Northside Hospital has a diverse workforce. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?

"I have worked with diverse groups of people most of my career, including my time in University. I am most comfortable, and happy, in this type of environment because it offers me unique learning opportunities."

Are you accustomed to working with a very large or diverse team of individuals? Assure the interviewer that you can handle an environment that offers diversity. Even better, give an example of being able to embrace diversity in the workplace.

"I am so glad you pointed out your need for diversity at Northside Hospital, Inc.. I greatly value diversity. I grew up in a fairly homogeneous town in Montana. When I hit my 20's, it was so important to me to learn about other cultures. I worked with community volunteer organizations in Peru, inner-city Chicago, and Russia."

Northside Hospital was initially looking for someone with 5 years' experience in a similar role. Considering you have just 2 years' experience, would you be willing to accept this position at a lower salary?

"I would be happy to earn my way to the top compensation level if required. I do assure you that, despite my being shy of experience by a couple of years, I am a top performer and you would not be disappointed in my performance."

Are you willing to earn your way up if the interviewer does not want to offer you top compensation? Discuss with the interviewer what you would expect for compensation if offered this position.

"I understand I do not quite meet the qualifications of experience you are looking for and am willing to be compensated in adjustment to that fact. However, I do look forward to proving my worth to Northside Hospital, Inc. in hopes to be considered for the median salary for the role."

Do you think it is possible to be a good team member, yet disagree with the leader?

"I think that it is possible to be a great team member, even when disagreeing with the leader. It's all in how you maintain respect for each other despite the difference in opinion."

The interviewer wants to know that you can be diplomatic in the workplace, even when you may not agree with your leader. Show the interviewer that it is possible for you to be a good team member, yet disagree with the leader from time to time. Explain that you believe everyone is entitled to their own professional opinion, yet capable of maintaining respect for each other at the same time. Show that even if you disagree with the final decision they make, you support the direction the team is heading.

"I believe that being a good team member is more about attitude than it is about compatibility. You do not need to agree with everyone 100% of the time, to be effective in your job."

What ways have you found effective to work with colleagues from another clinic site or hospital site? What were any challenges you encountered?

"In my current position, I work at a satellite clinic away from our main campus. My supervisor sits at our main campus as well. I can effectively utilize email to communicate with them and I always carve time out of my workday to make sure I am caught up on emails. For my patients, I always have to ensure that my notes in the EHR are clear, concise and up to date because many patients get referred to our main campus where my colleagues provide care to them. And as always, I don't hesitate to pick up a phone when needed."

Northside Hospital has a large network of outpatient clinics around the Atlanta area so your job may entail you to communicate and work effectively with other colleagues remotely. Your interviewer will be looking for your ability to do this. Talk about experiences you have in working with fellow employees that are at a different location than you and explain how you communicate effectively with them. If you use technology like email, instant messaging or the EHR to communicate, talk about how you utilize that technology.

What is your greatest weakness?

"I believe I could improve on some technical skills including Excel and Word. Currently I am at a beginner to intermediate level; however, I would be more comfortable at an advanced level. I have enrolled myself in an evening/weekend workshop for the next six weeks. We will see how stellar my skills are after that course!"

Pick a weakness that is not a core skill for this position. You can be candid in your answer; recognizing that you aren't great at something and acknowledging your need to improve. Be sure to have an action plan in place for improving on this weakness. Perhaps you are watching TED talks to gain skills in a particular area, reading the latest-and-greatest book on the subject, or maybe you are taking a seminar at a nearby community center. We are all human with our weaknesses, so don't be afraid to share yours!

"I know this will come off as cliche, but it's truthful. My weakness is in not delegating. I know what I want to be done and how I want it done, so it's often easier to do it myself. However, it can inhibit my ability to grow. I cannot take on every step of a project; I need to be able to give the task or a portion of it to another team member or direct report, let go of the control and know it will be taken care of. I've spoken with my current manager about it, and we've developed a system where he can call me out on the behavior since often I'm not aware of it. By bringing awareness to it at the moment, I find my propensity to hold onto control has decreased, so I'm certainly moving in the right direction."

Rate your problem solving skills from 1-10. How do you justify your rating?

"I rate my problem-solving skills as an 8/10. I will, on occasion, have times when I am not as efficient as I would like to be but all in all, I do feel that my problem-solving skills are above average. My supervisor and co-workers will attest to my fast reflexes when a problem arises, and they would also say that I remain calm under pressure."

The interviewer wants to know how you would rate your problem-solving skills. Of course, you want to give yourself a strong rating; however, it's essential that you remain realistic. Everyone has room to learn and improve! Be sure to justify your score as well.

