FOR STAFF POSITIONS:

1. What do you think is most important to keep in mind when working with (a particular pt. population)?
2. Tell me about a situation when you were concerned about certain details of a patient’s plan of care. Describe the situation to me, what you did about it and what the end result was.
3. Tell me about a situation in which you and a co-worker did not agree on something work-related. What was the general situation and how did it get resolved?
4. Describe your philosophy of nursing. Can you illustrate that for me? What is your philosophy of patient care?
5. What is the role of the (identify the specialty) nurse as a member of the team in caring for these patients?
6. Tell me about your most recent supervisor. What are some of the things you and your supervisor disagreed on? What were your supervisor’s greatest strengths?
7. In reflecting on your work experience, tell me about some of the things that you feel you have done particularly well and why? What did you find difficult to do? What are some of the problems you encountered?
8. What frustrates you personally? Professionally? How do you deal with them?
9. Do you have any experience with (identify model, such as primary) nursing? What do you like or dislike about it?
10. What kind of people do you like/not like to work with? Why? How have you worked with them?
11. What do you do to unwind?
12. Give me an example of a time when you have pitched in and helped without being asked.
13. Explain the steps you take when managing a patient just admitted to your area.
14. You feel the need to question an order given by a physician who is quick and curt. You feel pressured. What would you do?
15. Describe how you utilize down time at work. Give me an example of something productive you have done during down time.
16. Tell me about your experiences with (identify key situation).
17. Why are you seeking employment here? Tell me what you know about the position? Tell me what you know about this organization.
18. Describe the best boss you have ever had. What characteristics did (s)he possess that made you identify this person as the “best”?
19. What areas of your job knowledge and skill/performance need improvement? How do you plan to grow/change?
20. What gives you a feeling of success or satisfaction? Where and why have you been the most successful?
21. If I were to ask your closest friend to describe you using three words/phrases, what would they be? Why?
22. If I were to ask your coworkers to describe you using three words/phrases, what would they be? Why?
23. If I were to ask your family to describe you using three words/phrases, what would they be? Why?
24. What challenges/obstacles do you think you will experience here/in this job? How do you think you will handle them?
25. Define cooperation.
26. Define customer service.
27. Define teamwork.
28. How would you decide on which of three reasonable job offers to accept?
29. Why do you want to leave your present position?
30. What strengths do you have that would be helpful in this position?
31. Tell me about a time when you had to learn a new skill “on the fly”. How did you feel about that?
32. What do you see as current issues in nursing? How do they impact on your professional life? How do you see them impacting on this role?
33. Tell me about some patient/family teaching you have had experience with.
34. Tell me about a time that you were a charge nurse and needed to react to a sudden change in volume/acuity.
35. What is your most memorable event from nursing school?
36. Tell me about a terminally ill patient or a patient who died unexpectedly that you were assigned to.
37. How do you learn concepts and skills best?
38. What continuing education have you done?
39. What did you learn in your last job?
40. Tell me about an emergency situation you were involved with in your last position. In retrospect would you change anything about how you handled it?
41. I notice that you interrupted your work pattern. What did you do during this gap?
42. I notice that you have had many jobs in a short time frame. Tell me why this occurred.
43. What kind of patients do you not like to take care of? What level do you consider yourself: novice, intermediate, advanced? Why?
44. How do you determine whether a nurse cares?
45. Tell me about certifications you possess. Why did you seek certifications?
46. What would a nurse who works after you say about your care? About your communication?
47. Tell me how I would know that you are competent.
48. Have you made any errors? Tell me about one that you are willing to share.
49. Who is your role model? Why?
50. Tell me how you feel about the statement “Every nurse is a manager.”
51. How do you make decisions?
52. How do you handle your performance review if you do not agree with it?
53. What do you expect from your boss? From administration?
54. Among these three aspects – belonging to a group, making things happen, or overcoming obstacles – which one describes you best? Why?
55. Describe how you contributed to a team work environment in your previous position.
56. Describe a situation in which a patient/family was upset and how you intervened.
57. Can you think of a time in the last year or two when you had to take charge of others to get things done? Tell me about the context of the situation.
58. You are working with an aide on your team. As you enter the room of a patient, you observe the aide silencing the alarm on the IV pump and restarting the infusion. The aide states, “This IV machine keeps alarming and is bothering the patient, so I pressed the silence button for you.” What do you do?
59. A direct admission comes to the unit from the admitting office. The room that the patient is assigned to is still occupied. What do you do?
60. Describe a time when you had to adapt to a change in management.
61. Describe a time when a patient/family was demanding of your time and how did you deal with it? Describe a situation when you noticed that a piece of patient care equipment was not used properly. What did you do?
62. Tell me about the most complex patient you have cared for and how it turned out.

FOR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS:

1. What are your professional goals? What do you expect to be doing in two years? In five years? Why?
2. What was your major accomplishment in your last job? What makes this stand out for you?
3. You probably have some thoughts about what you would like to do in t5his position. Can you share some of them with me?
4. Describe your philosophy of nursing. Can you illustrate that for me? What is your philosophy of patient care?
5. In reflecting on your work experience, tell me about some of the things that you feel you have done particularly well and why? What did you find difficult to do? What are some of the problems you encountered?
6. What frustrates you personally? Professionally? How do you deal with them?
7. What challenges/obstacles do you think you will experience here/in this job? How do you think you will handle them?
8. What do you see as current issues in nursing? How do they impact on your professional life? How do you see them impacting on this role?
9. What do you do to unwind?
10. What gives you a feeling of success or satisfaction? Where and why have you been the most successful?
11. If I were to ask your closest friend to describe you using three words/phrases, what would they be? Why?
12. If I were to ask your family to describe you using three words/phrases, what would they be? Why?
13. If I were to ask your coworkers to describe you using three words/phrases, what would they be? Why?
14. How would you decide on which of three reasonable job offers to accept?
15. How do you make decisions?
16. Tell me about an organizational policy/decision that you disagreed with yet had to enforce. How did you introduce it to staff/subordinates? How did you support it? How did you enforce it?
17. What would you change in nursing?
18. How do you receive criticism? How do you give criticism?
19. How have you changed in the last few years?
20. How do you know when someone understands what you have said? Think back to a situation when you were responsible for communicating something critical to staff that was misunderstood. How did you discover the misunderstanding? What did you do to rectify the situation?
21. Tell me about a situation in which you had to defuse a situation.
22. Describe a situation that tested your problem-solving skills and how it was resolved. In retrospect would you change anything about how you handled it?
23. Tell me about a time that you had to act as an intermediary in an awkward interpersonal situation.
24. Describe your management philosophy/style.
25. Give me an example of when you had to work cross-functionally with another department within the organization.
26. Think back to a time when your department was not meeting set goals. What role did you play in helping to achieve those goals?
27. Were you ever involved in project implementation? What steps did you take to set it into action and what problems/issues did you face? What was your resolution? How did you measure the success of the project? If you were to reassess the project, what could you have done better or differently to improve the implementation process?
28. Describe a situation when a family was demanding of your time. How did you deal with it?
29. Describe a situation where you and a team member had a serious difference of opinion.
30. Describe how you have addressed a non-performing employee. Did the employee’s behavior improve?