1st job in nursing interview

amj12 · Apr 8, 2008

What is your nurse to patient ratio?

Do you have mandatory overtime?

If you're continuing your education: How willing are you to work around a school schedule?

How long is the orientation period?

NurseBrittney · Apr 8, 2008

wow thanks! These are perfect, and they hadn't even crossed my mind!

anymore you have the better. I want to try and sounds as best I can with my questions, The longer the interview the better!

imanedrn · Apr 8, 2008

Take your pick! Congrats and good luck!

http://www.careercenter.ilstu.edu/students/nursing/InterviewQuestions/

Sample Interview Questions for Nursing Majors

Questions employers often ask:

Why did you choose nursing?
Why do you want to work for us?
What courses did you like best/least? Why?
What qualities do you have that will benefit this organization?
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
How long do you expect to work for us?
What area would you prefer to work?
How do you feel about shift work?
What have you done that shows initiative?
How do you feel about taking orders from another person?
What type of person do you find difficult to get along with?
What is your personal philosophy of nursing?
What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?

Questions students may want to ask:

Is management centralized or decentralized?
What is the role of the director of nursing?
What is the size of the unit?
What's the ratio of patients to nurses from shift to shift?
What's the ratio of RNs to LPNs and nursing assistants?
What are the roles of the LPNs and nursing assistants?
How much clerical and housekeeping help is available?
What support services (IV team, code team, EKG techs, and so forth) are available?
What does orientation include and how long does it last?
Where are new graduates usually assigned?
How would you describe your nursing philosophy?
How much individual responsibility and autonomy do nurses have on nursing procedures?
What type of care delivery system do you use--team, primary, modular, or case management? On all shifts?
Do nurses have 8, 10, 12, or 24 hour accountability?
What is the procedure for transferring from one unit or shift to another?
How will my performance be evaluated? By whom? How often?
Is there a career ladder?
Do you often promote from within?
Is certification recommended or required for advancement?
What inservice programs are available?
Is there a nursing library?
How can I earn CEUs here?
What is the schedule of a normal work week?
How often is rotation required?
How often are nurses expected to float?
How often is overtime necessary?
How many week-ends a month do most nurses work?
What measures are taken when a unit is short-staffed?
Is malpractice coverage provided?
Is the hospital accessible by public transportation?

The following questions are recommended (by the Career Center) only to be asked by a candidate when an employer extends a job offer or the employer brings it up.

Will I receive full salary during orientation?
Is there financial compensation available for the NCLEX application, or NCLEX review course?
Do you pay extra for specialty certification and education?
Do you offer tuition reimbursement for job-related study?
How much time off is allowed for workshops, seminars, and meetings?
Is there a contract of employment? May I read it?
Do you give cost-of-living increases?
Can vacation days be accumulated from year to year?
Can unused sick leave be added to vacation time?
How much of a discount do I receive on medications and inpatient care?
Is staff parking available? A cafeteria? Staff health services?

Behavioral Interview Questions:

Behavioral interviewing is based on the notion that the best predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. The interviewer will identify the skills necessary for the particular job opening and then ask you to give examples of when you used those skills in previous work situations. Open ended questions are often asked to give you the opportunity to describe your experience.

Tips for Answering Behavioral Questions

Employers expect your responses to be specific and detailed. Answer using specific anecdotes and examples.
The interviewer is interested in what your thoughts were at the time and what your decision-making process was.
If you are not sure what the employer is asking, restate the question or ask for clarification. (Can you be more specific? I am not sure what you are asking for.) In such a circumstance, you may ask if that is what the interviewer was looking for and if your response answered the question adequately.
Prepare ahead of time by reviewing your own resume. Often interviewers will pull some detail from your resume and ask you to describe a particular situation. If you put experience or events in your resume or cover letter, be prepared to discuss them in detail.
Develop short (1-3 minute) stories that highlight the skills you possess. Draw upon examples from work or volunteer experiences, academic projects/situations, etc., in order to describe your skills.
You may find one story fits a variety of different questions. Don't overuse an example, but it is all right to reuse one if a different skill can be highlighted.
If your answers include any negatives, make sure to explain what you learned from the experience and how you have been able to change that behavior or response.
If asked a question about which you have no experience to recount, tell the interviewer just that. Don't make up an example to fit a situation. You are not expected to have experienced every possible scenario. You might consider what you HOPE you would do in such a situation.

Below are some examples of situations on which Behavioral Questions might be based

Tell me about the time when you...

Provide an example of when you...

Describe a time when you...

Were disappointed in your performance
Made a major sacrifice to achieve an important goal
Worked effectively under a great deal of pressure or stress
Were really bothered by the actions of another coworker
Were especially creative in solving a problem
Organized or planned an event that was very successful
Had to deal with a personality conflict with a boss or coworker
Felt really good about a decision you made and the process you went through
Used facts and reason to persuade someone to accept your recommendation
Utilized your leadership ability to gain support for what initially had strong opposition
Were able to build team spirit in a time of low morale
Were able to gain commitment from others to really work well as a team
Were particularly perceptive regarding a person's or group's feelings and needs
Built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions
Were particularly effective on prioritizing tasks and completing a project on schedule
Were highly motivated and your example inspired others
Found it necessary to tactfully but forcefully say things that others did not want to hear
Were particularly effective in a talk you gave or presentation you taught
Had to make a decision you knew would be unpopular
Made a mistake and learned from it; failed at something and had to deal with it
Made an intentional effort to get to know someone from another culture
Set an important goal and were successful in reaching it
Were able to successfully communicate with another person, even when that individual may not have personally liked you
Conformed to a policy with which you did not agree
Had to deal with an irate customer
Made a poor decision
Surmounted a major obstacle
Had to adapt to a new or different situation

One useful strategy for responding to behavioral questions is to use the "STAR" technique

Situation or Task: Describe the situation that you were in or the task you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you had done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation might be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.
Action you took: Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did/the impact you had, not the efforts of the team. Emphasize what you did, as opposed to what you might have done, although the interviewer might want to pursue that thread too.
Results: What happened? How did the event or activity conclude? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?