So you’ve landed an interview for a nursing job! Congrats! This is your chance to learn more about the position and see if it could be a good fit for you. Use these questions as a guide, but also feel free to ask anything else that comes up during the conversation. You can always say something like “I’m curious about X,” or “Do you mind if I ask Y?”

questions to ask interview nursing

1. What can you tell me about the unit I’d be working on?

To ask this question, you should:

• Ask the interviewer to describe the unit.
• Listen closely to their description and take notes if necessary.
• Ask follow-up questions if necessary (e.g., “Is there anything else I should know?”).

2. What is the nurse-to-patient ratio?

What is the nurse-to-patient ratio?

Nurse-to-patient ratios can be a big help in determining how many patients each nurse will be assigned, and whether they’ll have time to take breaks. Some facilities are able to give their nurses more time off than others, depending on the number of patients per shift. You may find that some facilities have higher nurse-to-patient ratios than others.

If you’re looking for a job where you’ll get more hands-on experience with patients and spend less time behind a desk or computer screen, ask about this point when interviewing at various nursing homes, hospitals and other medical settings.

3. Can you describe the most common types of cases you deal with on a daily basis?

The most common types of cases you deal with on a daily basis are:

• The average length of stay for patients in the ICU
• The average length of stay for patients in the ER
• The average length of stay for patients in the recovery room

4.. Are patients treated by protocol, or are they treated individually?

Protocols are important. They can save time, money, and ensure that everyone is treated the same way.

When it comes to treatment, protocols are very helpful in many ways. Protocols make sure that everyone who needs a particular kind of care gets it in the same way, which helps with consistency. When all patients receive care in similar ways, there is less chance of mistakes being made during treatment because everyone has been taught how to do every part of their job correctly. For example: if every patient receives an intravenous line with lidocaine as they enter the hospital before surgery then there is little chance someone will forget this step when they are caring for a new patient. Protocols also help save time by ensuring that certain things happen at certain times so that doctors don’t have to take extra time explaining each step of their procedure over again and nurses don’t have to repeat themselves every single day by reminding doctors about important precautions or details about a case before handing off patients from one shift/doctor/nurse team onto another shift/doctor/nurse team.

Protocols also ensure equal treatment between different groups of people within an organization because every person has equal access under these rules (elderly vs young vs disabled vs non-disabled). For example: if you have two hospitals next door from each other but one does not follow protocol while the other does follow them closely then both could experience lower rates than expected within their own facilities because without those systems set up correctly no matter what kind of specialty services they offer as part of their operation (like pediatrics), they could run into problems sooner rather than later due to missed steps along the way like immunizations at birth versus waiting until after kindergarten graduation age before giving vaccines instead.”

5. What is your facility’s policy regarding overtime?

• What is your facility’s policy regarding overtime?
• Does your facility allow you to work overtime? If so, how much? What are the steps to take if you want to work overtime?
• Are there additional benefits for working more than 40 hours per week (for example, in addition to paid vacation time)?

6. How often do you use agency nurses?

Agency nurses are an important part of the nursing staff. They can be used to fill in for vacations and other short-term needs, or to provide extra staffing when there is a sudden increase in patient volume. Agency nurses are not used to replace full-time nurses; they are intended as temporary supplements that help hospitals and care facilities deal with predictable fluctuations in patient volume.

7. Have any nurses at this facility won awards or received special recognition lately?

You can ask a few questions that will help you find out what kinds of awards they’ve received. The answers will tell you how much the facility values their nursing staff, and it can give you an idea of what qualities your potential employer might be looking for in a new hire. For example, if one nurse has been recognized for excellence in patient care every year for the past five years, then you know she/he is probably very good at her job. That’s great news! This person might have some tips to share with you about getting into the hospital’s system and making yourself known as someone who cares about their patients’ wellbeing.

8. What qualities and skills do you look for when hiring a new nurse?

The qualities and skills you look for when hiring a new nurse are:

• Responsibility. The ability to take responsibility for one’s actions, decisions and mistakes.
• Communication skills. The capacity to communicate effectively with patients, family members and other staff members in order to ensure that the patient’s needs are met and that their goals can be achieved. Good nurses are able to explain medical procedures clearly so that each party understands what is going on at all times, as well as what they can expect from the process or treatment plan being used at any given time.
• Flexibility. The ability to adapt quickly when circumstances change while still maintaining a high level of performance within your job duties – especially those involving emergency situations where there may not be much time available before taking action would result in harm coming directly towards either yourself or another individual(s).

9. Can you give me some examples of how other new grads have succeeded here?

You want to be prepared for this question, because it’s likely to come up. There are a few ways you can go about answering it:

• You could talk about how other nurses have succeeded in the program, and what makes their success so special. For example, did they take initiative and start working on projects independently? Did they have exceptional skills or knowledge?
• You can approach this from a personal perspective and discuss your own experience being successful in nursing school. What did you do that was different from other students? How did those strategies help you achieve success?
• You could also talk about what makes the company overall such an awesome place to work for new nurses like yourself. You could mention specific examples of how some of your colleagues were successful here in their roles as well as why those qualities are important for new grads entering into the field of healthcare.

10. Think about what each answer tells you about the job and if it would be a good fit for you.

You’ll want to discuss the job’s duties and responsibilities, as well as what it means to work in this field. A hiring manager will be able to give you more information about a role if they’ve never hired anyone before, so take advantage of this opportunity by asking questions. If there are aspects of the job that are unclear, ask questions that will allow you to gain a better understanding of what it would be like working there.

These questions should also help guide you towards deciding whether or not the position is a good fit for your skillset and interests. It can be easy for candidates who have no experience in healthcare fields to think that any job within healthcare qualifies them for one position or another. However, some roles require specific skillsets which may not be relevant for other positions within healthcare fields (such as physical therapy). The kinds of questions you ask during interviews should help determine how much experience or training is required for each position at hand—and which positions might best suit your needs and preferences!

Closing

We hope this article has given you some great ideas for how to prepare for your next nursing interview. Remember that preparation is key—it’s not enough just to memorize answers; it helps if you come up with them yourself, based on your own unique experiences or interests. And don’t forget the importance of being enthusiastic! As we mentioned earlier, enthusiasm is contagious and can make all the difference between making a good impression and not getting hired at all.