Tell me about yourself But family is most important to me, and I miss my

nieces and nephews. I grew up snowboarding in the

"I decided to get into nursing when I was 8 years old winter, and can’t wait to go snowboarding again.
because I knew that I wanted to be able to take care
of others. I worked as a junior volunteer at a local Now that I’m moving back to my home town, I’m
hospital during high school, then I was really excited really looking forward to an opportunity to work here
to be accepted into XYZ Nursing Program. I worked at Happier Community
my tail off to get good grades and learn as much as I
could while I was there. I have participated in the I’m just finishing up nursing school. I’ve got a 3.99
NSNA during school, and I am so proud to have GPA and I received an Outstanding Undergraduate
graduate with a good GPA though it was really tough. Nursing Student Award for leadership and caring. As
I have gained as much healthcare experience as I a precept nurse at Newark General Hospital, I
received frequent commendations from the preceptor
could through my clinical experiences, obtaining my
for efficiency. I also maintained 95% positive
CNA certification and working in a nursing home on evaluations for patient education. I supervised
the weekends, and volunteering at flu shot clinics bedsore prevention on my ward, for which my
each year. During nursing school, I realized that had patients were in the top 98%.
a particular interest in cardiac nursing, and this is
why I applied for the position on your unit. I am Before that I worked as a CNA for two years at
Hilldale Nursing Home. My manager there wants to
really excited to be given the opportunity to be
hire me because of my strong work ethic and the way
considered for this position!" I interact with patients. I’d love to work for her, but
I’m very excited about being a nurse here at Clifton
“I’m a lively and energetic person. After a year of Bluffs Hospital. Your commitment to ongoing staff
volunteer work in a child care facility, providing training and patient education fit my skills and drive,
compassionate care has been my primary focus in and I think I’d really grow in this environment.
working as a nurse. I have excellent time
management skills since I juggled different patient Why did you pursue a nursing career?
loads and patient wellness programs at the same time.
Seeing my patients get well as I provide nursing care “As a kid, seeing how well the nurses took care of my
gives me a never-ending energy in this profession.” grandmother in the hospital really made an impact on
me. But, my interest in nursing started when I
volunteered at a hospice care facility near our school.
Well, (smiling) currently I’m in my last semester of The fulfillment I felt in taking care of the patients
nursing school. I’m Class President and received the there made me decide that I wanted to pursue nursing
Florence Nightingale Award for exemplary patient as my profession someday.”
care and academic standing. Before that, and up until
last summer, I worked as a nursing assistant.
Why should I hire you?
For the three years that I was a CNA, I had perfect “I believe my strengths are valuable to
attendance and organized the monthly unit birthday the institution’s reform on the provision of nursing
parties. I always tend to get involved in whatever care. Because of my dedication to the nursing
group I’m in. I’m very social and I get my energy profession, I will ensure that providing quality
from interacting with people, and working in teams. nursing care will be my highest priority. I have these
plans in my mind since I really want to be part of
Last summer, I interned as a student nurse on Med- making this facility the center for quality nursing
Surg at Happy Hospital in the same town where I care.”
attend university. The nurse manager asked me to
stay on and work as an RN on her floor. She said she
really liked the way I interact with patients. It’s Tell us how you work under pressure
probably because I learned a lot from a module I took
“In my previous job as a Labor and Delivery nurse,
called “How to handle patient complaints”.
we sometimes experienced sudden surges of patients
into the unit. Since we could not turn away pregnant
patients undergoing labor, I learned strategies to
manage these surges. I would multi-task between holiday, so I was able to get him moved to a private
patients while ensuring that I was still prioritizing. I room. After that, I talked to him and realized he was
would write down the things that must be prioritized upset over a hopeless diagnosis. He had no friends or
within the L & D unit and carry out the tasks. family and nobody to talk to. I told the hospitalist and
Because of this, during some really busy shifts, we she was able to get a therapist to speak with him.
were able to handle up to 30 patients.” After that he was actually pleasant. All the other staff
and patients on the ward were visibly more relaxed.
There’s always a reason someone is being difficult.
Do you have any career goals?
Treating people with respect can often have
“Five years from now, I aim to complete a post- surprising outcomes.
graduate degree in Oncology Nursing. If ever I will
be hired for the job, I will spend the next two years What are your strengths and weaknesses?
mastering all the skills of being an Onco nurse. I will My biggest strengths are my compassion and my
get additional certifications and possibly pursue a ability to solve difficult problems. There was this one
Master’s degree in a university to further my old man who had night terrors. He’d wake up
knowledge and skills on the job.” screaming every few hours. I thought how I would
feel if it were me instead of him. I took some time to
Do you have any weaknesses? talk to him. I quickly found that just ten minutes of
conversation took away his fear. I came in early for
“I have tremendous amounts of self-initiative- the next five nights to spend time with him. His night
sometimes too much. I realize that it can be a bad terrors left and the other patients on the ward could
thing so I make sure to consult with the nurse sleep peacefully again. My biggest weakness? I get
managers regularly” irritated when other nurses don’t pull their weight,
and it shows.

