RN Interview Tips and Tricks | New Nurse Grad Interview Help

Congrats new nurse, I am so proud of you that you have survived nursing school, passed the NCLEX, and now you are looking to get hired. I want to help you nail the interview process! Here are my best RN interview tips and tricks!

Who Am I? I’m a Nurse!

I would love to introduce myself. My name is Meg and I’ve been a nurse for 10 years with a BSN in Nursing from Florida International University. I have worked all over healthcare, from rehabs to Emergency rooms, Telemetry floors to Cardiovascular Step-down units. I’ve seen it all. Healthcare is a wonderfully exhausting and rewarding field, I absolutely love being a nurse and teaching other nurses how to be the best they can be.

How an RN Interview will be Different

When you interview for a nursing position, you will likely be asked about your character, skills, and education. They will give you multiple scenarios to judge whether you are safe, humble, hard-working, and dependable.

What should I say in a nursing interview?

If you have any experience working in healthcare, mention that first. This shows the employer that you already come with skills. Mention if you worked as a server or waiting tables. You want the employer to know that you have patience, you can work quickly under pressure, and give great customer service to difficult people.

RN Interview Sample Questions & Perfect Answers

What would you do if a doctor was rude to you? I would kindly ask what I did to upset her/him and ask how I can better assist them next time.

What would you do if a family member was upset? I would take the time to listen to them and check with my chain of command to see if we can help. I would explain what I could about the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment.

What would you do if you make a med error? I would assess my patient immediately. Second, I would tell my charge nurse/supervisor right away to follow the proper procedures.

RN Sample Resume

The point of a “new nurse resume” is to show the employer where you went to school and if you have any experience/skills that would be useful to their facility. Here is a sample of one of my old resumes:

As you can see, I only put my name and number at the top. I started with previous employment. Keep this area simple, 2-3 jobs max. 4-5 if they are all related to healthcare. Mention if you speak other languages – this is extremely valuable in healthcare. Always share which electronic health record programs you have experience with. This can be a huge factor in whether they hire you over someone else.

What to Wear to a Job Interview as a Nurse?

Wear dark professional business attire.
Wear comfortable clean shoes.
Pull your hair back.
Wear minimal to no jewelry.
And please smile!

I hope this article helps you get hired for your dream RN position. Once you do get hired, I have a comprehensive guide to bedside nursing that I know will help you stand out! Click below!