How do you manage high stress situations? Give me an example.

Focus on how you are able to maintain emotional stability in the face of traumatic and stressful situations. What resources do you use to do this? Examples include physical fitness, exercise and relaxation techniques.

Take me through a typical day in your previous job.

The interviewer is assessing your ability to organize and plan your day, your energy levels, your ability to be flexible and adaptable, and the sort of pressures and challenges you have to face on a daily basis. Before your interview outline a typical day for yourself and be able to answer this question fluently.

Nursing work often involves a number of daily frustrations. Tell me about some of the frustrations you have dealt with recently.

Dealing with daily frustrations is part of most jobs. Your examples should highlight your ability to demonstrate perseverance, reasonableness and common-sense in the face of common frustrations. Prove you are resilient and able to deal with daily frustrations.

Tell me about a challenging problem you faced in your previous job. How did you deal with it?

This interview question is designed to explore your ability to analyze and manage problems. Be specific in detailing how you gathered the necessary information to clearly evaluate the situation before coming up with a workable solution. Highlight your critical thinking ability and how you are able to apply previous nursing experiences and knowledge to deal with a difficult situation.

What changes have you contributed to established practices to improve patient care?

Nursing interview questions like this are designed to explore your ability to show initiative and to assess and implement new procedures. It also looks at your motivation to go beyond the routine of your nursing job to think about how you can improve on current patient care protocols. Important skills used would include attention to detail, close observation, critical thinking and judgment.

Tell us about a time where you disagreed with a colleague over the management of a patient.

Are you able to work as part of a team? Do you display sufficient maturity in dealing with health care colleagues? What resources did you use to diffuse the situation- listening to your colleague's reasons, gathering information to make sure you had sufficient understanding of the situation. Focus on what you, as a nursing professional, learned from the experience.

Describe a decision you had to take quickly regarding a patient.

This nursing question is looking at your judgment. Take the interviewer through the process you used to evaluate the situation and the criteria you used to make your decision. Show how you are able to rapidly assess the situation and then commit to the most appropriate action.

Describe a situation in which you recently had to handle a difficult and demanding patient.

This question is used to assess your interpersonal skills and ability to resolve conflict. Possible examples include a patient who is uncooperative with treatment or who resists a prescribed care regime. Highlight your communication skills.
 Good nurses have excellent communication skills that include both verbal persuasiveness and strong listening skills. They are able to communicate with patients and families to understand their needs, explain treatments and influence their attitudes while displaying empathy.

What are the biggest challenges facing nursing today?

Healthcare systems globally are struggling to meet the demands of the populations they serve. One of the major problems is the current shortage of trained nurses. Use your interview answer to demonstrate that you have thought about this issue and offer up some reasons as to why there is such a shortage of skilled nurses.
 Possible reasons include low nursing school enrollment due to poor perceptions of nursing as a fairly rewarded career and nurses leaving the profession before retirement age due to job dissatisfaction. You need to be able to show your interest in nursing as a career by demonstrating that you have thought about the current and future issues facing nurses.

How do you stay current with the nursing profession?

Nurse interview questions about your motivation to learn and stay updated are important indicators of your commitment to nursing as a career. Examples include attending conferences, subscribing to professional nursing journals, joining relevant forums and groups and conducting online research.

Why do you want to work in our hospital and/or community?

Use your background research to support your answer. Look at aspects such as the commitment to health care provision, innovations in patient care, the community it serves.

Why did you choose your specialty area of nursing?

Whether the area of specialization is ER, Occupational Health, Community Health, ICU or any other, the key to answering interview questions about your nursing career choice is to be very specific about why you chose it. What influenced you in your choice? How did you explore your options? Highlight how your strengths are best utilized in this area and how it suits your personal competencies.

What did you like and dislike about your previous position?

The interviewer is evaluating your suitability and compatibility with this nursing opportunity. General likes that are applicable to most nursing jobs include learning opportunities, professional growth, job diversity and directly contributing to improving patient care.
 The dislikes should not refer to characteristics of the nurse job you are interviewing for. Stay away from reasons that involve common working conditions such as overtime. Avoid criticisms of your previous employer but refer to the absence of something that you want in your new job such as the opportunity to use your initiative more or learn new skills.
 Expect nurse interview questions that explore your motivation for the nursing job and a nursing career.

What do you consider the most important qualities for this nursing job?

Make your answer relevant to the specific nursing job. For example common qualities required for successful performance as an ER Nurse include adaptability, resilience, critical thinking, organization and planning, emotional stability and high stress tolerance.

Why are you leaving your present job?

Explain how this opening provides a new challenge and opportunity. Avoid criticizing your former employer or colleagues and giving a negative reason for leaving. Focus on the positive possibilities that will come with a move to a new nursing job.

What are your future goals?

Your answer should show your commitment to this job and facility. You can explain how this nursing job meets your long term objectives by providing an opportunity to grow and develop your nursing skills.

Be realistic and select reasonable, achievable goals otherwise you will come across as a bit of a dreamer.

What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a nursing professional?

Prepare three or four key strengths that relate closely to the job you are interviewing for. Reinforce each strength with a concrete example. Go to what are your strengths to help you with this question.
 List of Strengths and Weaknesses
 Be honest about your weaknesses, show you have the maturity and insight to recognize your areas for improvement. State a weakness and then discuss how you are managing it and the improvements you have made so far.

What have been your most significant accomplishments to date?

Describe achievements that relate to this nursing job. Take specific examples and describe how your approach benefited the patient and/or facility.

Why are you interested in this particular nursing job?

Again prepare for this by finding out as much as possible about the job and the facility. Demonstrate why this job is the one you particularly want using this background research. For example:
 "I am specifically looking for a position in a facility like this because of it's excellent emergency care ....."

Why are you the right person for this nursing job?

Highlight why your training and experience qualify you for this specific nurse job. Prepare for this beforehand by closely reviewing the key job requirements and matching the relevant skills and abilities you have gained to these. Provide specific examples of these skills when answering this question.
 Use your background research to show your understanding of the key challenges faced by this organization. Detail how you can help meet these challenges and be part of the solution.

Where did you get your training and what qualifications and certifications do you have?

Explain why you have chosen a specific area of practice. Be prepared to discuss your theoretical training as well as the practical component. Remember to take copies of your certifications with you. You will be asked nurse interview questions around your work experience based on the resume you have submitted. Prepare by carefully going through your resume beforehand. Be completely familiar with your tasks and responsibilities and the skills, abilities and knowledge you have gained.
 Anticipate the following type of questions:
 This nursing job requires training and experience in ......... Tell me how your training and experience fulfill this requirement.
 Your resume shows that you have knowledge of ........ Please tell me more about your experience in this area.
 What is your experience in ..... Tell me in some detail how you went about performing this task? In answering these nurse interview questions highlight special achievements and the acquisition of specific skills and abilities. Use the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to nursing. Speak positively about your experiences and previous employers. Keep your answer relevant to the requirements of the nursing opportunity.
 Prepare for these common nurse interview questions and you will be able to give effective and convincing answers that set you apart as an excellent candidate for the nursing job.