Strange federal interview

[littlehoneybee]

I recently interviewed for a position as a staff nurse on a med/surg unit in a military hospital. I expected to get performance based questions, but was surprised that none of the questions I was asked involved actual patient care. Instead, I was asked how I would handle problem employees not doing their jobs (nursing assistants sitting around on their phones, etc.) It left a bad impression with me that they didn't place emphasis on patient care or want to know if I was a competent nurse. Thoughts?

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

That doesn't sound weird to me. You have an RN, which validates your ability. People rarely get fired for being incompetent. The human factor is much more prevalent. Even if you are incompetent, but a good person, they can teach you, and they know that. If you are an, ahem, difficult person, it doesn't matter how great a nurse you are. Nursing is a team sport and they want good team members. Good luck.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

If they find you incompetent, they'll get rid of you in your probation period. It's much easier to fire someone for being dangerous than it is to fire someone for being a "bad fit" (see: lazy, arrogant, argumentative, annoying, etc), especially in a government position.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

Those are some pretty standard questions at any interview now. You got the interview based off your resume.