Nursing Interview Questions and Answers Part 3

10. Is compassion a necessary trait to be a nurse?

Answer:

Compassion means a feeling of understanding and concern for suffering. It is one of the important traits necessary for a nurse to have.

Being a nurse you can't get emotionally involved with the patients otherwise you won't be able to take the quick actions that is of prime importance in this role. At the same time, being compassionate helps you offer your services with much more understanding.

So, to answer this question, you can say something like, "Yes, I believe that compassion is one of the prime qualities for nurses to discharge their duties effectively. However, I always try to stay objective and practical which allows me to take the quick and rational actions even in tough times."

11. If a new joinee commits some mistake; how would you handle it as a supervisor?

Answer:

As a nurse, you deal with human life which is very valuable. A small mistake could be fatal.

So, to answer this question, you can say something like - "As a supervisor, I would advise the new joinees to be very cautious and careful. If they are unsure of something, I would advise them to seek help. However, if a mistake is committed, I'll try to understand what caused the mistake and how it can be prevented in future."

12. As a supervisor, how would you motivate the staff nurses?

Answer:

Nursing is a stressful job. To ensure that you patients get the best care, it is highly important that your nurses are motivated and the work environment is good.

In order to keep the nurses motivated, the supervisor should be have a great clarity about their own responsibilities.

The supervisor should communicate with the staff and involve them by asking for suggestions and ideas which will provide a healthy work environment. This practice will make the staff nurse feel more valued and the work culture & processes would see a constant evolution.

It is also important that you nurses have a good understanding of functions in other departments and relation with the people in working there like pathology, radiology etc. This would ensure that they know the processes well, are less stressed & produce better results.

13. As a head nurse, you need to execute discipline in the staff. How would you do that?

Answer:

In every job, there is a protocol that every employee should follow. You can say that as a head nurse and supervisor, you would counsel the staff members and ensure that they are aware of the protocol, they are expected to follow.

If they fail to do so, they would have to face the necessary disciplinary action.

14. As a nurse, you sometimes might have to work all by yourself and sometimes in a team. What would you prefer?

Answer:

With this question, the interviewer is trying to understand your ability to take responsibility and work in a team.

So, to answer this question, you can just say that, "It all depends on the situation and your only motive would be providing best care to the patients whether working alone or in a team."

15. Staffing is one of the important duties of a head nurse. How would you handle that?

Answer:

Staffing is one of the important duties of the head nurse and it needs good management skills. The interviewer wants to see how well you can manage other activities that are not directly related to your job.

While answering this question you can say that you will do staff scheduling periodically and regularly, may be at the start of each month or a week so that the staff is aware of their duties.

You would ensure that you have the sufficient staff to handle emergencies and for a backup, if the need arises.