Why do you want to work in Peds? Interview Question

[andibee]

Hey all,

I recently applied for a Pediatric OR position, and I am trying to prepare for the upcoming interview. One thing I was informed of is to be prepared for questions such as why do you want to work with children/in peds.

I have always enjoyed working with this population, but I figure that they hear this all of the time and have deemed such an answer to be cliched and boring.

Do you have any ideas for answering this question creatively? Thanks!

[hhobgood]

What I said in my interview is that kids are resilient. They have a drive to fight more than anyone & that keeps me motivated as a nurse to do my best for them.

[scaredsilly, BSN, RN]

Sometimes cliché and boring is what they want lol

But how about something like:

My peds clinical was my favorite because I really enjoy and love that population and found that I great instincts when it came to helping frightened parents cope with a child's illness. I feel like I am a natural educator and could really ease the parents angst.

If you have children of your own you might add something like this:

I know how I would feel if my child were ill and I understand what kind of support I would need, and on my clinical I found that I could easily provide that sort of support and make it easier on the family.

Hope that helps!

[CaffeinePOstat]

The previous posters had great tips! I would definitely add in a personal example of a time that reinforced your thoughts about working in Pediatrics. Something that occurred to you or a story of a patient of yours that stuck with you to go along with your reasons of why you enjoy Pediatrics.

End your response by summarizing your points to how your personality and skills, reason why you like Pediatrics would be a great match for the unit. Emphasize your strengths and how that unit can help you grow professionally

[andibee]

Thank you to all who responded! I appreciate the advice :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

When preparing for any interview question, it is best to start with the truth. Why do you want to work peds? Start with that as the foundation for your answer. Making something up (or borrowing someone else's answer) can be a disaster in an interview. If the interviewer is experienced and senses that you are not being since -- or simply "b.s. ing" her, that could mean you get automatically rejected for the job. So start with the truth to ensure that the answer "sounds like you" and fits in well with the answers you give to other questions.

Once you have figured out the truth, practice discussing it in such a way that it sounds realistic, sincere, etc. Perhaps include a few examples or a story to illustrate your answer.