Describe a high-pressure situation you were put in unexpectedly. Explain how you adjusted while creating a successful outcome.

If you have previously worked as a nurse, you should have many high-pressure examples. If you are new to the industry, you can use an example from a previous position or your post-secondary studies.

"I have worked as a Registered Nurse for the past five years and have been put in many high-pressure situations almost every day I have worked. The one that stands out most happened two months ago. I was working in the ICU and heard alarms going off in one of my patient's rooms. I ran to her room and saw her husband trying to smother her with a pillow. I yelled at him to stop, and he pulled out a long hunting knife and said he would kill us both. I pushed the panic button on my badge while calmly talking to my patient's husband. I got him to put the knife down before security arrived, and he was detained without further incident. My patient fully recovered, and no one was physically harmed during the incident."

"High-pressure situations can pop up unexpectedly at any time on a nursing shift. One recent example is a time a few weeks ago, when I was at the bedside of a patient, getting report from the night shift nurse. The patient was pleasant, alert, and oriented, and he was participating in his report as well. He'd had a basically uneventful night, but as the three of us chatted, the patient said, 'I'm not feeling very well,' and the night shift nurse and I watched on his monitor as the patient became bradycardic, which was a status change for him. Rather than having to code the patient, I was able to call the rapid response team while the night shift nurse monitored the patient. After interventions, the patient did stay alert and oriented for my entire shift."