Often in Electronic Health Records, generic drug names are used in lieu of brand names. Tell me how you would handle a situation where you know the brand name of a drug you need to place an order for, but you are unsure of its generic name.

The interviewer is asking this question to determine if the nurse candidate would take initiative to find the name of the generic name for the drug. There are many situations in nursing practice where nurses will not know certain information, whether it be a drug name, a condition, or a specific procedure. Nurses are not expected to have knowledge of all elements in the clinical world, but they are expected to take initiative to find information. To successfully answer this question, you should indicate that you would take initiative in the situation and use available resources (such as textbooks or a reputable website) to find the name of the drug, rather than asking a physician or colleague. A more successful answer to this question would include an example of how you successfully took initiative to find information in a similar situation in your nursing career.