Preparation is key for any successful adult nursing interview. It can help you to feel more relaxed and confident on the day. If you’re looking for guidance and tips to try ahead of your upcoming adult nurse interview, keep reading to learn the most common adult nursing interview questions and how to answer them.
What are the most common adult nursing interview questions?
Let's look at some of the most common adult nursing interview questions to expect and tips on how to answer them.
1. What does a successful shift look like to you?
2. What is teamwork in adult nursing and why is it important?
3. Describe a time when you dealt with conflict during a shift
4. What is one of your proudest moments from your adult nursing career?
5. Why are professional boundaries so important in nursing?
6. Explain how you would manage your time effectively during your shifts
7. What attracted you to apply for the role of an adult nurse?
1. What does a successful shift look like to you?
When answering this question, don’t be afraid to refer back to successful moments throughout your adult nursing career and describe how they led to a successful shift. Think about the key people who were involved in the shift, such as your nursing colleagues and especially the client receiving care.
*Tip - Take time to look at the care setting of the adult nursing job you’re applying for to determine how best to answer this question.
If you’re applying for a community nursing role, read our blog to learn more about what to expect when working in the community as a nurse.
2. What is teamwork in adult nursing and why is it important?
Teamwork in nursing is about working together to provide the safest and most effective care and support to your client. Adult nurses possess a range of skills and qualities that they can use to enable better teamwork during a shift. It’s important to understand and celebrate your colleagues’ skill set and utilise them when possible. There are many reasons why teamwork in adult nursing is important, such as:
- It results in better quality care for the client
- It creates a safe and calm environment
- It enables you to build stronger relationships
- It can reduce risks
3. Describe a time when you dealt with conflict during a shift
This question gives the interviewer a good indication to how you would manage and resolve conflict during your shift. It’s inevitable that conflict may occur during your adult nursing career. It’s important to see it as an opportunity to build your resilience as a nurse and learn from the situation.
When answering this question, think back to a time during your adult nursing career when you had a conflicting situation occur, what steps you took to manage it and what the outcome was for yourself, the client, and your colleagues.
4. What is one of your proudest moments from your adult nursing career?
Sharing your proudest moment from your adult nursing career can reveal a lot about you as a nurse and the positive impact you’ve made in people’s lives. Try to be specific when you answer this question and describe the moment you’re referring to in detail to highlight why it's your proudest moment.
*Tip - To provide a detailed and thorough response to this question, try to cover the 5 W’s and 1H in your answer:
- Who?
- What?
- When?
- Why?
- Where?
- How?
5. Why are professional boundaries so important in nursing?
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.
6. Explain how you would manage your time effectively during your shifts
Effective time management is an essential skill to learn and develop throughout your adult nursing career. Time management skills are transferrable to any nursing role and show your potential employer you can organise your time effectively and be proactive. If you’re asked this question in your interview, list a few examples of when you’ve used your time management skills in your nursing career and how they supported you to have a successful shift.
If you have your own tips and techniques that help you manage your time successfully, share them in the interview. This will showcase your creativeness and ambition to progress.
7. What attracted you to apply for the role of an adult nurse?
This question will more than likely come up in your interview and there are many ways you can approach it. Three key areas to consider when answering this question are:
- Tailor your response to the job description
- Reference key points about the company that you’ve found from research (see advice on researching your potential employer below)
- Explain how you believe you best fit the role you’re applying for
To learn more about adult nurse roles in the community read our blog: What is the role of an adult nurse?
Tips for answering the top adult nursing interview questions
Now we’ve covered the most common adult nursing interview questions, let’s take a look at tips on how to successfully answer them.
1. Do your research
2. Read through the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code
3. Use the STAR method to plan your answers
4. Practice your answers
1. Do your research
Researching your potential employer ahead of your upcoming nurse interview can help you to feel prepared and knowledgeable about the company and the role you’re applying for. It can demonstrate to the employer:
- You’re passionate about the role
- You want to know about the company and their culture
- You want to determine how you can fit into the company
When conducting your research, spend time looking at the job post, the company’s website and social media channels. This will give you a good indication of what to expect from the adult nursing role you’re interviewing for, the company history and culture and the type of healthcare professionals you will be working with.
2. Read through the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code is a set of standards of practice and behaviours nurses should meet. Before your interview, spend some time reading the code to familiarize yourself with the key requirements and expected standards of being a nurse. If the opportunity arises and it’s relevant, try to mention the code of standards in your interview and its importance in nursing.
3. Use the STAR method to plan your answers
The STAR method is a technique often used in answering interview questions in four steps which are:
- Situation – Describe the situation in detail and any key elements to set the scene.
- Task – Explain the task and responsibilities you carried out in the situation.
- Action – Provide descriptive details about the actions you took to address the task.
- Result – Conclude your answer with the outcome of your actions.
4. Practice your answers
Now we’ve covered the common adult nursing interview questions it’s time to put them into practice. Practicing your answers ahead of your upcoming adult nursing interview can help you to feel more confident and prepared during your interview. As well as preparing your answers, this also gives you the opportunity to prepare some questions to ask the interviewer.
Try practicing your answers to the common interview questions with a friend or family member so you have someone to provide you with feedback on your responses, mannerisms, and posture. Having another point of view can help you to change your answers if needed to have a more successful adult nursing interview.
Preparation tips for online adult nursing interviews
For some adult nursing interviews, you maybe required to complete the interview online. This is the case for all of our nursing interviews at Pulse Nursing at Home as they allow nurses to complete the interview at a time that best suits them and in the comfort of their home. Here are a few tips from our Resourcing Team Leader, Annie on how to prepare for an upcoming online adult nurse interview.
1. Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview
2. Find the best place to complete the interview
3. Test your microphone and camera are working
1. Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview
For an online interview you will be required to have your camera on so you will need to look presentable as if you were attending a face-to-face interview. If your dressed professionally and comfortably then you will not only look the part but feel it too. It’s important to find a comfortable and smart outfit for your online adult nursing interview.
2. Find the best place to complete the interview
Completing an online interview in the comfort of your own home can help you to feel more relaxed and confident. Before your interview, spend some time finding the perfect spot to prop your device up against something and a comfortable place for you to sit so you can complete your interview without any distractions.
3. Test your microphone and camera are working
Ahead of your upcoming nurse interview, test the device you are going to be using to make sure your camera and microphone are working properly. Set-up a video call with a family member or friend to check they can see and hear you clearly on the video call. This will give you a good indication of your microphone and camera quality.
Adult nursing jobs with Pulse Nursing at Home
We have a range of adult nurse jobs and paediatric nurse jobs available at Pulse Nursing at Home for passionate nurses wanting to deliver bespoke compassionate care to our clients in the community.
Register your interest today by completing the form below or contact our team via phone: 0333 323 3746 or email: joinus@pulsenursingathome.co.uk