Interview Questions

What motivates you?

The ability to make a real change in people's lives. To heal people. To give comfort to people who are hurting.

What is your greatest strength?

*Ability to balance compassionate care with time management, including the ability to prioritize and delegate care.

How have you dealt with conflicts with coworkers?

*None here. *I had an issue at my last job with a coworker who smoked. Her breaks were often disruptive and I felt as though I was doing much of the work on our two-CNA unit. Created a plan where she took a five minute break at the end of every hour and didn't take her longer breaks, so that the break times ended up evenly, and I knew when she would be disappearing.

Why do you want to be a nurse?

*Story about Grandmother's heart tumor and cancer. Decided on medicine, did some research and a shadow day; decided that I liked the bedside care aspect a lot better and decided to be a nurse.

What is your greatest weakness?

*Trouble with confrontation. Would rather let someone have their way if it meant less confrontation. *However, my role as a patient advocate has really demonstrated to me what asking for what you want can result in, and has helped me grow into a more direct problem solver.

With so many talented applicants, why should we hire you?

*Worked at Providence for two years already, know the building, staff, mission, and expectations. *Track record of reliability and caring. *I have long term plans to stay with the hospital, and don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. *All of my clinical experiences have been at a Providence based facility. *My senior practicum has prepared me for compassionate, critical care. *I am waiting on a response for the UW-Bothell BSN program in the fall.

Tell me about yourself.

*Working at Prov for two years. *Five years in healthcare. *About to graduate from EVCC nursing school. *Senior praticuum in MICU. *NCLEX as soon as possible and waiting on BSN application decision. *I believe my experience has given me a calm bedside manner and ability to balance plenty of conflicting demands on my time.

Why do you want this job?

*Working at Providence for over two years, love the positivity of the work environment and mission. *In addition, interested in critical care and trauma, and have read that we are attempting to get level 1 trauma certification. *I want a hospital that I can grow with over the long term.

How have you dealt with conflict with a patient?

*You'll always have patients that are unhappy with their care; not only are they sick, they're often sleep deprived and in pain. I've found that the best way to deal with unhappy patients is to give blameless apologies, listen carefully, and focus on the future. *First day on my MICU practicuum, I had a patient who was very unhappy that I was a student. She believed that she would be left alone in my care, despite what I might say, and said that her pain hadn't been handled by even the real nurses. Not only did I give her plenty of time to state her concerns, I wrote down for her when her pain medications were due, wrote the times on my personal time sheet to remind me when to bring things in, but offered further care for her. After pain medication, a full bath, lotion applied, and a few warm blankets, she was satisfied with her care and was able to go to sleep.

If you were not able to do this profession, what might you choose?

A social worker or a teacher have always interested me. Either way, I would pick something in which I was serving people and helping them in some way.

Three words co-workers would use to describe you?

Calm, team player, with attention to detail.

If you could improve your knowledge on any healthcare related topic, which would you choose?

I absolutely love critical care; I'm passionate about the precision required and the immediate results that you find in that area of nursing. I would love to get my CCRN after working in critical care for a bit.

What do you think of your previous boss?

I have nothing but good things to say about Carol, and I would love to stay on her unit. She checks in on her staff but also allows them the space to perform their work.

If you could have one nursing skill, what would it be?

I would love to the person that everyone feels comfortably coming to on the floor if they need help or have questions. I want to develop leadership skills in becoming a charge nurse, but also in being a leader in knowledge and skills on the floor. Work with approachable people who help people find answers currently, and can't wait to become that person in the future.

How to handle the busiest days?

I write down anything that is asked of me, and complete the most pressing task first. Anything related to patient safety, obviously. I delegate as much of it as I can, and ask for help when I need it. However, I believe a lot of time management just comes down to keep tracking of the tasks that need to be done and calmly proceeding through them.

Describe your most complicated patient/professional achievement.

Intubated, sedated, Versed, Propofol, Fentanyl drip. Severe sepsis, levo and neo drips with blood pressures dropping into the 70s/40s.

Tell me about a time a patient didn't want you care.

Patients who refuse their Q2 turns. Always offer to come back, pain medication, and education on bed sores. Continue to reassess and offer turns and education each time.

If you could increase public awareness on any healthcare related issue, which would you choose?

The risks related with long term drinking. I've seen so many patients with hepatic encephalopathy, withdrawals, seizures, etc, and it seems like it really surprises most people. They know that they can get liver diseases, but don't seem to understand what that means.

When are you most satisfied in your job?

When I am creating real, immediate change in a patient. Whether it's just managing to titrate a drip properly so that an intubated patient is finally resting comfortably, or replacing electrolytes and watching a patient stop throwing PVCs, I love concrete changes in patients and seeing them improve.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

With luck, working here! I will have finished my BSN, and I would love to have moved to a critical care unit and taken my CCRN.