Most Common Behavioral Nursing Interview Questions (How to Respond)

When it comes to nursing, it’s not just about having the right qualifications on paper. Hiring managers are also looking for candidates who have the right personality traits and behavioral qualities that are essential for success in the field. That’s where behavioral interview questions come in.

Behavioral interview questions are designed to get you to open up about your past experiences and behaviors, so that the interviewer can get a better sense of how you handle various situations. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at some common behavioral interview questions for nursing, and provide tips on how to answer them effectively.

What Is a Behavioral Interview Question?

Behavioral interview questions are open-ended questions that prompt candidates to talk about specific instances in their past where they demonstrated certain behaviors or skills. They’re designed to elicit detailed, concrete examples of how you have handled various situations in the past, rather than hypothetical scenarios.

For example, instead of asking, “How would you handle a difficult patient?”, a behavioral interview question might be, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient, and how you handled the situation.”

By asking behavioral interview questions, hiring managers can gain insight into a candidate’s thought processes, problem-solving skills, communication style, and ability to work under pressure.

What to Expect from Nursing Interviews

Nursing interviews will vary based on the exact position, location, and type of medical space, but there are some common themes — especially with regard to behavioral nursing interview questions — that you should know about.

Nursing Interview Question Themes

There are some common themes that seem to tie nursing interviews together. Some of the most recurrent behavioral nursing interview question themes include:

• Patient-care
• Communication styles
• Teamwork and cross-collaboration
• Ambition 
• Central principles or values
• Time management
• Adaptability

There may be other themes you’ll notice, but these are the most common.

Improve Your Interviewing Skills with Yoodli

Preparing for a nursing interview can be nerve-wracking, but with the help of Yoodli, you can feel more confident and prepared. Yoodli is an AI-powered interview speech coach app that provides feedback on your key talking points, filler words, rambling, body language, and more. You can practice the most common behavioral nursing interview questions with its interview simulator, too. 

But this generative AI interview coach goes beyond helping you prepare before your interview; it even gives you private and gentle nudges during your actual interview to help you hit your main talking points, make eye contact, and slow down. Because it’s private, the interviewer won’t see these real-time tips — only you will be able to see them. 

Best of all, Yoodli provides a judgment-free environment where you can practice and improve your interviewing skills.

Whether you’re a new nursing graduate or an experienced professional, using Yoodli can help you stand out in your next nursing interview. You can get started for free at http://www.yoodli.ai.

Common Behavioral Interview Questions for Nursing

Although every nursing interview will be at least slightly different in some way, there are definitely some common behavioral nursing interview questions that seem to pop up in a majority of nursing interviews. That being said, here are the top behavioral nursing interview questions you should prepare for:

• Tell me about a time when you had to prioritize patient care.
• Describe a time when you had the opportunity to educate a patient or their family.
• Give me an example of a time when your healthcare team had a conflict. What was it and how did you mitigate this?
• Describe a situation where you had to work as part of a team to achieve a goal.
• Give an example of a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient or family member.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult medical decision.
• What’s the proudest you’ve ever been of your healthcare team? What was the situation and why?
• How do you talk to people without using any medical jargon or industry-specific terms?
• Describe a situation where you had to provide emotional support to a patient or their family.

How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions for Nursing

When answering behavioral interview questions, it’s important to be specific and provide as much detail as possible. Use the STAR method to structure your answers:

• Situation: Describe the specific situation you were in.
• Task: Explain what you needed to accomplish.
• Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation.
• Result: Share the outcome of your actions.

It’s also important to highlight your skills and qualities that are relevant to nursing, such as empathy, communication, problem-solving, and attention to detail. Use real-life examples from your past experiences to showcase these skills.

The Key Takeaway

Behavioral interview questions are an important part of the nursing job interview process. By preparing specific examples of your past experiences and using the STAR method to structure your answers, you can showcase your skills and qualities that are essential for success in the field. And with the help of Yoodli, you can feel more confident and prepared for your next nursing interview.