"I really like to go back and review with myself and the team what happened and ways to be better in any situation that doesn't go as planned. I think it's important to distance myself a little bit from the emotions and try to review the situation logically. I think that when emotions run high, intelligence can run low, and we need to talk about situations and responses for what they are without blame. Blame isn't helpful and impedes learning. As a NICU nurse on your unit, I want you to be assured that I would take any difficult situation and learn from it moving forward."

During your future career as a NICU Nurse, things will happen, situations will go awry, and it's important to reflect as an individual and a team and extract the lesson to learn how to be better. It's human nature to rationalize or justify and not face the difficult feelings or emotions of a situation gone bad, but this reflection is extremely important so that it doesn't happen again. Talk to the interviewer about your ability to reflect on a situation and learn from it moving forward. If you have an example of a time you did this during your career, don't hesitate to talk openly and honestly about the situation and what you learned.

"My dad was in the military and from a young age, he taught me about after-action reviews. I would apply the same evaluation methods in this situation. I would think about what I had expected to happen, what actually happened, and how I could couple improve future events. I would also put myself in the patient or family member's shoes and try to think through things from their perspective as well. If I felt like I could use input, I would consult with a peer or manager to discuss the situation and what could have been done differently as well. I value the experience of others and find that asking for their feedback is very valuable as a new nurse."