Interview Tips Interview questions may be generic to health care, but most will be specific to the applicable nursing

unit. Here are some of the interview tips to be considered: 1. Research and familiarize yourself with the unit that you are applying to, as well as the specific skills that are required for the position. 2. Interview questions are often a combination of behavioural and situational scenarios. Practise answering some of the following questions aloud with someone else to become comfortable with your responses. 3. Speak clearly and enthusiastically about your experiences and skills. Be professional, but don't be afraid to let your personality shine through. 4. Ask the interviewer questions. 5. Send follow-up thank you note to the interviewer. This will reiterate your interest in the position and help you stand out from other applicants. Sample Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself?

Well, my name is Ira and I recently graduated with honours from Seneca College. I have a very strong work ethic and a team player. My last clinical experience has helped me grow to become the nurse I am today. I learned to develop my therapeutic communication skills. I am excited to begin my new career, and I believe that nursing will allow me to grow into a better person.

Tell us what you know about the organization? What attracted you to apply for this position? What are your strengths/weaknesses? How do you stay current in your practice? What are your short term/long term goals? If I were to ask your professors or co-workers to describe you, what would they say about you? Have you ever had a conflict with a boss, coworker or patient? How was it resolved? How has your education prepared you for your career? Why should we hire you over someone else? What is the most challenging thing you have ever had to do? Tell us about a time when you showed leadership? Explain evidenced based practice and how you use it? Tell us about a time when you advocated for a patient? Describe a difficult decision you have had to make and the process you went through to reach the decision. Would you change anything? How did you handle an irate physician, coworker or patient? What were the results? How would you deal with a coworker who broke policy? What do you feel you need from the managers to ensure a successful orientation?

Don't forget to ask the interviewer questions as well. Some examples of questions you may want to ask include:

What is the nurse/patient ratio? What do you do to ensure a safe work environment? What challenges is the unit facing? How do you motivate employees? What is the management style? How long is the orientation? If I feel I require additional orientation, will it be provided? Do you have any Educational Assistance programs available for employees?

1. Identify a time when you were distressed by your ability to provide care for a patient within the constraints of the health care system and maintained a relationship with the patient afterwards. What happened? What is the patient doing now?

This one threw me. I told of a time when I had a patient who was uninsured and not a citizen, and they were given emergency care and were stabilized in the hospital, but the docs were unwilling to provide the $25,000 surgery to fix their broken bone. I discharged them that way. I understood the business logistics of the situation, but as a nurse, it stunk to watch that patient walking out of the hospital still broken. No I did not maintain a relationship with the patient because I draw professional boundaries in my care and do not become personally involved with patients as a general rule. 2. Identify a time when you had a problem with a coworker. What happened, and how did it turn out. I told about a time when I was a new nurse, and the charge nurse took my statement of "I have no idea if I can take a new patient right now, we need to ask my preceptor" wrong-I think she thought I was challenging her authority, or maybe my tone was just wrong. Anyway, after she walked off in a huff, I chased her down the hallway and apologized for my statement coming out wrong. 3 years later, she was one of the nurses who gave me a personal reference for this new job. Happy ending. 3. Tell of a time you failed at something. What was it, and how did it turn out. I discussed a med error I had made. It was minor, and resulted in no harm, but an error all the same. I considered it a failure of many things including a stressful work environment and simple human nature. I related how it made me much more vigilant when checking medications, and how I consider it a success if I don't make the same or similar error again. I discussed how I have a hard time with the definition of failure because in my eyes the only "failure" is giving up. As long as something is learned from a mistake, it can never be considered a complete failure. 1. What is critical thinking and give an example of a time you used critical thinking in relation to patient care. 2. What is the vision for this hospital? (Obviously, one would have had to take the time to research this specific hospital and know what their vision statement is)