"I would say I get a solid 8.3 on a scale of 10. Seems weird to give myself something like a .3, but I think of it as an 83%, which is a B- teetering on a solid B. It's a solid grade, with definite room for improvement, since I'm certainly not perfect. The reason for the B-/B grade would be that I'm quick to take action and figure out the solution as I go, but sometimes I could benefit from taking a moment to pause and reflect or gather other contributors before taking action. That said, I believe I generally get the best outcome possible when faced with a challenge."

How do you feel about getting to work with medical and nursing students while seeing patients in a clinic or hospital setting?

"I always look back to my time I was doing my clinical rotations and the great preceptors that I worked with. One in particular really was the motivating factor in me pursuing a career as a nurse in a maternity ward. As I've become a more experienced nurse, I've always loved working with the nursing students that rotated with me from the local university and I'd look forward to more opportunities with Northside to be able to pass my skills and knowledge along to others."

Northshside Hospital has a robust nursing residency program and physician fellowship programs that put the future of the medical profession on the patient care floors with employees. Talk about the importance your medical training had on your career and stress that the passing of skills and knowledge to others is important to help advance the field. If you have experience working with students, talk about your experiences and your willingness to work with them.

"Having been a PA for many years, I've had the opportunity to work with nursing students on rotations, aspiring PA's on their rotations and resident physicians. I've always enjoyed working with them because not only does it allow me the opportunity to teach them something they may not know, but it also provides me an opportunity to learn a new technique or skill. In the ever-changing world of healthcare, we can all learn from each other and I appreciate these opportunities."

What type of work environment do you dislike working in?

"I can be productive in most work environments, so long as the mentality is positive and teamwork is encouraged. I cannot work in an environment that feels negative or toxic."

Are you pretty flexible in your ability to work in most environments? Have you experienced a position where the atmosphere wasn't conducive to your productivity? Be sure to know the type of situation offered in this position prior, to the interview. If you aren't completely clear on the workplace environment or culture, kindly ask the interviewer to expand on the work environment for you.

"I prefer to focus on the positive, so if it's okay, I would like to share with you what my ideal work environment looks like. My ideal environment is organized, collaborative, positive, energetic, and encouraging. I love working with like-minded people who set challenging goals for themselves. I thrive when I work for supervisors who encourage curiosity and creativity in problem-solving."

With the ongoing changes in the healthcare services industry, how do you keep your knowledge current?

"Every morning I listen to X Podcast because I find the information to be fresh, and valuable. In addition to this podcast, I also subscribe to a couple of industry blogs. One is ABC, and the other is XYZ. I greatly value the information shared between fellow professionals. What resources do you prefer to stay on top of industry trends and changes?"

Employers expect employees to stay up-to-date on their respective field, and today's technology makes this reasonably easy! List several ways that you receive your industry knowledge and stay on top of trends. Tell the interviewer about those daily update emails you receive from professional organizations, conferences you attend, and seminars you have taken.Lastly, it's a great idea to ask the interviewer what resources they refer to for industry trends. That question can start up a great conversation, and you may learn a thing or two as well.

"I am an avid fan of google alerts! I will receive an email with the related information any time there is a major headline about the healthcare services industry. In addition to this, I also subscribe to a couple of medical-related journals."

The city of Atlanta and the surrounding area is a very culturally diverse area. What experience do you have working with a diverse base of patients?

"With my current employer, I had the wonderful opportunity last year to work on a mission trip to Haiti where we provided care to less fortunate people on the island. With a team of physicians, me and fellow nurses worked with patients of all ages with infectious diseases, broken bones, collapsed lungs and many more traumatic injuries. We were able to use a translator when necessary. While there, I remained focused on caring for each patient as I would any other patient in my Emergency Room. This was both a humbling and very enlightening experience for me personally."

Northside Hospital resides in the greater Atlanta area and they see patients from all different walks of life. Your interviewer will be looking to hear that you provide great patient care to every patient you encounter, no matter their age, sex, gender, orientation, creed or color. Be open and honest about your experiences with a diverse patient base. Talk about some enlightening experiences you have working with these patients. If your experience isn't as cultured as you would hope, that's okay. Just reiterate to your interviewer that you're able to work with people from every walk of life.

"Having lived in Atlanta my entire life and having worked in healthcare around the city, I really thrive on the cultural diversity of the city and the patients that I see. Each patient provides me a new learning opportunity and by taking the time to talk and getting to know my patients, I learn a ton from each person."

If Northside Hospital hired you today, what would you accomplish first?

"When we were speaking earlier, you mentioned that you were urgently seeking to improve the level of patient care and compassion at this facility. I want to offer my strong skills when it comes to building patient rapport and help to improve the satisfaction of everyone that uses the services of Northside Hospital. I plan to make a positive impact very quickly."

