You’re going to graduate nursing school soon and have started applying at different facilities and finally gotten some interviews. You’ve read that you’re supposed to practice questions beforehand, but what questions are those exactly… and why is this necessary?
Whether you’re a seasoned nurse or a recent graduate, mastering these key most common nursing interview questions and answers will undoubtedly bolster your confidence and increase your chances of landing that dream job in the nursing field.
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Most Common Nursing Interview Questions and Answers
Stepping into the realm of nursing interviews can feel daunting without the right preparation. You’d think you’ll be able to recall the various patient scenarios mid-interview, but it’s harder than you’d think. Eventually, your clinicals blend together and you forget some things regarding your personal experience. Now you’re in a high-pressure situation, and it’s even more difficult to recall.
To help you navigate this crucial stage with confidence, we’ve curated a collection of the 4 most common nursing interview questions and answers. Each query serves as a pivotal opportunity to showcase your expertise, dedication, and suitability for the role.
1. Why do you want to become a nurse?
This classic question helps interviewers understand your motivation for choosing nursing as a career. It’s a pivotal moment in the interview where you now have the opportunity to articulate your passion for healthcare and your genuine desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Basically, everyone asks this question first – be ready for it! Take a moment to reflect on and find your most authentic response to this question.
If you went into nursing for more practical reasons, like I did, but found you enjoy it – that’s okay! Be honest, but also balance it with a caring and considerate tone and awareness.
Other examples of answers are:
- Patient Interaction: “I’m drawn to the direct patient interaction in nursing. Building relationships with patients, understanding their needs, and offering comfort and support during challenging times is incredibly rewarding.”
- Scientific and Technical Aspects: “The blend of science and human connection in nursing is fascinating to me. I enjoy the challenge of applying medical knowledge to provide evidence-based care while also considering the unique needs of each patient.”
- Specific Specialties: “I’m particularly interested in [mention specific areas like pediatrics, oncology, or emergency care]. The fast-paced environment and the opportunity to make a critical difference in [explain the specialty’s focus] patients’ lives is highly motivating.”
- Compassion and Empathy: “I’ve always been drawn to helping others, particularly during vulnerable times. Nursing allows me to combine my compassion with practical skills to make a real difference in people’s lives.”
For this part of the interviewing process, you can include a quick personal story, if you have one, as to why you chose this profession. Make sure you keep it brief, and if it’s something that invokes serious emotions for you (like the death of a loved one), make sure you’re able to communicate the story without getting lost in it and eliciting emotions that are hard to reel in.
The following is an example sample answer of a brief life story: “Witnessing my grandmother’s compassionate care from her nurses during her illness solidified my desire to pursue a career in nursing. I want to emulate that level of dedication and provide the same level of comfort to others.”
These are simple ways to craft the answer to this question, just remember to keep it simple and real.
2. How do you handle stress on the job?
Nursing can be a high-stress profession, and that’s why this is a common interview question. Interviewers want to know that you can manage stress effectively and maintain high-quality care even under pressure. By discussing your strategies for maintaining composure and prioritizing tasks during stressful situations, you can demonstrate your resilience and commitment to delivering exceptional patient care, regardless of the challenges that may arise.
Here are some stress management possible answers:
You can talk about short and long-term stress. Highlight your ability to implement both immediate coping mechanisms, such as taking short breaks when needed, as well as long-term strategies for chronic stress, like self-care practices and seeking support from colleagues or mental health professionals, to effectively manage stress and maintain your well-being in this demanding field of nursing.
You can discuss your routines to ensure you set yourself up for success and to mitigate it as much as possible. Items to include regarding your routine could be the following:
- Getting good sleep before each shift.
- Taking care of yourself physically, however that looks for you.
- Good routines before and after work.
- Good mental and emotional boundaries to ensure you’re engaged while at work, but able to disconnect at home.
Another element to discuss here is time management. You could say that at work, you manage time well to efficiently work through the usual large number of tasks.
Delegation is a key element to be discussed for stress management. Talk about how you ensure to maximize delegation and prioritization to ensure the most important things are taken care of.
The following is an example of an answer to this question: “I have a good level of self-awareness, so I can tell when stress is creeping up and becoming unmanageable, and I can take a break. I also know the balance of when to ask for help”.
3. Can you describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient or family member?
This question assesses your interpersonal skills and ability to handle challenging situations with diplomacy and empathy. Being able to navigate complex interactions with patients, families, and colleagues is crucial for successful nursing. The interviewer wants to see if you can effectively communicate, de-escalate tense situations, and build rapport with people from diverse backgrounds.
Focus on the problem and how you fixed it, not how ridiculous the problem was or the mistakes of others. Your response should showcase your ability to actively listen, understand different perspectives, and respond with compassion and respect. Think about a time you encountered a challenging interaction, focus on the specific issue that arose, and explain how you approached it.
Instead of recounting a situation where someone made a mistake or encountered a trivial problem and you intervened to resolve it for a family member, consider sharing an experience where you provided support and empathy to someone during a challenging or difficult moment in their life. This shift in narrative allows you to showcase your capacity for compassion and understanding, highlighting your ability to offer meaningful support during times of adversity.
For instance, you might describe a situation where a patient’s family member became frustrated and agitated due to a lack of information. Instead of dwelling on the family member’s emotional state, explain how you actively listened to their concerns, clarified any misunderstandings, and ensured they received clear and timely updates. Highlighting your problem-solving approach, not the specific details of the family member’s outburst, demonstrates your ability to manage difficult situations constructively.
4. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a nurse?
Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses shows self-awareness and a willingness to improve. This is super important for the interviewer because a self-aware nurse is more receptive to constructive criticism and open to discussing challenges, leading to a more positive and productive work environment.
Choosing your Strengths
Make sure your strengths are reasonable ones, especially if you’re a new grad. Remember, saying you never make mistakes isn’t realistic. Also, saying that you go above and beyond for everyone isn’t realistic.
See this example of a nurse in an interview claiming to have infinite stamina as a strength:
“Well, I’d say I never get tired. I can just keep going and going, no matter how long the shift or how demanding the situation is. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I could work for days straight without even needing a break!”
This unrealistic strength could be shifted into this:
“I’d say I’m a very resilient and energetic person. I can handle the demands of long shifts and challenging situations. However, I also understand the importance of work-life balance and taking care of myself. This helps me stay focused and bring my best self to every patient interaction.”
Here are some other ideas of strengths:
- “I love pathophysiology, so I am very knowledgeable about that and interested to learn more.” This example is based on an educational background strength and related to clinical skills.
- I have worked with physicians before in doctor’s offices, so I am used to building rapport with them.” This is focused on a previous experience type of strength.
- “I am tech-savvy, so I pick up new technology quickly.” This talks about specific skills that can make you stand out. For some jobs, this could be an essential skill.
- “I am dependable; you can rely on me to work my shifts, be on time, and perform well.” This is a personal quality type of strength.
- “I want to be a better nurse and realize that I will need to be coached along the way, so I am open to feedback and do not take it personally when corrected.” This is also a personal quality type of strength, which is a soft skill.
Some nursing positions will require some key skills you need to showcase. Make sure to review them according to the role to see if you have them and mention them as strengths.
Finding your Weaknesses
It’s important to mention how you’re working on your weaknesses, meaning describe them and explain what you are doing to overcome them. Also, make sure the weaknesses are real ones, don’t fake or lie, the interviewer may note you are not being honest.
Now let’s take the “pathophysiology passion” to make an example of a weakness you have and how to mention you are working to overcome it:
“One of my strengths is my strong knowledge base in pathophysiology. I’m fascinated by how the body works and how different diseases manifest. This allows me to quickly grasp complex medical concepts and confidently explain them to patients in an understandable way. However, I recognize that sometimes I can get too focused on the science and forget to consider the emotional aspects of patient care fully. To address this, I’m actively seeking opportunities to improve my communication skills with patients, particularly focusing on active listening and acknowledging their emotional needs. I recently started volunteering at a local hospice center, which allows me to practice compassionate care and emotional support in a different setting.”
To expand on the weakness question, check out my tips below in this short video:
If, by chance, you are interested in becoming an ICU nurse, I have an article with specific ICU nurse interview tips.
Did you like these common questions and answers? If you’re nodding your head yes, you should check out my comprehensive course, Hired: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Nurse Resumes and Interviews, where I have a full database of questions and walk you through how to craft a genuine response to really WOW your interviewer!
Things You Shouldn’t Do in a Nursing Job Interview
Acing a nursing interview requires more than just technical knowledge. While showcasing your qualifications is crucial, it’s equally important to avoid common pitfalls that can derail your chances. Let’s go through some of them.
- Don’t make the mistake of not practicing questions. It makes the intense Q&A of an interview go much smoother, especially if you’ve had limited clinical experiences to pull from. Take some time to refresh your memory and write them down if needed. Practicing not only sharpens your interview skills but can also help you unearth hidden strengths and experiences you might not have considered relevant at first.
- This self-reflection can lead to richer and more compelling responses during the interview.
- When describing experiences, don’t cut down other nurses to make yourself look good. It doesn’t work, you just end up looking like someone who has to put down others to elevate yourself…. not a good look.
- A positive and collaborative approach is always the best route!
- Don’t make up answers. Nurses are good at reading people and can typically tell when someone is making up an answer just to get through it. If you don’t know something, admit it, but counteract that with an opportunity to learn, a similar experience, or something you observed but really spoke to you.
- By being upfront with the interviewer, you establish yourself as a reliable and transparent individual, qualities highly valued in the nursing profession.
- Don’t refer to the same scenario over and over again. This is why practicing is so helpful because it brings various situations back to the forefront of your mind, allowing you to showcase your diverse skillset and adaptability in handling different challenges.
- Interviewers appreciate candidates who can demonstrate their ability to navigate a range of situations, not just a single instance.
Mastering the most common nursing interview questions and answers is essential for any aspiring or seasoned nurse looking to excel in their career. By honing your responses and demonstrating confidence and expertise, you’ll undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on your interviewers.
So, whether you’re embarking on your first nursing job or aiming for advancement, remember to prepare thoroughly and showcase your skills like a true professional. There is no perfect answer, but with these insights and strategies at your disposal, you’re well-equipped to navigate any nursing interview with ease and grace. Best of luck on your journey towards success!
More About Nursing Job Interviews
- Resume Tips for Nurses
- Nursing Interview Questions: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
- Nursing Interview Questions and Answers
- When You Don’t Land Your Dream Job
- What to Wear to a Nursing Interview
Are you done with the guess-work of applying and interviewing for nursing jobs?
Hired from FreshRN is a self-paced, online course for ambitious nurses who want to be the ideal candidate for their dream job. Amber Nibling, MSN RN-BC, and Kati Kleber, MSN RN have interviewed hundreds of nurse applicants and they give you the inside scoop of what interviewers are thinking. Learn everything you need to know to impress potential employers (and yourself) by learning what the hiring team expects from you, so you can not only meet but exceed those expectations.
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