7 Nurse Interview Questions and Answers

Apr 18, 2018

7 Nurse Interview Questions and Answers

Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Nurse interview questions and answers.

 


 

1. Why did you decide to become a nurse?

This question is an attempt to get to know the candidate better as an individual. Everyone has a reason for going into their chosen profession and this should this should be viewed as an opportunity to explain what one’s motivations are and why they chose to nurse. It would be a good idea to provide a personal example if applicable, but the answer should be honest and sincere.

A good example of an answer would be “I decided to become a nurse because I genuinely love working with people and caring for others. When I was a child, I had an appendectomy and was really apprehensive about it. The doctors were great, but only spent a limited amount of time with me. It was the nurses who spent time, answered questions, and helped put me and my family at ease. They were fantastic during my recovery and that has always stuck with me. That is a big reason I decided to become a nurse.”

 

2.Give us an example of a situation where you had to deal with a difficult and demanding patient and what you did.

Nursing is a field in which you work with many different people during difficult and stressful times. There will always be difficult patients and this question seeks to gauge one’s reaction to a common issue.

“I remember one particular patient who was in a lot of pain and did not want to be touched, was verbally abusive and constantly complaining about their pain. I reviewed his chart and spoke with the attending physician to ensure that we were doing everything we could to manage his pain. After doing so, I let him know that we were doing everything possible to make him comfortable. While what I could do for him was limited, I made sure that he felt listened to and that we weren’t dismissive.”

 

3. Why do you want to work at this hospital, office, etc.?

This is a question to determine what the candidate knows about the facility and if they did their homework. Before interviewing, it is important to research the office, hospital, or facility beforehand and to be able to ask or answer related questions. If a job applicant does not know anything about the office, hospital, or practice it shows a basic lack of preparation and casts serious doubt on whether or not they actually want to work there.

“I would like to work at this hospital because of its excellent reputation for emergency medicine. I started as an EMT and had the opportunity to transport patients to various emergency rooms throughout the city and I was always impressed at the thoroughness, professionalism, and skill of the doctors and nurses that I encountered here. I know that this particular facility gets a good number of advanced trauma patients and I am looking forward to applying what I have already learned while still having the opportunity to learn from a seasoned and professional staff.”
 

4. Why did you choose the particular field of nursing that you are in?

This question is another way to get to know the candidate. Different specialties require different personality types and each has their own unique challenges. The best answer to give is one that provides some insight as to what drives the decision-making process.

“I have always loved aviation and was naturally drawn to emergency medicine. I spent time in the Army as a combat medic and as such spent a lot of time around helicopters both for transportation and for medical evacuations. After I left the Army, I knew that a flight nurse was the best way to build upon my previous interests and experiences in the civilian world.”
 

5. What kinds of personality traits are most effective for nurses to have?

This question is great for gauging a candidate's understanding of the complexity and human side of nursing. Nurses require a number of skills, especially interpersonal skills in order to successfully work with doctors, patients, family members, and other staff.

“In my opinion, the personality traits that make nurses most effective are patience, compassion, and attention to detail.”

6. What are the biggest challenges or issues that nurses face today?

This is a great way to gauge whether a candidate is staying up to date on trends and news in the industry.

“In my opinion, the biggest challenges and issues facing nurses today are mandatory overtime, safe staffing levels, and workplace safety. The current nursing shortage has led to potentially dangerous practices like mandatory overtime and unsafe staffing levels. This increases the stress on nurses, decreases the quality of patient care, and increases the likelihood of medical errors. ”

7.  Why Do you feel you are qualified for the job?

This is an opportunity for the candidates to sell themselves and talk about past education and experiences.

“I feel that I am qualified for the job because I have my Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), I am a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and have 6 years of practical experience as a nurse anesthetist. I also stay on top of industry news, studies, and attend seminars or symposiums at least twice a year. I genuinely enjoy what I do and put in extra effort to be the best that I possibly can.”