When you start a new position, it is essential to set a goal on how you will make a positive impact quickly after being hired. Tell the interviewer what your impact goal is, should you be the successful candidate. If you want to make an impact with your answer, refer to the immediate needs of the company such as increasing budgets, or improving patient care, for instance.

"This question is a delicate one, and you need to show respect for the onboarding process, then give a moderately ambitious project that you could execute. This concept is often called your 'value proposition' in marketing. "Hire me because I'll do X." But remember this is your campaign promise, if hired, it will likely be your first target to hit and depending on the environment, it could make or break you. The best approach is to give a functional analysis of the employers' needs and your skills."

If you could expand your knowledge and expertise in any healthcare service area, which would you choose?

"If I could choose any area of healthcare services to be a subject matter expert in, I would choose geriatric care. I do feel that this particular focus is not as popular as some, and become an expert in it would allow me to snowball in my career."

There are many facets of health care. If you could choose any area of healthcare to specialize in, which would you choose? Be sure to tie your answer into some aspects of what Northside Hospital does.

"I have a variety of interests within healthcare service, so that is a tough question for me! I suppose if I had to narrow it to just one area of expertise, I would say palliative care and the necessary family care that comes with it."

What part of your healthcare career brings you the most stress?

"The part of my career that brings me the most stress is when the schedule is running behind due to lack of hustle on mine or my teams part. I like to be on time with my schedule to ensure that our patients and clients are assisted properly."

Stress can often be a regular part of the day to day work experience. Talk to the interviewer about which areas of your career are the most stressful. Ensure that your answer does not include a factor that would make you appear unfit for the position. (IE: a bus driver should not find driving to be the most stressful part of the job).

"To be completely transparent, I probably bring myself the most stress because of my innate desire to be the best. I strive for perfection too often, which causes undue stress on myself. I manage this by focusing my energy on productive activities that are good for my career."

As a healthcare professional, what does providing great customer service entail in your job?

"As an x-ray technician, I understand that every interaction that I have with a patient is me directly representing my organization. My attitude, demeanor and skill level are viewed by every patient as me being a part of my organization. In this light, you can rest assured that I would represent Northside in the best possible manner when I am treating patients with the kindness, respect and great care that they deserve to keep them coming back for their healthcare needs."

Northside Hospital values superior customer service and your interviewer will be looking to hear how you provide this service in your job. While patients and visitors aren't always thought about as customers, in all reality they are. Great experiences under your care will lead to the patient returning in a time of need and them potentially telling others about the great care they received. Conversely, poor care may lead to a patient not returning or them telling others about the poor care they received. Give your interviewer your honest insight to how the customer service you provide in your job to both patients and visitors ensures that they see the organization you work for as a solid organization.

"Working in facilities management for many years, both inside and outside of healthcare, I have many people that I see as customers. To begin, my fellow colleagues are my customers and I take their work requests seriously. I am able to prioritize work in a manner that makes the most sense and I maintain communication with all colleagues that I need to until issues are taken care of. In the hospital setting, I may encounter patients and visitors in my day to day work and I go about my business in a professional manner. I dress for success in my job and bring a bright attitude in my interactions with them. If I can brighten someone's day when repairing a sink in their room, I feel like I've done my part in customer service."

Northside Hospital supports a healthy work/life balance for all employees. How do you balance life and work?

"I find that with the right company, it's pretty simple to balance life and work. When I enjoy what I do it doesn't feel like a chore. I am always sure that when at home, my family gets my attention first. I take time on the weekends to do things for myself and ensure that I regenerate before the work week begins."

It is essential to keep a healthy work/life balance to prevent burnout. Talk to the interviewer about how you can maintain that appropriate balance for yourself.

"I make a strong effort to keep a healthy balance by spending my free time away from my cell phone and having more face-to-face time with my friends and family. I indulge in the things that make me happy, on my time off. By consistently rejuvenating in this way, I can give even more energy when I am at work."

How did your passion to work in healthcare come to fruition? What keeps you motivated to be great on a daily basis?

"From a very young age, I was the person that was caring for dolls, my brother when he was sick and even my father when he fell ill. As I progressed through school, I always had a love for biology and others sciences and my personal need to help others and love for science blended well into a career in nursing. From the day I first hit the floor as a nurse to my shift yesterday, I am always motivated by my patients and their needs. Just knowing that I helped one person each day motivates me to be the best nurse I can be!"

Healthcare is a passion and great providers of care must be passionate about what they are doing. Be open and honest in telling your interviewer what inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare. If possible, talk about your personality traits that make you the right person for the job and explain how you are internally motivated to work as hard and successfully as you can on a daily basis.

"Growing up, my hero was always my uncle. He coached my little league team and took me out hiking whenever he had the chance to and he was a physical therapist. As I grew older in school, he was my inspiration in pursuing a career in the field. I have never regretted the choice to pursue this as a career as it provides me the opportunity to make people's lives better and provide me with a great amount of flexibility in my work."

