Paediatric nursing interview questions

General paediatric nurse interview questions give the interviewer an opportunity to determine the type of person you are and how you would be a good fit for the paediatric role you’ve applied for.

Here are a few general paediatric nurse interview questions to expect:

• What is your biggest achievement in your paediatric nurse career?
• What interested you in this role?
• What qualities do you believe a paediatric nurse should possess?
• What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?

To determine what skills you can bring to the role and the type of previous nursing experience you have, the interviewer will ask skills and experience related questions. These can include:

• What paediatric care settings have you previously worked in?
• Have you worked with non-verbal paediatric clients before?
• How would you manage conflict with a young client’s parents?
• How do you manage your time effectively on shift?
• What key skills have you learned during your nursing career?

Interview questions focused on your nursing background give the interviewer an understanding of the level of your nursing expertise and the methods you have taken to manage different scenarios. Here are some questions to expect:

• How do you maintain your nursing skillset?
• What methods do you use to prioritise tasks while maintaining high-quality delivery of care?
• Can you give an example of how you work well in a team?
• What clinical skills have you learnt in previous roles?

An interviewer will ask different scenario-based questions to determine how you would react, approach and manage situations. They’re essentially a test of your skills, knowledge and capabilities. Here are some examples of the questions to expect:

• Describe how you would approach a client’s family that didn’t agree with a clinical decision you made about the client care.
• What would you do if the client’s condition suddenly changes, and they aren’t responding to their treatment?
• How would you manage a client who is conflicting with your colleagues?

When answering scenario style interview questions, it’s important to provide a throughout and methodical answer. This is where you can utilise the STAR interview method which is a response structure to help you organise your answer in a coherent way that gives the interviewer a good understanding of how you would handle the scenario.

Throughout your nursing career, you will have learned the importance of professional boundaries and how they play a key role in keeping clients, colleagues and yourself safe. As a nurse, you will understand why professional boundaries are needed and used in any care setting. In your answer, explain the purpose of professional boundaries and how, as an adult nurse, you believe they are important to your role.

• Situation – Describe the situation and when and where it took place.
• Task – Explain the task or tasks you carried out and what the aim was.
• Action – Give details about the actions you took to complete the tasks.
• Result – Conclude your answer with the results of your actions.

Role specific paediatric nurse interview questions will often focus on the job you’ve applied for to determine how your current experience and skills fit. Here are some role focused interview questions to expect:

• How do you feel your paediatric skills translate to the role of a paediatric nurse at our company?
• The care setting of the paediatric nurse job you applied for is community based, how will you use your skills to ensure our clients receive the best possible community care?
• The responsibilities for this paediatric nurse role are very varied, how will you manage your time effectively to ensure each task is completed to the highest standard?
• Due to the client’s condition, this role requires you to make reactive clinical decisions, how will you utilise your previous experience to meet the changing needs of the client?

Despite this question being general, it can give the interviewer a good understanding of your passion for paediatric nursing, how much research you’ve done about the company and the role you’ve applied for. Understanding what the company does, the type of people they care for, and their values and expectations are important to providing a strong answer to this question.

For further advice on preparing for your upcoming interview, read the ‘How to prepare for a paediatric nursing interview’ section of this guide below.

Paediatric nurses are naturally skilled people who possess a range of qualities. But what are the key skills and qualities a nurse should possess? This interview question gives you the opportunity to share your thoughts and also showcase your own skills and qualities that you’ve developed throughout your nursing career.

*Tip – When answering this question, provide a few examples of scenarios when you’ve had to utilise your paediatric nursing skills and qualities to improve the experience of those under your care.

Throughout your career, you will have had many memorable moments that make you proud to be a paediatric nurse. This question provides an opportunity to reflect and also share key moments from your previous paediatric nursing jobs that you found to be very rewarding.

*Tip – Consider different elements of your paediatric nursing career such as those under your care, your colleagues and opportunities for personal and professional development. These can be great talking points when answering this interview question.

Challenging situations during shifts are inevitable. But being able to confidently manage them in a professional manner can make it easier to reduce them from happening again and successfully handle those situations if they arise again.

This question determines your resilience as a nurse and how you would handle different situations.

*Tip – When answering this question, describe in detail to the interviewer how you would approach and manage a challenging situation. Use the STAR interview method above to ensure you give a detailed and thorough answer.

Time management in nursing is a key skill that nurses use regularly on shifts. The interviewer will ask this question to determine how you would effectively manage your time on shifts whilst ensuring the client remains safe and stable under your care.

*Tip – Share any time management tips or methods you use with the interviewer and explain how they support you to successfully manage your time on shifts.

To make sure you answer this question well, this requires researching your potential employer to learn what type of care provider they are, what they do and the type of nurses they recruit.

For more tips on preparing for your interview, read our ‘How to prepare for a paediatric nursing interview‘ below.

*Tip – If the company you’re interviewing with delivers care in a community-based setting it’s important to research what a community nurse is and how it differs from a hospital-based role.

Related: What are community nurses?

The 6C’s of nursing are part of a strategy that outlines the core purpose of nurses, midwives and care staff and how they deliver high-quality compassionate care to individuals in care settings.

The 6C’s of nursing are important to any nursing role and focus on the core elements of care that healthcare professionals should deliver to improve the experience of their clients and patients.

*Tip – In your answer to this question, share how you believe the 6C’s of nursing are important in the healthcare industry and also to the role you’re applying for.

Related: What are the 6C’s of nursing and how you can use them in your role