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Geriatrics is the specialty of care of the elderly. The main goal is to assist aging patients to improve their health by preventing or treating illnesses or disabilities. Currently the mean age of the global populace is increasing[1]. Demand for geriatric care has rapidly risen within the past 10, 20 years. This trend is also seen in Malaysia. Unfortunately, it is a profession that not many young nurses or doctors would want to pursue[2]. Definition: The word geriatrics is derived from Greek. “Geron” means “old man.” “Iatros” is defined as “healer.” Gerontology, a word commonly used together with geriatrics, is the study of the aging process itself. Duties: Geriatric nurses assist their patients in their daily life. They help them to live healthily, and improve their independence by treating or staving off disabilities that cause dependency of care. It is not uncommon for geriatric nurses to ensure the comfort of their patients is taken care of as well. They also assist in recognizing and managing syndromes that are common to older adults. Educating the family members of the elderly patient is also a key responsibility in the geriatric nurse. The nurses have to ensure the care provided by the family are only good practices. Ultimately their job scope depends on the institution they work in. Education: The study of geriatrics and gerontology itself is a relatively new branch of medicine. Medical capabilities have progressed to the point where people are now living longer than ever before. The global average life expectancy was at 45[3] years old in 1950-55, and it has now jumped to 76. Recently, the Baby Boomer generation has started to encroach the age of 60-70. As a result there are only a few established centers of learning for the advancement of this field of medicine. Post-basic or advanced diploma courses in geriatrics can also be listed under the name of elderly care[4]. Unfortunately, not many learning institutions or hospitals offer this in Malaysia, as of time of writing. Workload and Working Conditions: It depends on the institution they work in. Geriatric nurses can work in mental health facilities, hospitals, private hospitals, private practices, clinics, and also nursing homes. Some wards may employ geriatric nurses to assist in treatment and recovery of their older patients. For example, renal, cardiology, and neurology all often do this in larger hospitals. Opportunities in Geriatric Nursing As it is a rapidly growing field of high importance, the opportunities for academic study and research are very high. There is a big need for healthcare workers to be trained in the field of gerontology, so local healthcare can keep up with global standards. Some geriatric nurses even can opt to open up their own practices as well. Read more on advancing your nursing career into nursing education HERE . Salary and income The median salary of geriatric nurses is higher than that of a registered nurse[5]. However this depends on many factors, such as duties/responsibilities, experience, and work location. This is expected to increase as demand for geriatric nurses continues to grow ever-rapidly. Read more on how nurses can increase their income HERE. Source: 1. http://today.mims.com/topic/what-are-the-options-for-aged-care-in-singapore-?country=Malaysia&channel=GN-Health-Wellness 2. http://today.mims.com/topic/specialist-spotlight–geriatricians 3. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Life_Expectancy_at_Birth_by_Region_1950-2050.png 4. http://www.imc.edu.my/elderly-care-setting-standards-elderly-care/ 5. http://www1.salary.com/Staff-Nurse-RN-Geriatric-Salary.html Search for high-paying geriatric nursing jobs here at MIMS Career . Sign up and apply today with our safe, secure, and free site. MIMS Career is an extensive job portal for healthcare practitioners such as nurses, doctors, and dentists throughout Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Browse through our vast directory of job vacancies by top healthcare employers. See any jobs you like? Apply with one click, or save it for later if you need some time to think about it. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Set up an email alert, and we’ll notify you when a job vacancy that meets your desired criteria becomes available.

Career Highlight: Geriatric Nursing

Geriatrics is the specialty of care of the elderly. The main goal is to assist aging patients to improve their health by preventing or treating illnesses or disabilities. Currently the mean age of the global populace is increasing[1]....