Patient care requires a strong amount of compassion. Do you consider yourself a compassionate person?

"I understand that compassion is one of the top qualities that I need to bring to the workplace, being in the healthcare services profession. I consider myself a very compassionate individual. I am warm hearted, responsive to my patients' needs, and always empathetic."

To succeed in the healthcare services industry, you should have a solid level of compassion for your patients or customers. Talk to the interviewer about the compassionate qualities that you possess. How would you rate your level of compassion for others?

"Some ways to describe yourself could be: - Understanding - Warm Hearted - Empathetic - Responsive - Charitable - Tender Hearted"

In what ways have you shown your willingness to volunteer your time and efforts to a greater cause?

"With my current employer, I volunteer every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas to help provide meals to individuals that are on in home care and in nursing facilities. I have helped prepare and deliver food and I find great joy in helping bring a great meal to someone that could use it the most. In wanting to help more with any employer that I work for, what types of volunteer opportunities are available through Northside Hospital each year?"

Northside Hospital gives a great deal of effort to providing volunteer projects and efforts around the greater Atlanta area. The organization runs an employee giving campaign, a community connections program and donation drives for the needy around the community. Talk to your interviewer about any volunteer projects that you've volunteered time to help give them an insight to the things that you hold near and dear to your heart. If you are young and first entering your career and haven't had direct volunteer experience, talk about the opportunities you would look forward to pursuing.

"Coming out of nursing school, I would greatly look forward to participating in volunteer activities with Northside. Growing up and into college, I spent many weekends volunteering at our local humane society walking dogs, washing cats and cleaning kennels. The animals always brightened my day no matter what mood I arrived in and I would look forward to volunteer opportunities with Northside."

When have you shown a willingness to learn a new method or new approach to solving a problem?

"When our facility came under new management last year many new methods and policies came into place. I was able to learn some exciting new approaches to our challenges in patient care and customer management. I quite enjoyed the process."

Being flexible, and able to handle change is a skill that all employers desire to see. Discuss with the interviewer your ability to approach a problem using new methods. Give a recent example but make sure to spend more time highlighting the resolution rather than the problem.

"It's funny; they say people in medicine are 'lifelong learners'. But on top of that, we're in this digital revolution, and everyone has to learn new software all the time. I'm finally getting old enough to realize that its difficult to be constantly adapting. I think my 75-year-old aunt telling me how to use my iPhone helped me appreciate that it's all about humility. Not WHO is teaching you, but if you are willing to learn. In the medical context, I just took an updated CPR course, and it went from the 2:15 compressions to continuous compressions and I had to adapt to avoid my past way of thinking."

Talk about a time you had to bring your personal expertise to the services of a larger team of individuals. What role did you play on the team and was the end result successful?

"During my time as the Supply Chain Director with my current organization, I was asked to be part of the radiology capital budget team to talk about the finances and logistics of large scale equipment like a new CT machine. Working with a team of physicians and executive leaders, it was important for me to learn the needs of the group and the patients they were serving prior to me researching the options available and costs. I worked very well with the entire team during the initial fact finding meeting and communicated with the team as I researched. In the end, we brought in several vendors to showcase their products and I negotiated a contract that was beneficial to both the department and the overall capital budget of the organization."

Northside Hospital holds teamwork as one of its primary values and nowhere is teamwork more essential than in the healthcare industry. No matter the role that you play at Northside, working as part of a larger team is important and your ability to work with a diverse team of individuals is extremely important. Give your interviewer an example of a time you helped solve a problem as part of a larger team. Explain how you were summoned to the team and what subject area you provided expertise on. As with any question to provide an example, talk about a team effort that had great results.

"As the charge nurse of our OB unit, I was asked to be a part of a team at my current organization that was standardizing our patient discharge processes. I was asked by our Chief Nursing Officer to be a part of the team with my experience in helping set the discharge standards for our unit. As part of the team that included nursing leaders, frontline nurses and administrators, I took a lead role in showing our current discharge processes and explaining why they worked so effectively. In the end, the team used many of our departments current processes in the standardization throughout the enterprise."

At Northside Hospital we seek to hire individuals who have ambitions of growing their career. Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?

"In 3-5 years I would like to see my career with Northside Hospital include a path towards a leadership role. I am very keen on paving a long-term career in the healthcare services realm and would love the opportunity to do that here."

Every hiring manager would like to know that their investment of time and training will pay off. Assure the interviewer that you see this position as a long-term fit. How does this role with Northside Hospital fit into your longer-term plans?

