10 Nursing Interview Questions and Answers
During a nursing interview, your interviewer will ask you questions that give you the opportunity to demonstrate your abilities, knowledge and skills related to interacting with and caring for others in a fast-paced environment. It is best to prepare responses that showcase your skills, training and experience. This article highlights questions you may encounter during a nursing interview so you can fully demonstrate your qualifications for the job.
The STAR technique can be helpful to keep in mind during professional interviews. Consider forming responses to interview questions using this method in order to provide structure and authenticity to your answers:
- Situation: Explain the background of your example.
- Task: Explain what your role was in the situation.
- Action: Explain what action you took to address the issue.
- Result: Explain what you learned from the situation and any positive results for the people involved and your company.
Sample nursing interview questions
1. Do you work well with other nurses, doctors and staff?
Teamwork is a vital skill for anyone in the nursing field. It’s important to express that you recognize the value of working together with doctors, other nurses and staff members. Collaborating with your coworkers can provide the best patient outcomes, ensure the effectiveness of safety procedures and increase your job satisfaction. When you answer this question, emphasize your interpersonal skills, such as teamwork, patience and active listening.
Example: “During my clinical training at Northeast Hospital in the ER, I learned how important it is to communicate well with other nurses. One night, a patient approached me to say he had been waiting for his medication for 20 minutes. I was new to the hospital at the time, so I checked in with his nurse before deciding to provide it myself. It turned out that the patient had Alzheimer’s disease, and his attending nurse had given him the medication already. This communication helped our team to ensure the patient’s safety.”
2. How would you handle a difficult patient?
As a nurse, it is important to have compassion and patience. Your patients are often facing difficult situations, which can affect their attitudes. When you encounter a difficult patient, take steps to reassure them. Make sure you administer any medication properly according to schedule and provide extra resources that might help make the patient more comfortable. Consider giving an example of a time when you encountered a difficult patient and helped to improve the patient’s outcome.
Example: “While working overnight as a pediatric nurse, I had a 15-year-old patient under my care who we were treating for infection. The patient called me into the room several times over the course of an hour with various concerns. Even though I was falling behind in my scheduled care of other patients, I sat down with him to ask how he was feeling. It turned out that he was worried about his situation and not used to being away from home. I spent a couple of minutes asking about his pets at home and brought him an extra snack. After that, he went to sleep and no longer called repeatedly during the remainder of his treatment. I learned to look beyond patients’ attitudes for underlying concerns.”
3. How do you handle workplace stress?
It is standard to experience fast-paced workflows and complex tasks in the medical field. It is important to have a clear explanation of how you handle the emotionally and physically demanding aspects of your job. To answer, describe the techniques you have developed for stress relief. You can discuss hobbies, support groups, exercise regimens and other ways you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Example: “During my nurse training, I attended a seminar where the speaker encouraged nurses to develop and maintain habits that support our health. She recommended finding a physical activity or hobby to pursue as a way to reduce stress. I took her advice and found a gym that offers a variety of classes, so there is always something new to try. I also volunteer at an animal shelter. I find that these two hobbies effectively relieve my stress.”
4. What do you do if your replacement does not arrive?
Nurses are required to stay at their post until the next shift nurse arrives. This shift change is to ensure there are no lapses in the quality of service provided by the nursing staff. Some solutions you can offer to this situation include contacting your replacement while you stay for a couple of minutes beyond your shift or finding someone else to cover the responsibilities before your coworker arrives. You can talk to your supervisor if there is a problem or your replacement is late on more than one occasion.
Example: “In my last position in the ICU at City Hospital, I could not find my replacement one night. It was the end of my long shift, and I was ready to go home. I spoke to my supervisor about it, and we were able to make changes to fit his schedule better so I would not have to stay late after my shift was over.”
Read more: Learn About Being a Nurse Manager
5. How would you handle a disagreement with a doctor?
When you answer this question, emphasize your interpersonal skills such as active listening, teamwork and flexibility to solve problems. In your response, say that you will speak to your supervisor if you need help.
