Entry-Level Nursing Mock Interview

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

Question 34 of 40

How do you maintain confidentiality in the workplace?

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Dianne Barnard

Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.

Confidentiality and privacy in health care protect patients and maintain trust between patients, staff, and doctors. It is a way of reducing liability and promoting the quality of care. Everyone learns about HIPAA in nursing school, so reciting a cerebral definition is not necessarily what the interviewer wants here. The interviewer wants to hear your deep understanding of how HIPAA is violated in the workplace by not being mindful and intentional in your practice.

Dianne Barnard

Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.

"Protecting the patient's right to privacy is extremely important to me. I have a personal practice of checking in with myself to ensure that I have honored that responsibility in practice. I check in with myself a couple of times a shift, especially if I am busy, to ask if I am being mindful and responsible. I like the idea of 'the clean desk.' Did I close out my computer? If I need shift 'cheat sheets,' I am careful not to write patient names on the paper, but maybe their initials. I have the practice of mentally checking out as I leave the unit for lunch in that I don't chat with other nurses about patients in common areas. I am mindful of how my voice carries in a patient room. I always ensure that family members in the room are allowed to hear health information before I ask the patient questions."

Kate Buckley

"I think maintaining confidentiality in the workplace is fairly easy if I always have patient needs at the forefront of my mind. When I've been on a nursing unit during clinicals or working as a student nurse extern, I never share my EMR passwords with anyone. I lock a computer if I'm leaving it. I don't speak about patients in hallways, elevators, or other public patients. If I speak to someone about a patient, I make sure they are another healthcare team member with a 'need to know' about a patient's care. As a student, I haven't yet spoken to a patient's family or loved one on the phone, but when I am in this situation, I will make sure that I have the correct release of information in place to allow me to speak to anyone about a patient and their condition."

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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

How do you maintain confidentiality in the workplace?

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?