"One of the attractive points of working for Northside Hospital, Inc. is that you care about the growth of your employees. I'm motivated to learn and am looking for a long-term fit. In 3-5 years I'd like to be grounded in the clinic, learn about this site, your patient base and earn certifications that would help the unit advance. Personally, I'd like to get involved in some of the local volunteer organizations. I speak Spanish, and I have an interest in urban outreach so it would be nice to do something formal in that context...health-education or fundraising."

Northside Hospital holds compassion as a primary value. How do you show compassion on a daily basis to your patients and/or colleagues?

"From a young age, I knew that my passion for caring for my sick siblings would translate well into a career in healthcare. My drive in this field is to bring a personal touch to every patient I care for and I effectively use the AIDET approach with all of my patients. Recently, a gruff man came into our emergency room with what appeared to be a broken arm. Upon first introducing myself and asking about his injury, he was hesitant to answer my questions. Seeing he had a Harley Davidson t-shirt on, I began asking him about his bike and let him know that me and my husband ride as well. This personal connection really helped him open up to me while being treated."

As a healthcare professional, compassion should come second nature to you and it is important that you reiterate this to your interviewer. Talk about how you take a personal approach to hear every person's needs and that you are responsive to those needs with a personal touch. If you have a specific example of a time you used a compassionate approach with success, bring this up to your interviewer to put the icing on the cake.

"Working in a large hospital setting, I always take the approach that any person I deal with could be coming into a frightening and potentially life altering situation. With that in mind, I treat every interaction with kindness, courteousness and genuineness. I help patients and visitors around the hospital in way finding and answering any questions that they may have to help ease their time at our facility."

It is often said that a career in healthcare is a 'thankless job'. How can we keep you motivated and engaged, even on the days when you feel your work goes unnoticed?

"I am an easily motivated individual, and it does not take much to keep me engaged. I am fully aware that healthcare-related positions can seem thankless. Honestly, the best thanks that I can get is a pat on the back now and then. The majority of my motivation comes from simply helping people."

The interviewer would like to know how they could continue to motivate you - even on the hardest of days. Do you need to have verbal recognition? Are you motivated solely by the success of your team? Talk to the interviewer about how you have stayed motivated in the past.

"My chosen career was helping people at exactly the point they were least capable of censoring themselves or giving back. So, I stopped needing thanks from my patients. It's not like I don't need positive reinforcement. Everyone does. But I made a point to find it in other places instead of expecting it from my patients. Nowadays I make an effort to expressly thank the people I work with when they do a good job. I focus on being grateful to be allowed to see private, raw, emotional parts of peoples lives. And I make work-related goals I can achieve for satisfaction."

If you could expand your knowledge and expertise in any area of healthcare services, which would you choose?

"If I could expand my expertise in any healthcare service area I would choose anything within primary care. This is one of the reasons I have applied with your company. I feel that your focus will be a great fit with my long-term career goals."

The interviewer would like to dig deeper into your true areas of interest when it comes to healthcare services. They want to know that your passions align well with what Northside Hospital is offering. Talk to the interviewer about the areas of healthcare you would like to focus on most, and then tie that information in with what the position at Northside Hospital would be offering you.

"I'm interested in research. One of the things that attracted me to working with your company is your ongoing community-based research collaborations. I'd be curious to hear if the [clinic/hospital/program] had any needs in this area. Is this something junior staff can be involved in?"

Northside has a commitment to providing a diverse array of educational and outreach programs to the greater Atlanta area. Why do you think that providing outreach and educational opportunities to a community is important?

"As a mental health nurse, I have gotten to participate in many community outreach programs to help educate and inform the communities we practice in. Mental health has such a negative stigma surrounding it and recently, after a community seminar on drug addiction, I had several people come up to me and thank me. They explained that they thought addiction was just an evil choice as opposed to a mental illness. Hearing people thank me tells me all that I need to know that a job was well done and hopefully those that learn something from me can pass those things along. I would greatly look forward to these opportunities with Northside Hospital. Can you elaborate on the types of community education and outreach you have provided recently?"

The strongest and most successful healthcare organizations give back to their communities by being stewards of health education and outreach programs to help better the lives of the local area. For these programs to succeed, the frontline workers and leaders of the organization need to buy into the programs and be willing to participate when needed. For this question, give your interviewer a personal touch by talking about any community programs you have been involved with or any that have touched you in a personal way. Talk about the fact that most people don't realize the great health resources that are available to them until organizations provide educational opportunities.

"Coming from a small rural town and seeing the effects that heart walks and educational seminars can have on a small community, I'd be very excited to be a part of these activities in a large city like Atlanta. Last year, I volunteered to work a booth at a statewide diabetes conference that was geared for newly diagnosed patients and their family members on living with the disease. Knowing that I was a part of helping people live a healthier and more stable lifestyle left me feeling really great about volunteering."

