Your first Nursing interview - how well does your school prepare you for this?

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

Recently someone I know had an interview for a CNA position. Expecting to have regular interview type questions she was surprised that they asked several skills type /care related questions. Further research has brought to my attention that many new Grad RN's and nursing assistants also are being faced with this new type of interview process. They no longer want to know about you as a person. They want to know if you got what it takes to prioritize and properly treat a patient based solely on your book and clinical class knowledge.

Basically you are given a case or number of cases and have to prioritize who should be treated first or ask what should be done to assist or treat a particular patient. Being a few months away from graduation, I do not feel like I am prepared for such an interview.

My question is, how well do you think your University/College is preparing you for the real world of interviews as a new grad RN? Should this be added to the nursing curriculum or do you think your college has prepared or is preparing you well for these type of interviews?

[schnookimz]

None of my new grad interviews were anything like this, but I feel totally prepared to answer a question like this. Just be prepared to back up your answer with the exact reason you are answering that way.

[zzbxdo]

If you pass the nclex, you should be competent. Not a new trend, it's manager or hr preference. With the increased competition, it's just another way of weeding out the weak. You dictate how you yourself are prepared as a student, as well as how much time and effort you put in outside of school after you graduate.

[SubSippi]

Nursing school hardly prepared me at all. What DID prepare me was spending hours searching for new grad interview threads on this forum. I was offered jobs at the first two places I interviewed and I have many, many AN members to thank for that!

[zzbxdo]

My university leadership and management course required us to build resumes and colors, and we self critiqued for points. Your question is how you actually sell yourself in the interview, that's not really stuff the forums can help you directly like mentioned above. Interviews will be either be 1. Behavioral or 2. Situational. Look up and research interviewing skills. You don't have to answer right away, take a moment to think and analyze the questions. Speak clearly and walk through your rationale. That's why if you can pass the nclex and utilize your clinical experience, content should be fine.

Landing an interview is a beastly task on its own, atleast as a new grad in California.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

Our SNA chapter holds resume & interview seminars every semester to prep interested students for the job market :)

[RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN]

My school arranges mock interviews with HR and NMs from our hospital. After the interview, they review it with you so you'll be prepared for the real thing.

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

Our SNA chapter holds resume & interview seminars every semester to prep interested students for the job market :)

Pretty good idea for an SNA to get involved. School prepares you to take the NCLEX. If the interviewing nurses are doing NCLEX questions for the "perfect world scenarios" I'm sure I would be ok too but in the real world making those judgment calls are different in my view.

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

My school arranges mock interviews with HR and NMs from our hospital. After the interview, they review it with you so you'll be prepared for the real thing.

Well that's great news and probably the best why to handle this.