New Grad Interview Question Sheet
I wanted to share a reference I made a while back I was preparing for interviews as a nursing student for my first nursing job. Since I plan to make one for when I start my informatics nursing job search as well, I think it would be fun to have a comparison to look against.
This is the exact same interview questions reference I made for /r/studentnurses on reddit.
Intro
If you are reading this, it means you’re getting ready for interviews.
This document is a compilation of questions asked during nursing interviews found across multiple youtube videos and websites. This does not mean you will be asked every question, but rather there is a chance you will be asked these questions.
For any question, please remember the STAR method of answering a question.
You can easily google what the STAR method is.
Also, learn what the facility mission statement is and how you can apply it to the various interview questions. Interviewers eat that up because:
- It shows you researched the facility beyond what positions are open prior to applying
- You can now directly display traits they’re looking for in their employees into your interview answers and show them how you would be a good fit for the culture of their facility/unit
Common Questions
- Tell me about yourself
- Focus on education, goals, relevant experience
- Why did you want a career as a nurse?
- What do you find rewarding about being a nurse?
- How do you deal with someone who isn’t satisfied with your patient care?
- Tell me what your greatest skill as a nurse is
- Tell me your weaknesses and strengths
- How would your teachers/preceptors/former workplace describe you?
- How would family/friends describe you? Your peers?
- How do you handle the stress of the job?
- Are you comfortable working with other doctors and nurses?
- What do you find is the hardest part of being a nurse/student nurse?
- Why are you the best candidate for this position?
- Why do you want to work here?
- Would you say you’re a team player?
- Give an example of a time you were a team player
- Describe a time you had to deal with a difficult patient, and how you managed it
- Describe the most challenging patient experience you have had
- Describe a time when things got hectic, how did you handle it?
- Describe a complex problem you’ve solved, and the steps you took to resolve it
- Describe a time you took a leadership role
- Why should we hire you?
- What are your short term goals?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- Goals long term?
- What’s most important when selecting a new graduate program?
- What is most important to you in a unit?
- Why X unit/speciality?
- Why do you want to work at this facility?/Why do you want to work here?
- How were you innovative?
- What can you bring to the team?
- Give an example of a time you made a mistake, and how you remedied the situation
- Give an example of a time you made a mistake, and what you learned from it
- What has been your greatest challenge?
- What is your greatest achievement
- What is the hardest decision you’ve had to make recently?
- How do you define great patient care?
- Describe a time when you had a conflict with someone, and how it was resolved
- Describe a situation where you had to work closely with a difficult coworker/classmate. How did you handle the situation?
- Describe a time you had a communication problem and it was resolved
- Describe a time you were a patient advocate
- What is the most important quality a nurse can have?
- How would you handle a rude physician or supervisor?
- Share a time when your organization skills were challenged
- What type of environment do you prefer
- What do you think will be your biggest challenge working on this unit?
Less Common Questions
- Why are you leaving your current unit/hospital?
- More relevant to people working as techs/cnas/pcas applying to positions outside their “home” facility
- Tell us a time you were challenged to quit.
- Are you part of any nursing organizations?
- What certifications do you have?
- BLS, ACLS, PALS, EKG Certification
- Give an example of a time you upheld patient confidentiality
- Describe a time when you were not able to implement evidence based care due to patient beliefs
- You want to implement a new/different way of patient care. Why? What should you anticipate?
- What’s your biggest fear working on this unit?
- Tell me about your last job
- Describe a time you went above and beyond for a patient
- Tell me about a time you faced an ethical or moral dilemma
- How do you handle death
- If you get the job, what do you hope to accomplish in the first week/month/year?
- Tell me how you would use a brick in 5 different ways, aside from a doorstop or for building
- How would you train a new employee to our unit? *
- During night shift, a co-nurse doesn’t come back from their break, what do you do? *
- A family member/visitor is smoking on the unit, how do you respond?
- Do you think you’ll be able to manage work-life balance with starting on a new unit and school?
- More specific to ADN/diploma nurses who mention enrolling in a BSN
*I would be shocked if you encountered this question during a new graduate nurse interview
Patient Scenario/Pathology Questions
I have read most of these patient scenario questions are typically for nurses with at least some experience, but, I have included them because some new grad residencies do ask these questions.
- You see a patient unconscious, what are your next steps?
- Your patient complains of chest pain, what are your next steps?
- You notice a patient has pulled their NG tube, what are your next steps?
- You admit a patient in DKA, what can you expect in their plan of care? What are you most concerned about? What meds can you expect?
- What does sepsis look like clinically?
- What are the two types of strokes and how would each of them be treated?
- How do you prioritize the following patients?
- Pt A will be discharged, going to be picked up at 9:45
- Pt B had a fall in the morning, has a visible bruise; family member is upset at you
- You have a new admission (Pt C) coming soon
- A different pt (not your own) is unresponsive, decrease LoC
- How do COVID patients present and what treatments are implemented for them?*
*I would be shocked if you encountered this question during a new graduate nurse interview
Potential Questions for You Interviewers
Please do not ask the interviewer every single one of these questions.
- How long is the new grad residency?
- How is the residency structured?
- How do you measure competency during training?
- How is performance evaluated and how frequently after orientation?
- During my training, who can I always turn to for support or teaching aside from the preceptor?
- What have been the biggest struggles on this unit for new grads?
- What does a typical day look like on this unit?
- What do you believe is the most important trait for a new nurse to be successful on your unit?
- What do you like about X facility/system?
- What is your management style?
- How would you provide feedback to a nurse who has made a mistake?
- How would you describe the culture of the unit?
- What are some current challenges in the unit?
- What is a short term goal currently being addressed on the unit?
- What is a long term goal currently being addressed on the unit?
- What kind of patients population/cases are typically seen on this floor?
- (Ex:COVID+, transplant (what kind), CABG/Open heart+tele or just tele, etc)
- What kind of opportunities are present for continued development and growth?
- What kind of professional certifications are expected/required?
- (Ex: CEN, CCRN, TNCC, CMSRN)
- Does the hospital reimburse for certification testing cost?
- What is the time requirement for acquiring said certifications?
- How much experience is expected before a nurse is asked to charge?
- What is the clinical ladder at X facility?
- How is rounding done on this unit?
- How are nurses expected to participate during morning rounds?
- What is the turnover rate in the unit?
- What steps are taken to ensure staff safety?
- How would you define success in this position?
- What are common errors that you see on the unit? How can they be avoided?
- What EMR system is used at this facility?
- What kind of staffing can I expect on the unit for days and nights?
- How does scheduling work?