Technical Scenario Based Interviews

[zeatha]

Hi there.

Please take it easy on me. I have recently bombed an interview for a casual position. I am a new registered nurse, and I was expecting more behavioural question so when it was a scenario based interview I was shock. I forgot some of the things I said, but the following are their questions:

1) Pt is having severe hemorrhage. Independent. Has 10 children. Living with son. Unable to return home, incapable of doing ADLs. Ex wife has personality disorder, not the TOA. What do you do?

I said -- assess patient, assess VS, focus on LOC, neurological imaging, find out who is TOA, signs of abuse. Talk to pt and then talk to wife and son.

2) Mrs. L is unresponsive found in lounge. She has pneumonia, diabetes, CHF. What do you do?

I did terrible on this one because I forgot to mention CPR!!!

Now I am preparing for the next interviews. But I wanted to focus on clinical questions because I don't seem to be doing well in them. Is there any tips or sites to practice on them with the answers provided?

If the interview is about General Medicine, to a float nurse; what should I be expecting they would ask? And how in depth would I have to answer? Would they rather have me say a lot of things or just concisely what I would do?

Thanks!

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Remember ABCs. For #1, the situation with the spouse is just a distraction. They key is in the first sentence...he is having a severe hemorrhage. Identify the source of bleeding, see it if can be stopped, check for hemodynamic stability (VS, LOC, etc.). This is what has to happen first. The issues with the family come much later.

For #2, unresponsive does not mean that the pt needs CPR. BLS procedure is to call for help. Start with that, then check pulse and breathing to see if CPR is even necessary. If no pulse, CPR. If a pulse then what would you want to check?

[Sour Lemon]

i agree with the distraction theory. I once worked with a nurse who left her own patient's rapid response to pull tylenol for that patient's 99.4F temperature. The patient was struggling to breath at the time. They want to make sure you're not that nurse.

I've had a few interviews with intense clinical questioning and didn't always know the answers. It's perfectly ok to state what you'd actually do in those scenarios, too. Let them know you'd ask a colleague for advice or get your charge nurse involved.