Entry-Level Nursing Mock Interview

Practice 40 Entry-Level Nursing interview questions covering clinical scenarios, patient care priorities, and ethical challenges.

Question 1 of 40

What inspired you to pursue a career in the nursing field?

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Kelly Burlison

Kelly Burlison is an experienced healthcare and quality measurement professional with experience interviewing in the healthcare field focusing on IT.

Nursing is not meant for everyone, and the interviewer is asking this question to learn more about your motivation behind pursuing a career in nursing. A career in nursing can be both physically and emotionally challenging; it takes a person with compassion and a willingness to care for others in their most vulnerable states. To effectively answer this question, respond honestly, but focus on your passion for people and caring for others. A more successful answer would include a specific personal experience that inspired you to pursue nursing as a career.

Kelly Burlison

Kelly Burlison is an experienced healthcare and quality measurement professional with experience interviewing in the healthcare field focusing on IT.

"I have always wanted a career where I could help people, but when I first started college, I wasn't sure exactly what that meant. However, I was drawn to nursing after volunteering at a hospital one summer. I feel like nurses are the backbone of the clinical system; not only do they keep the system running, they provide care to patients and their family members when it counts the most. Once I decided on nursing, I never looked back, and so far, it has been one of the best decisions of my life."

Kelly Burlison

Kelly Burlison is an experienced healthcare and quality measurement professional with experience interviewing in the healthcare field focusing on IT.

"I am a career changer; I worked as a corporate accountant in the hospitality field for over a decade. However, when my mother was undergoing treatment for cancer several years ago, I was inspired to pursue a career in nursing. Seeing the nurses care for my mother so compassionately through all stages of her cancer treatment made me realize I needed to devote my career to something more meaningful. I have nothing against accounting; it is a great career, but I feel my time will be better spent caring for others instead of sitting behind a spreadsheet."

Kate Buckley

"My desire to become a nurse was two-fold. I have been inspired by the many nurses in my life and wanted a career like theirs where I could care for others every day. The other reason I wanted to pursue nursing is the variety of opportunities available to nurses. Nursing offers me the opportunity to work in an inpatient setting, an outpatient setting, in case management, informatics, and so many other areas. As a nurse, I know I will always be able to learn and grow while staying in the same field."

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Anonymous Answer

All of my life I thought I wanted to deliver babies; I used to wake up early before school when I was 7 or 8 years old to watch birth day or birth story because I was just fascinated by birth and newborns and all of it. When I started working on the postpartum unit I realized I really enjoyed everything about that population. Then during my maternity rotation, I saw that labor and delivery is a lot of waiting around. Although I loved watching the births, I found myself more interested in the baby more so than the mom. That hospital had a level 2 NICU and although it was a very small unit and I did not get to see a lot of critical babies, being in the environment and getting to see what working in a NICU is like, made me realize that that is want I want to do. I want to work in a job where I feel I am truly needed and making an impact. These babies depend on you for everything and I would be blessed to be able to make such a difference in their lives and care. I always knew I wanted to be in healthcare because I thrive on caring for others. When my uncle was in the hospital after a bicycle accident, I really saw how the nurses treated him and my family and I knew I wanted to be that for other families.

Marcie's Feedback

This is such a wonderful and genuine answer. Without a doubt, it will touch any interviewer's heart! It sounds like your personality is perfectly suited to being a NICU nurse and that it is truly a calling for you. The rest of us are lucky to have people like you in this world! :) Excellent answer!

Anonymous Answer

Believe it or not, I used to be very shy and couldn't even talk to strangers when I was little. Somehow I got a job with a paramedical company, and I worked there for a few years before becoming an RPN. I was required to see clients in their homes for insurance purposes every single day. I had to fill out health questionnaires for them, so I had to talk a lot. Soon after I started the job, I found out I enjoy talking to people. Being able to learn the different perspectives from different people was always inspiring. During my first year of employment with this company, my clients told me many times that I should be a nurse. I felt like I should be doing more than just filling out questionnaires for people, so I applied for the nursing school one year into the job. I got in and never looked back.

Chad's Feedback

Great! It sounds like you are compassionate and have a passion for helping people! The interviewer will undoubtedly be impressed with your commitment to pursue a career in nursing after a number of years of working as a registered practical nurse. I suggest avoiding the use of the word "somehow" at the beginning of your second sentence, as it may be interpreted as a lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities.

Believe it or not, I used to be very shy and couldn't even talk to strangers when I was little. I began my career with a paramedical company and worked there for a few years before becoming an RPN. In that role, I was required to see clients in their homes for insurance purposes every single day. I had to fill out health questionnaires for them, so I had to talk a lot. Soon after I started the job, I found out I enjoy talking to people. Being able to learn the different perspectives from different people was always inspiring. During my first year of employment with this company, my clients told me many times that I should be a nurse. I felt like I should be doing more than just filling out questionnaires for people, so I applied for the nursing school one year into the job. I got in and never looked back.

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40Entry-Level Nursing Interview Questions & Answers

Discovery

1.What inspired you to pursue a career in the nursing field?

Education

2.What was the most challenging part of your nursing education?

Education

3.What was your favorite clinical rotation during nursing school?

Experience

4.Aside from your clinical rotations, tell me about your experience caring for patients.

Career Goals

5.Where do you see yourself in your nursing career in ten years?

Competency

6.What do you feel is your strongest clinical skill and why?

Discovery

7.Describe your strongest non-clinical skill that will be most beneficial to you in your nursing career.

Diligence

8.Our company sees patients in multiple specialty areas, and many times we ask our nurses to cross-train to different specialties. Tell me how you will respond if you are asked to cross-train.