Talk about a time when you had to think outside the box to help solve an issue for a patient, coworker or customer. What prompted you to use resources or thoughts that were out of the norm?

"I have spent several years providing care on a very busy obstetrics unit where I work not only with newborns and their mothers, but also many visiting friends and family. We have prided ourselves on being welcoming to all and recently I went above and beyond for a newborn's grandparents that had flown to the United States from Canada to see their first grandchild born. When they arrived to the room, the father started asking me about resources around the city for shopping and hotels that his mom and dad could use while in town. While providing them ideas off the top of my head, I contacted our community relations director to see if there were any discounted hotel rates we could utilize for them. The director came up to our unit within an hour and met with the family. Seeing that they were so thankful, I was very glad that I went outside of my normal duties to help them out in an unfamiliar place where they could focus on what matters most: family!"

Northside Hospital holds the notion of providing innovative and unsurpassed care for their patients as one of their mission statements. To be innovative, employees need to have the ability to think on their feet and outside of their normal mindset to solve problems and Northside values employees that have this ability. Whether it was with a patient, colleague or customer of any sort, talk about a time where you had to think of an innovative solution to an issue and explain to your interviewer your thought process in working through the problem. Make sure that the example includes great results.

"In my current position as a registrar in a primary care clinic, we were experiencing major patient access issues in our family medicine clinic due to an ineffective patient scheduling tracking system. At the position I had previous to my current position, we utilized an EHR that directly linked with the Outlook calendars of our providers, making it easier to schedule patients on short notice that needed it and prevented patient scheduling with providers that were out of office or in meetings. Knowing that our current EHR couldn't do this, I suggested that an Outlook calendar be created for all providers to document their non-clinic time. My director presented this idea to the providers and we spearheaded a team to create the calendar and set guidelines for updating. Since creating and implementing, we have seen a great increase in our scheduling efficiencies."

What is your patient care philosophy?

"Every day at work, I remind myself that everyone I come across has their struggles. Every person we care for has a story. I make sure to get to know my patients whenever possible. Everyone has the right to compassionate care."

It's always a great idea to research the company before your interview. You want to get to know their care philosophy so that your answer can reflect what is important to them. What is the core of your care philosophy? Keep your answer concise yet sincere.

"I have three philosophies when it comes to my work. One for the clinic, one for me, and one for the patient. First, I work in a system, and I respect that. I follow the rules, I maintain my certifications, and I appreciate the policies and values of whatever site I work. Patient care is a privilege, and I respect the role I have in clinical care and the part other people have. Second, I want to be the best at what I do. Every day I learn something, and that's because I choose to get better. Last, I adapt to the individual. If I'm meeting the requirements of my position, and evolving within my profession, then I am free to adjust to my patient and be the provider they need. Some patients need a lot of attention; some want less, and some need boundaries. I have trained myself to adapt my communication style, so a patient gets what they need."

At Northside Hospital we take pride in our great relationships with clients, vendors, coworkers, and patients. Do you consider yourself to be a strong relationship builder?

"I have often been complimented on my relationship building skills. I like to get to know people and ask them questions about themselves. Most people love to talk about themselves, and I find it's a great and simple way to start building rapport with others. I consider myself to be a strong relationship builder and take pride in my 'people skills'. Rest assured, I would be a great ambassador of positive relationships for Northside Hospital."

Assure the interviewer that you would treat everyone at Northside Hospital with great respect and a positive attitude. Discuss the ways that you would build strong and healthy relationships if hired.

"Some ways to build strong relationships in the workplace: - Have strong follow-up - Offer sincere conversation - Get to know people on a personal level - Be trustworthy - Avoid gossip - Offer mutual respect - Be mindful of your actions - Compliment others - Be positive - Be a strong listener"

"I am happy to hear that Northside Hospital, Inc. values long-term relationships. This fact is a bonus for me, and it's one of the reasons I chose to work in the medical field. I like working in an industry where genuine care is valued. Healthcare is not a place for gimmicks because health is precious and irreplaceable. In the past, I've had a lot of success by focusing on building a reputation for consistency and followup. What you describe is a good fit for me, these skills are valued by reputable vendors, and I'd like to represent a company that wants to create long-term sustainable partnerships."

Northside's colleagues take great pride in providing compassionate support and personal guidance to our patients. Talk about a time where you gave a personal touch to a patient. What made this both important and effective?

"During my career as a nurse, the biggest thing that I have learned to help provide great care and great outcomes for my patients is to provide them customized and personalized care. Last year, we had a patient that was struggling with weight loss and also a smoking addiction and both factors were having significant impacts on his heart and respiratory health. In getting to know the patient better through casual conversations, I knew that his love for the outdoors was a big passion of his. I used his passion to help motivate him to exercise more. I set him up with a contact to help volunteer with the local boy scouts organization where he could go on hikes and camping trips with the group. At his yearly exam not long ago, he appeared in physically greater shape and he thanked me for the extra motivation to get outside and exercise more. He was happy to report that he had quit smoking and had taken up biking as well to help stay in great shape."