Are you a team player? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“Yes, I’m a team player since I believe in the In five years, I’d like to be the most valued nurse on
importance of working together in this field. your team. I plan to take full advantage of the
Managing our workload is possible when nurses help continuing education reimbursement you offer to
each other in the unit. Also, patient care begins with expand my skills beyond their current level. I’m
doctors but it doesn’t end with nurses alone. The skilled in patient education and EHR, which I know
works of other healthcare professionals are important you value. There are so many new skills I’d like to
as well.” gain, including budgeting and training others. I think
Cliffton Bluffs Hospital is the perfect place to grow
Why did you want to be a nurse? into a better nurse.

Why do I want to be a nurse? Nursing is my passion. Why are you the best person for this nursing job?
I love providing comfort and education to those in
need, and intervening in difficult situations. Last year I know your biggest concern right now is
I was tasked with handling a tough patient. I did my compassionate budgeting. At NGH, I was put on a
best to listen and provide comfort. As she was team tasked to fix our budgeting problems. We cut
leaving, she said, “I’ll never forget you as long as I inventory costs by 15% while actually increasing
live.” It hit me that my life was important to her. patient satisfaction. We did this through relocating
That’s what makes nursing so meaningful to me. the stockroom more centrally, which saved time. We
Every day, in small and large ways, my existence also put common supplies on a use-based
truly matters to those in my care. replenishment system. Patient care has always been
my passion, so maintaining standards while cutting
costs was a huge win.

Tell me about a time you had to handle a difficult What do you find most rewarding about being a
patient. nurse?

I’ve often faced difficult patients. Handling them is For me, the rewards of nursing never stop coming.
part of the job. One patient in particular was yelling Every day I’m learning and growing in ways I never
at everyone, even for minor problems. It was over a dreamed possible. I feel so good when I see my
patients improve and when I hold the hands of family
members, providing emotional support in times of
tragedy. Helping people feels better than anything
else I’ve ever done, and I get paid for it! It’s the most
amazing career I could imagine for myself.

What’s your strongest skill as a nurse?

My strongest skill is patient education. It can soften

fears and improve outcomes. One patient was unable
to reduce his blood pressure following a heart attack.
I was tasked with helping educate him about diet and
exercise. I sourced some video case studies about
patients just like him who’d changed their routines.
Three months later he wrote me a letter. His blood
pressure and lipid profile were all down into a normal
range.

How do you deal with the stress of nursing?

Dealing with stress is one of the most important parts

of being a nurse. As a CNA in an Alzheimer’s care
ward, I saw lots of patients without hope. Joining the
Alzheimer’s Association forum helped. It gave me
ways to manage my stress and showed me strategies
to give emotional support to patients and their
families. Support groups are my go-to for managing
my stress.