Example: “I had a situation while working in the ER at a small hospital. We were understaffed on certain nights, and everyone would be busy. One night, I looked over a patient’s chart, and the prescription did not look right. I immediately told my supervisor. The doctor looked at the chart and confirmed that she had made an error. We were able to correct the prescription and provide the patient with the right treatment.”
6. Describe how you manage a busy workload.
When you respond to this question, highlight your dedication to attending to your patients during a variety of conditions. In your response, you can provide an example of a time that you managed an increased number of tasks without compromising in protocols or procedures.
Example: “We were short-staffed on a weekend during the holiday season and also had a higher number of patients than usual. I worried that we would have long delays in attending to our patients because of the staffing situation. I offered to stay a couple of hours longer that day, and so did some of my coworkers, to cover for the remaining shifts. Throughout the day, our team worked together and communicated to each other if we needed help or a break. Ultimately, we were able to take care of all the tasks.”
7. Do you have any professional affiliations?
Your response to this question is a great opportunity to emphasize that you seek opportunities to advance your skills. This is a good time to highlight any areas on your resume that list extra certifications you have gained through these organizations, ways you are involved in the organizations and certain areas of nursing you are passionate about.
Example: “I am a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the American Assisted Living Nurses Association. I am passionate about geriatric care, and I make sure to keep my knowledge current in areas that will benefit the geriatric patients who are in my care. I completed a class in February through the American Association of Diabetes Educators that enabled me to improve the care I provided to a patient who was struggling with his dietary requirements. I was able to provide him with resources to develop a system he was happy with.”
8. How would you handle a crisis, such as an outbreak?
Your response to this question should demonstrate your hard skills, like your knowledge of how to address specific medical situations and soft skills such as teamwork and adaptability. For a strong answer, discuss your ability to collaborate, your in-depth knowledge of nursing procedures and your attention to detail.
Example: “In my last role as a public health nurse at the city’s health department, I noticed an unusually high number of patients coming in with similar symptoms. I lead a team to collect and analyze the data. It turned out that there was a small outbreak in our city. Because of our team reporting, the staff in our facility detected the symptoms and followed standard infection control precautions. Authorities were able to alert the public for symptoms to watch out for. I feel our team did a great job observing our patients and reporting the incidents.”
9. How would you handle a patient who struggles with pain management?
Empathy is a vital skill for nurses to use when interacting with patients who may be dealing with pain. Express that you take your patient’s concerns seriously, and provide an example that shows you can help them through empathy and problem-solving.
Example: “In my role at City Hospital in obstetrics and gynecology, I remember a patient who was experiencing pain during pregnancy. I suggested different sleeping positions and stretches, but they did not help her. In that case, I reported the information to her doctor, who was able to recommend further treatment. The next time she came in, she was excited to report that the treatment was working, and she rarely experienced any more pain. In other settings, I have been able to offer comfort measures to patients like extra pillows or help with the television while they wait for their doctor to arrive. I always take patients seriously when they tell me about discomfort.”
10. How do you respond when people ask for your personal diagnosis outside of the clinical setting?
As a medical professional, you may encounter friends who seek your advice on what to do about their medical concerns. It is best to refer people to medical professionals who can provide a thorough exam, diagnosis and treatment. To answer this question, briefly discuss how you tell these friends how important it is to seek medical advice in a clinical setting from medical professionals who have access to information from tests.
Example: “I have a family friend who would ask me about symptoms he was having and what I thought he should do. After I told him that I could not give him a diagnosis outside of the clinic where I worked, he finally made an appointment to see the doctor there. While it would have been convenient for him to get feedback from me, it is always best to treat patients in a holistic, professional manner so we have all the right information to do what is best for patients.”
Use your responses to demonstrate your ability to maintain the best quality of care for your patients. In addition to preparing your responses, you can also prepare questions to ask your interviewer and update your resume.
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