Tips for Mother/Baby interview

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Hi everyone!

I have an interview for a Mother/Baby RN position on Wednesday and wanted to know if anyone had any helpful advice for me. I have no idea what type of questions they could have and I want to be prepared. I have 4 years of Patient Care Tech experience on a Mother/baby unit but I am not sure of what they would expect me to know during an interview!

Thanks for your help!

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Is this your first RN position?

If so, relax. In my opinion, interviewing a new grad is more about determining attitude, initiative, professionalism, etc. than about quizzing the candidate on how to handle XYZ clinical scenario. I expect to have to teach a new grad all about the clinical area. I don't want to have to teach anyone about professionalism, a positive attitude, teamwork....

Dress professionally in a skirt and sweater or a nice pants outfit. Wear understated hair, make-up and jewelry. Arrive early. Be prepared to complete an application (if not already done). Have your resume, a reference list and other pertinent information with you (dates of employment and schooling, names and contact information of supervisors). Bring an example of your written work if you have something pertinent, such as a teaching project. Leave your cell phone in the car.

Practice answers to some common interview questions such as: Tell me about yourself. Why are you interested in this position? Describe how you have handled a difficult situation with a co-worker in the past? How do you prepare for a clinical day? Name a strength and weakness. Be prepared to discuss your past work history, not so much for the OB exerience, but in terms of reliability, teamwork, flexibility, ability to learn a new role, etc.

Prepare some questions regarding length and type of orientation. Will you have a consistent 1:1 preceptor? Is there classroom education? What additional certifications will you be expected to obtain (NRP, ACLS) and what is the process for doing so? Are there identified mentors on the unit for new staff? What is expected of you in terms of studying or attending courses away from the unit? How and by whom will you be evaluated? What is the management and supervisory structure of the unit? To whom will you report?

Do not mention family, children, personal health issues or any other "needs" that may compete with work for your attention.

At the conclusion of the interview, ask what the next step is and when you can expect to hear from the hospital. Ask for a business card so that you have the correct name and title of the person who interviews you. Send a thank-you e-mail by the next day, including Human Resources if they were involved in your interview.

Present yourself well, and I believe you will do fine. Please let us know how it goes!

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Thank you SO much for that reply! You made me feel a lot better about everything :) This is my first interview for an RN position and I just want to make sure I go into it completely prepared and confident...your reply was excellent. I will definitely be back to let you know how it goes. Thank you!

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Specializes in Med/Surg and ANCC RN-BC.

I'm so jealous! I want to be on the mother/baby unit so bad. I think they will ask the typical questions such as tell me about yourself, why do you want to be a nurse, ect. I would say for mother/baby questions maybe scenarios questions. Maybe asking what would you do if your mother was having postpartum hemorrhage? what would you do if you found a blue baby/or your baby was having trouble breathing? Why would someone be on mag and what are the s/sx of mag toxicity? I hope this helps.

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I havent graduated yet however I had an interview for mother and baby unit for a nurse intern position, they pretty much interviewed me in the same fashion as they do to a new RN position because they said once you intern they give you a spot on the unit upon graduation. Heres some of the questions i was asked:

*Why do you want to work on this unit?

*Are you willing to start off in post pardum before going into L&D or NICU?

*What is your ultimate goal in nursing?

*What is your experience with breastfeeding? Do you support breastfeeding? ( i have no kids so i told them i had no personal experience but i also let them know what i knew about breastfeeding such as the benefits)

*Do you have an issue with teaching breastfeeding?

* What if a mother does not want to breastfeed, what do you do?

*what if mom wants to breastfeed but daddy/family does not want her to?

*What would you do if you had a coworker who constantly picked at your work even when you did well?

I was hired even though the position was not even available, im happy to be there and cant wait to graduate. Hope this helps! Good luck!

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

In addition to the great advice you've gotten from others, I'd be sure to emphasize that you already have 4 years of experience in mother/baby as a patient care tech -- even though you weren't working as an RN yet, this tells them that you have a much better idea of what the work on this type of unit entails than a new grad who did not have any experience on this type of unit.

Good luck!

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GOOD LUCK! please let us know how it goes

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Well, that interview was definitely not the best. I guess we will see what happens :(

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Sorry to hear, what happened exactly?

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The interviewer kind of shut me down after the first question with a comment that I felt was judgmental. It made me feel looked down on right off the bat and that just set the mood for the rest of the interview. Not a great 1st experience thats for sure. :crying2:

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Wow, sorry about that. Doesn't sound very professional. Don't get discouraged,keep at it.

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