgeons for support. How do you handle this?

4. For your first case of the day, you set up your room for a posterior lumbar decompression. You get everything pulled, and all of your supplies are neatly arranged. You finish counting with your scrub person, and interview your pt in pre-op. The surgeon walks into the OR at 0720 and says that she needs a different bed. You have difficulty getting in touch with the operating room assistant to help you change out the bed. You call your charge nurse for help, but she is busy with an emergency case that has just been posted. It's now 0726, and you know that the case will be delayed. At 0735, you have the right bed in the room because you have retrieved it yourself. However, you get called to the carpet by your NM because the case was delayed. What course of action do you take?

5. Your case is underway, and you are scrubbed in. You hear the SpO2 monitor dip. Then you hear the heart monitor slow. The anesthesiology resident is fairly new, and you see her struggle. You ask the resident if she needs help. The surgeon looks up at you and tells you to pay attention to the field, and let the resident deal with it. What is your response?

These are some of the scenarios I have found myself in over the course of my career as an OR nurse. I doubt you will be asked very detailed questions like these, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Make sure that you understand scope of practice, consents, and what your resources are should you need assistance. Remember that safety is #1, no matter who stands in your way.

Good luck to you! Let us know how the interview goes.

Canes

BorgQueen1701 · May 4, 2013

You guys are all so wonderful. Interview is Wednesday and Ill update after on how it went. I know Ill be better prepared because of your kindness. Any other suggestions until then, is appreciated.

NurseKitty2013 · May 10, 2013

You guys are all so wonderful. Interview is Wednesday and Ill update after on how it went. I know Ill be better prepared because of your kindness. Any other suggestions until then, is appreciated.

How was your interview?

NurseKitty2013 · May 10, 2013

Consider these scenarios:
1. You are the circulating nurse, and you just came back from lunch. Your lunch relief nurse said that she interviewed the pt and everything looked fine. The pt is on the OR table, and you are doing the pre-induction "time out". The consent reads "left below the knee amputation". However, the pt has been marked on the right. What do you do?
2. You are circulating during an emergency case. There is no time to do a count because the pt came straight up from the ER to the OR. What's the protocol for counts in this scenario?
3. You interviewed your pt in the pre-op area, and he told you that he was allergic to Toradol. The case is finishing, and the surgeons are closing. You hear the CRNA announce that he's going to administer Toradol. The attending surgeon has already dropped scrub, and is on the phone dictating. The first year resident is closing skin. The surgeons don't pay attention to the CRNA, but you know that the pt is allergic to Toradol. You have dutifully written the allergy clearly on the whiteboard, so EVERYONE should know. You stop the CRNA, and point to the whiteboard. He gets snarky with you. You look to the surgeons for support. How do you handle this?
4. For your first case of the day, you set up your room for a posterior lumbar decompression. You get everything pulled, and all of your supplies are neatly arranged. You finish counting with your scrub person, and interview your pt in pre-op. The surgeon walks into the OR at 0720 and says that she needs a different bed. You have difficulty getting in touch with the operating room assistant to help you change out the bed. You call your charge nurse for help, but she is busy with an emergency case that has just been posted. It's now 0726, and you know that the case will be delayed. At 0735, you have the right bed in the room because you have retrieved it yourself. However, you get called to the carpet by your NM because the case was delayed. What course of action do you take?
5. Your case is underway, and you are scrubbed in. You hear the SpO2 monitor dip. Then you hear the heart monitor slow. The anesthesiology resident is fairly new, and you see her struggle. You ask the resident if she needs help. The surgeon looks up at you and tells you to pay attention to the field, and let the resident deal with it. What is your response?
These are some of the scenarios I have found myself in over the course of my career as an OR nurse. I doubt you will be asked very detailed questions like these, but it never hurts to be prepared.
Make sure that you understand scope of practice, consents, and what your resources are should you need assistance. Remember that safety is #1, no matter who stands in your way.
Good luck to you! Let us know how the interview goes.
Canes

What would you recommend for a new grad to prepare for an OR shadow experience? Thanks a bunch.

BorgQueen1701 · May 10, 2013

How was your interview?

UPDATE: The interview went great. No real senerio questions, but she did want to know all the OR experiences I went through. And I made sure to apply a lot of your wonderful advice. Safety, advocacy, and sterility. It seemed to pay off, and she said I would be called in for a 2nd interview early next week. So exited!!!!

What would you recommend for a new grad to prepare for an OR shadow experience? Thanks a bunch.

If you know the facility you are going to be rotating, look up what surgeries they do on their website, and what kinds of things they specialize in. Then youtube some of the procedures and get a feel for it. If you really want to get ahead of the game check out AORN's webinars. Most of them are free.

Previously Recorded Webinars : Association of periOperative Registered NursesI found looking through these really helped me prepare, but most of it is really dry, so space yourself.

Also if they ask you if you want to do something, dont hesitate be assertive and make the most of your experience. If they need a foley put in, offer to do. If you show you want to learn, they will pick up on it. I even got to scrub in once for a CABG once because the surgeon picked up on it and wanted to show me everything.

And finally, if you plan on being an OR nurse, write down all the procedures you see during your rotation. Many of them have fancy long names, and knowing the lingo in the interview really helped me I thought.

NurseKitty2013 · May 10, 2013

Thank you so much for replying. I will look at the link and follow your suggestions. Good luck with everything and please keep us posted.