Stress

9.Nursing can be a high-stress, unpredictable, and fast-paced environment. Tell me about your previous experience working in such an environment and how it has prepared you for a career in nursing.

Situational

10.As an entry-level nurse, tell me how you will handle situations where more experienced nurses on your team may not be very welcoming or helpful to you.

Situational

11.How would you respond if you are asked to perform a clinical procedure or task that is within your scope of work but you feel uncomfortable with.

Behavioral

12.How do you see yourself interacting with physicians who can sometimes be demanding and difficult to work with?

Discovery

13.Because nursing is a very challenging career, many nurses face burnout. How will you prevent becoming burned out?

Discovery

14.Most nursing positions are not your typical nine-to-five jobs. Tell me about your willingness to work non-traditional hours.

Compatibility

15.Nurses typically work long shifts, often working 12-hour days rather than the traditional 8-hour workday, and oftentimes are required to work overtime. Tell me why you think you are prepared for these long days.

Discovery

16.What value can you add to our team in terms of personal attributes, education, and skills?

Discovery

17.Who influenced you the most in your life?

Compatibility

18.Which nursing theorist do you align most with?

Compatibility

19.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Discovery

20.Describe one of your strengths.

Discovery

21.Describe one of your weaknesses.

Discovery

22.Where would you like to be in five years personally?

Career Goals

23.Where would you like to be in five years professionally?

Discovery

24. Why do you think that you are a great fit for our organization?

Ask The Interviewer

25.Do you have any questions for our team?

Compatibility

26.Why do you think you are a great fit for our hospital?

Direct

27.Can you tell us your top three considerations when choosing a possible employer?

Organizational

28.What routines or tools do you use to keep yourself accountable at work?

Direct

29.What nursing organizations do you belong to, and why did you choose them?

Situational

30.How would you handle a patient who disagrees with you?

Communication

31.On a scale of 1-10, please rate your communication effectiveness and explain why.

Behavioral

32.For 18 years in a row, the Gallop poll has rated nurses the highest in honor and ethics. What does integrity mean to you?

Situational

33.Nurses experience vast diversity when caring for patients. How do you deal with different perspectives and philosophies in the workplace?

Operational

34.How do you maintain confidentiality in the workplace?

Discovery

35.In your opinion, what are the three most important qualities a nurse should possess?

Education

36.Can you tell me about your academic background and any additional training or certifications?

Experience

37.Tell me about your prior work experience prior to completing nursing school.

Behavioral

38.What do you think it takes to create a patient-centered team environment?

Behavioral

39.Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation with a coworker. What steps did you take to resolve the issue? What was the outcome?

Behavioral

Entry-Level Nursing Mock Interview

What inspired you to pursue a career in the nursing field?

40Entry-Level Nursing Interview Questions & Answers

1.What inspired you to pursue a career in the nursing field?

2.What was the most challenging part of your nursing education?

3.What was your favorite clinical rotation during nursing school?

4.Aside from your clinical rotations, tell me about your experience caring for patients.

5.Where do you see yourself in your nursing career in ten years?

6.What do you feel is your strongest clinical skill and why?

7.Describe your strongest non-clinical skill that will be most beneficial to you in your nursing career.

8.Our company sees patients in multiple specialty areas, and many times we ask our nurses to cross-train to different specialties. Tell me how you will respond if you are asked to cross-train.

9.Nursing can be a high-stress, unpredictable, and fast-paced environment. Tell me about your previous experience working in such an environment and how it has prepared you for a career in nursing.

10.As an entry-level nurse, tell me how you will handle situations where more experienced nurses on your team may not be very welcoming or helpful to you.

11.How would you respond if you are asked to perform a clinical procedure or task that is within your scope of work but you feel uncomfortable with.

12.How do you see yourself interacting with physicians who can sometimes be demanding and difficult to work with?

13.Because nursing is a very challenging career, many nurses face burnout. How will you prevent becoming burned out?

14.Most nursing positions are not your typical nine-to-five jobs. Tell me about your willingness to work non-traditional hours.

15.Nurses typically work long shifts, often working 12-hour days rather than the traditional 8-hour workday, and oftentimes are required to work overtime. Tell me why you think you are prepared for these long days.

16.What value can you add to our team in terms of personal attributes, education, and skills?

17.Who influenced you the most in your life?

18.Which nursing theorist do you align most with?

19.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

20.Describe one of your strengths.

21.Describe one of your weaknesses.

22.Where would you like to be in five years personally?

23.Where would you like to be in five years professionally?

24. Why do you think that you are a great fit for our organization?

25.Do you have any questions for our team?

26.Why do you think you are a great fit for our hospital?

27.Can you tell us your top three considerations when choosing a possible employer?

28.What routines or tools do you use to keep yourself accountable at work?

29.What nursing organizations do you belong to, and why did you choose them?

30.How would you handle a patient who disagrees with you?

31.On a scale of 1-10, please rate your communication effectiveness and explain why.

32.For 18 years in a row, the Gallop poll has rated nurses the highest in honor and ethics. What does integrity mean to you?

33.Nurses experience vast diversity when caring for patients. How do you deal with different perspectives and philosophies in the workplace?

34.How do you maintain confidentiality in the workplace?

35.In your opinion, what are the three most important qualities a nurse should possess?

36.Can you tell me about your academic background and any additional training or certifications?

37.Tell me about your prior work experience prior to completing nursing school.

38.What do you think it takes to create a patient-centered team environment?

39.Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation with a coworker. What steps did you take to resolve the issue? What was the outcome?

40.Tell me about a time someone placed unreasonable expectations on you. How did you respond?