One of Northside Hospital's missions is to pledge compassionate support, personal guidance and uncompromising standards to their patients. Your interviewer will be looking to hear your willingness and ability to personalize your care to each patient by having you give an example of a time where you did this. Stress to your interviewer that compassionate care requires a personal touch with each and every patient due to the fact that great outcomes in health are individualized.

"As an occupational therapist, I utilize my great interpersonal skills with every patient to help customize a therapy plan that they can buy into and find success with. Currently, I am working with a young man that had an arm amputated due to an auto accident. On my first meeting with him, it was important for me to get to know him, his hobbies and his personal life. In learning that he worked as an IT professional and loved online gaming, we began discussing computer and keyboard modifications that could work for him. When it came time for a prosthetic arm, we worked with a team of individuals that would get him the best prosthetic for him to continue working on his job with little work modifications. Getting to know him and his lifestyle enabled us to create a plan that allowed him to continue living as normal and happy of a life possible, even after the devastating loss of an arm."

Northside Hospital is a not for profit organization. Have you ever worked for a not for profit organization and what do you see as differences that and a for profit organization?

"Having worked in both the private for profit sector and the not for profit sector in healthcare, it was important for me in this job search to find a not for profit employer. In my experience, organizations that are not for profit truly put the needs of their patients first vs. the almighty dollar. I am a patient first nurse practitioner and don't want to be blinded by the need to create revenue for the organization over treating my patients in an ethical and safe manner to their health."

Working for a non profit organization has both its advantages and disadvantages from the high level view of an organization, but the frontline employees rarely see huge changes in how the two companies operate. Whether you have experience working for one or not, talk about some of the advantages of working for a non profit organization like research grants, funding and donations from external donors and highly motivated employees that care about the greater good of the organization rather than money.

"Having not worked for a non profit company, I am aware of the many great things that make them unique from my mother's experience working for one for many years. In the healthcare arena, the non profit companies are eligible for more government grants for things like research and education and those things are extremely important to help advance the medical field. As well, seeing profits put back into an organization are important to help both growth of the company and advancements in the field."

At Northside Hospital we seek to hire individuals who display a keen interest in the healthcare arena. Would you consider yourself dedicated to a career in healthcare services?

"My entire career has been dedicated to the healthcare services field. I find it incredibly rewarding and interesting because I get to help others and every day brings new challenges! One of the reasons I applied for this role with Northside Hospital is because I can see a long-term fit here. I plan to work in the healthcare segment for my entire career."

Assure the interviewer that you are dedicated to a lucrative career in the healthcare services industry. The hiring manager would like to know that this position fits into your long-term plan and that, if hired, you would stay with Northside Hospital as long as possible.

"I know this career can take a toll on personal life, and I understand that while it can be more-or-less sustainable, it's more than just a job for me. So far, I have dedicated my entire adult life to this career. I have shadowed numerous professionals and have worked multiple clinics. I know this is the right career for me."

"This career is not just something I want to do 8-5 to get by; it's something I want to BE. I want to be someone who dedicates themselves to a craft. I chose healthcare because the learning opportunities are endless. It's constantly evolving. I find the human body is fascinating, and I think that society is only healthy when it cares for its wounded."

