Questions to Expect During a Nursing Panel Interview
Resume & Interview November 27, 2013When it comes to nursing panel interview questions, the more answers you have rehearsed, the better you will do at your interview. Nursing panel interview questions are usually pretty standard, which means it is easy for you to get the practice that you need. The key to preparing your nursing panel interview questions is to actually rehearse them out loud so you will know exactly how you sound. It is even better if you can get a friend or family member to rehearse them with you. Here are five nursing panel interview questions from the University of Pennsylvania that you should practice answering.
“Tell me about yourself.”
This is one of the most common questions, but it can easily be answered incorrectly. You should keep the answer brief and focus on why you became a nurse in the first place. What are your passions and how do they translate into the nursing career?
“How did you motivate a resistant patient to comply with your instructions?”
This question is asked to make sure that you will be able to deal with difficult patients. Think of a time that you used your skills to get the patient to cooperate when no other nurse could. Make sure to have the details down so that you can tell the story effectively to the nursing panel.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Maybe you want to be married with a kid or two, but this is not what the nursing panel wants to hear. They are asking this question to see if you are planning on being a long-time employee and if you have the drive to move up. It is expensive to hire people, and they do not want to waste money on a nurse that is short-term. You could also attack this question from the angle of what skills you hope to have acquired in five years. What professional goals do you hope to have achieved five years from now?
“What gives you the most satisfaction as a nurse? Why?”
This question is asked to see how deep your passion for nursing is. What got you into nursing in the first place? What keeps you coming back to it day after day? Try to show the panel that your love for nursing runs deep, and you wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
“Tell us about a time when you reached above and beyond in your care.”
Hospitals want to hire nurses that have a passion for patient care. They want to know that if they hire you, you will treat patients with respect. Think of an answer that demonstrates how strongly you care for your patients and shows the hospital that they (and their patients) will be missing out if they do not hire you.
Now that you know about some of the main nursing panel interview questions you will be asked, it is important that you have the other details covered as well. Always stay positive during an interview. It is also important to show your sense of humor and personality. Of course, you always want to remain professional, but your goal is to show the nursing panel that you will be a good person to work with. Your interview should leave the panel with an overall feeling of what it will be like working with you.
It may also help to bring along packets with you to give to each member of the nursing panel. Anything you can do to help yourself standout will help your overall chances of being hired. Advance for Nurses believes that you should create packets that include your current resume, a cover letter tailored for the job you are interviewing for, a few letters of reference, and copies of all of your licenses and certifications. If you know that a lot of people are interviewing for a job at the same time, you may also want to include a picture so that the panel can easily identify you when reviewing the applicants.
When you prepare for your nursing panel interview, it will be clear to the panel and will help you land the job of your dreams.