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Introduction Community health is the focus of the health of a population of a community group, rather than on individuals. It is a very distinct field of medicine and nursing, and therefore must be taught in a separate school of public or community health. The health of a community in the current socio-economic climate poses many challenges that need to be overcome. There are many work opportunities that offer different kinds of responsibilities and skills that healthcare professionals are encouraged to look into. In history, there are a few diseases that have caused a big impact to the world; such diseases include smallpox, polio, measles and mumps. Whilst largely eradicated today, these were debilitating diseases that caused the death of millions, often in a very short span of time. Their eradication is due to large movements by governing bodies to curb these diseases by education and clinical methods to promote mass immunities. More recently, outbreaks like dengue, malaria, and HIV/AIDS continue to pose a threat to the health and well-being of local communities. Community health has caused a lot of good even in non-medical sectors. Mandatory schooling was put into place after it was found that the industrial revolution workplace was detrimental to their well-being. The science of epidemiology (the study of diseases) came about after efforts to understand cholera were being propagated by the British. Also, stronger health and safety standards for foods brought about a remarked interest in wholesome foods for the European population. Why is it important? Herd immunity contains the spread of contagious diseases. It is the basis on which community health (or public health, depending on which region of the world you’re from) is formed upon. Herd immunity is a concept in which most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak. Vaccines are used extensively in this; influenza, measles, mumps, rotavirus, and several dangerous pneumococcal strains are kept at bay due to herd immunizations. These debilitating diseases are extremely dangerous when left to infect a large community. It can cause losses of life, economic downturns, and even social upheaval. There is a growing anti-science and anti-vaccination movement that is seriously undoing all the work physicians, researchers, and epidemiologists have done. These people are averse to any form of scientific and health information that they put their communities at risk because they shun vaccinations and community health practices. A major part of community health lies in the communication of healthcare. When the anti-vaccine crowd refuse to immunize their children, it puts their children and the children of others at risk of conntagions that would normally be of no issue. This fracture in the community is enough to bring back long-eradicated bugs into modern society. It is a major issue to address amongst community health practitioners, doctors, and nurses. How does the work look like? Community health is divided into three: primary, secondary, and tertiary. While loosely related, they all have differing lines of work, responsibility, and career progression. Primary Primary community healthcare focuses on the individual. These are interventions like hand-washing, personal hygiene, immunization, circumcision, diet , and so on. Health communication is key in this area. One can be a nurse, but when working in primary he/she can be a speaker to communicate these practices to the public. Secondary This concerns the environment . The draining of puddles to prevent mosquito breeding, spraying of insecticides to avoid disease vectors like cockroaches , and clearing of rubbish to address rat populations are all part of this. Tertiary Tertiary healthcare consists of clinical interventions . Things like rehydration, surgery, and so on. How to work in community health? Your options are pretty wide. You can check out the public, education, private, and non-profit sectors. In the public sector, institutes like IMR (Institute of Medical Research) work closely with the Ministry of Health (KKM) to deploy methods in increasing the health and wellness of Malaysians as a population. Recently they are doing extensive work combating childhood obesity with they myBFF (My Body is Fit and Fabulous) program . The education sector will be rife of opportunities for clinicians who wish to work in a non-clinical setting. Universities, schools and colleges are potential work areas. The private sector has a lot of companies waiting to get into the healthcare industry as a business. Our company MIMS provides timely information to educate the public and healthcare professionals on latest issues on healthcare. Also we provide a drug information service that physicians and consumers can search any time, anywhere. Non-profit organizations like MAKNA (National Cancer Council Malaysia), or NKF (National Kidney Foundation) hire employees with a clinical background to help them raise awareness of the diseases or patients that they focus on. They constantly look out for people to help them with communication, treatments, and financing. Career Progression Search about these points below to know more about your potential career paths: Biostatistics programs Environmental health and science programs Social behavioral programs Epidemiology programs health services and administration programs Search for high-paying nursing jobs on MIMS Career . Browse, save, and apply for nursing jobs, all in one-click. Take the opportunity for higher pay and better work locations. Our pages are all mobile-responsive, allowing you to take that leap for a better job whenever, wherever you are. All our job postings are heavily screened to prevent scams and mistrustful behavior.

Career Highlight: Community Health

Introduction Community health is the focus of the health of a population of a community group, rather than on individuals. It is a very distinct field of medicine and nursing, and therefore must be taught in a separate school of public or...