Northside Hospital Interview Questions

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1. Northside Hospital has a diverse workforce. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?
2. Northside Hospital was initially looking for someone with 5 years' experience in a similar role. Considering you have just 2 years' experience, would you be willing to accept this position at a lower salary?
3. Do you think it is possible to be a good team member, yet disagree with the leader?
4. What ways have you found effective to work with colleagues from another clinic site or hospital site? What were any challenges you encountered?
5. What is your greatest weakness?
6. Rate your problem solving skills from 1-10. How do you justify your rating?
7. How do you feel about getting to work with medical and nursing students while seeing patients in a clinic or hospital setting?
8. What type of work environment do you dislike working in?
9. With the ongoing changes in the healthcare services industry, how do you keep your knowledge current?
10. The city of Atlanta and the surrounding area is a very culturally diverse area. What experience do you have working with a diverse base of patients?
11. If Northside Hospital hired you today, what would you accomplish first?
12. If you could expand your knowledge and expertise in any healthcare service area, which would you choose?
13. What part of your healthcare career brings you the most stress?
14. As a healthcare professional, what does providing great customer service entail in your job?
15. Northside Hospital supports a healthy work/life balance for all employees. How do you balance life and work?
16. How did your passion to work in healthcare come to fruition? What keeps you motivated to be great on a daily basis?
17. Patient care requires a strong amount of compassion. Do you consider yourself a compassionate person?
18. In what ways have you shown your willingness to volunteer your time and efforts to a greater cause?
19. When have you shown a willingness to learn a new method or new approach to solving a problem?
20. Talk about a time you had to bring your personal expertise to the services of a larger team of individuals. What role did you play on the team and was the end result successful?
21. At Northside Hospital we seek to hire individuals who have ambitions of growing their career. Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?
22. Northside Hospital holds compassion as a primary value. How do you show compassion on a daily basis to your patients and/or colleagues?
23. It is often said that a career in healthcare is a 'thankless job'. How can we keep you motivated and engaged, even on the days when you feel your work goes unnoticed?
24. If you could expand your knowledge and expertise in any area of healthcare services, which would you choose?
25. Northside has a commitment to providing a diverse array of educational and outreach programs to the greater Atlanta area. Why do you think that providing outreach and educational opportunities to a community is important?
26. Talk about a time when you had to think outside the box to help solve an issue for a patient, coworker or customer. What prompted you to use resources or thoughts that were out of the norm?
27. What is your patient care philosophy?
28. At Northside Hospital we take pride in our great relationships with clients, vendors, coworkers, and patients. Do you consider yourself to be a strong relationship builder?
29. Northside's colleagues take great pride in providing compassionate support and personal guidance to our patients. Talk about a time where you gave a personal touch to a patient. What made this both important and effective?
30. Northside Hospital is a not for profit organization. Have you ever worked for a not for profit organization and what do you see as differences that and a for profit organization?
31. At Northside Hospital we seek to hire individuals who display a keen interest in the healthcare arena. Would you consider yourself dedicated to a career in healthcare services?

Northside Hospital Interview Questions

1. Northside Hospital has a diverse workforce. When have you worked amongst a diverse group of people?

2. Northside Hospital was initially looking for someone with 5 years' experience in a similar role. Considering you have just 2 years' experience, would you be willing to accept this position at a lower salary?

3. Do you think it is possible to be a good team member, yet disagree with the leader?

4. What ways have you found effective to work with colleagues from another clinic site or hospital site? What were any challenges you encountered?

5. What is your greatest weakness?

6. Rate your problem solving skills from 1-10. How do you justify your rating?

7. How do you feel about getting to work with medical and nursing students while seeing patients in a clinic or hospital setting?

8. What type of work environment do you dislike working in?

9. With the ongoing changes in the healthcare services industry, how do you keep your knowledge current?

10. The city of Atlanta and the surrounding area is a very culturally diverse area. What experience do you have working with a diverse base of patients?

11. If Northside Hospital hired you today, what would you accomplish first?

12. If you could expand your knowledge and expertise in any healthcare service area, which would you choose?

13. What part of your healthcare career brings you the most stress?

14. As a healthcare professional, what does providing great customer service entail in your job?

15. Northside Hospital supports a healthy work/life balance for all employees. How do you balance life and work?

16. How did your passion to work in healthcare come to fruition? What keeps you motivated to be great on a daily basis?

17. Patient care requires a strong amount of compassion. Do you consider yourself a compassionate person?

18. In what ways have you shown your willingness to volunteer your time and efforts to a greater cause?

19. When have you shown a willingness to learn a new method or new approach to solving a problem?

20. Talk about a time you had to bring your personal expertise to the services of a larger team of individuals. What role did you play on the team and was the end result successful?

21. At Northside Hospital we seek to hire individuals who have ambitions of growing their career. Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?

22. Northside Hospital holds compassion as a primary value. How do you show compassion on a daily basis to your patients and/or colleagues?

23. It is often said that a career in healthcare is a 'thankless job'. How can we keep you motivated and engaged, even on the days when you feel your work goes unnoticed?

24. If you could expand your knowledge and expertise in any area of healthcare services, which would you choose?

25. Northside has a commitment to providing a diverse array of educational and outreach programs to the greater Atlanta area. Why do you think that providing outreach and educational opportunities to a community is important?

26. Talk about a time when you had to think outside the box to help solve an issue for a patient, coworker or customer. What prompted you to use resources or thoughts that were out of the norm?

27. What is your patient care philosophy?

28. At Northside Hospital we take pride in our great relationships with clients, vendors, coworkers, and patients. Do you consider yourself to be a strong relationship builder?

29. Northside's colleagues take great pride in providing compassionate support and personal guidance to our patients. Talk about a time where you gave a personal touch to a patient. What made this both important and effective?

30. Northside Hospital is a not for profit organization. Have you ever worked for a not for profit organization and what do you see as differences that and a for profit organization?

31. At Northside Hospital we seek to hire individuals who display a keen interest in the healthcare arena. Would you consider yourself dedicated to a career in healthcare services?