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A close relative of mine is a young nurse. Two years ago she started taking care of this nice lady who was partially paralysed; her breathing muscles would no longer function autonomously, hence a tracheostomy was done so she could breathe. The condition left her bed-ridden on bad days, and wheel-chair bound on good ones. She cared for the lady to the best of her abilities, for about 18 months. One day the lady started feeling cold. She was sweating and shivering at the same time. She went unconscious, and had five cardiac arrests within 36 hours. After unsuccessfully trying to stabilize her blood pressure, she died of heart failure. The young nurse was devastated. It wasn’t her own mother, but it might as well seemed like it. It was her first patient death while working as a nurse. It affected her so much she found it difficult to work for the next week. This experience is shared by many nurses in the country. How nurses bond with their patients depends on circumstances and the length of time they provided care to them. A strong bond between patient and nurse is essential to effective nursing, but when death happens, it can deal a very significant blow. The first death of your patient can massively impact you as a nurse. So will subsequent ones. It is extremely important that this doesn’t mentally compromise your ability to do your work. How can you, as a nurse, deal with it? 1. It’s okay to feel emotions. Embrace it fully. You are human. You are in a compassionate profession: the very basis of nursing started on the principle to relieve pain, assuage suffering, and provide help to those of ailing health. It is okay to feel overwhelmed at first, especially when you have cared for the patient for so long. Empathy is good for your job, it makes you a better nurse, but it makes loss more painful. Allow yourself some time to feel, and understand your emotions. Your line of work is to care for people, the noblest of all human traits. Your grief on the death of your patient means that you have done your job. 2. Try to accept the death happened. Some wards have it harder than others for this. A geriatric ward would have the oldest, most needy patients. Conducting CPR on these patients can be cruel, especially if you or your team are not willing to “let go” of the patient. However, death in these parts of the hospital would be a routine part of the day. It is wise to accept it, so you can continue giving out the best care to the other still-living patients without letting it affect the quality of your work. Accept their deaths, and the fact that you have done all you could to alleviate their suffering. Know that you have done your best to keep them comfortable and retain their dignity. 3. Remain in control and neutral if breaking the news to the family. Don’t add to the problem. It is okay to share your emotions with the patient’s loved ones. Respect the family; if they do not wish you to partake in their grief, then kindly leave them alone. They have also gone through much, just like you. Some relatives will blame the doctor/nurse for causing the death. Don’t take this to heart. The Kubler-Ross model of grief lays out five stages, and anger is one of them. Find your own ways to vent, either through support groups, family, or colleagues. 4. Talk about it. Don’t bottle it in. One of the best things about being in the nursing workforce is that you’re surrounded by people who have gone through similar experiences too. Death is prevalent amongst healthcare professions, and sometimes just talking to a senior can help a lot. Find someone you’re comfortable with. It can be a senior nurse, a matron, or even your other colleagues in the ward. Ask them how they managed to overcome such periods of distress. Pour out whatever you’re feeling to them; it is very likely that they have felt everything you are feeling right now. Talking about it helps you make sense of what you’re feeling. By articulating it into words, you can pinpoint exactly what’s bothering you, and help you to come to terms. 5. Realize that these things happen. Things happen. Death is part and parcel of the life in a hospital. Some areas will be more prone to dealing with death than others, like the ER, surgical ward, the ICU. You might find yourself poring over the moments that led up to the death in your mind, going over what you could have done better, what you could have done differently. This leads to a general feeling of guilt. This can be very destructive to your well-being, and can affect the performance of your work to other patient who also need your care. This is not a good coping mechanism if it jeopardizes the health of your other patients. 6. Believe that you are making a difference. The death of a patient does not equal to failure. How you deal with the patient’s relatives is an extension of how you treated their late relative. For all the grief that you may be feeling right now, the patient’s family has it harder. Showing that you cared provides a monumental difference, and leads the family to a safer path of acceptance. Conclusion The trait that sets humans apart from other species is our ability to empathize for our fellow brethren. Other fauna have demonstrated this to a certain degree, but only humans have been able to take it to their very core, make it into their reason to live, and deliver it back to their community. Nursing is more than just facts or skills or the amount of certifications that you can obtain to move your career. It is founded on empathy; the ability to understand others’ suffering and pain. During times when you feel overwhelmed or devastated by the loss of your patient, stand firm and be proud of who you are, because nurses do things that not many will have the capacity to accomplish. You will find your way to deal with it as you become more experienced, and become better at learning what is the best way to help families cope with grief over time. Steel your heart, adjust that uniform, and carry on providing the best that you can give to your other patients.

How to Cope with Death and Loss, as A Nurse

A close relative of mine is a young nurse. Two years ago she started taking care of this nice lady who was partially paralysed; her breathing muscles would no longer function autonomously, hence a tracheostomy was done so she could breathe. The...

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