You are nearing the end of your 12-hour shift in our NICU and you are exhausted from caring for eight, high-acuity patients. As your colleague arrives to relieve you, tell me how you proceed.

"In this situation, even though I am exhausted, I would complete handover templates for all my patients, if I haven't already. This is especially important because you said the eight patients are high-acuity, which means there is a lot the next nurse needs to know about them. I could never leave my patients without completing handovers, because not only could I not leave my coworker in a bad situation, but I also don't want to put my neonatal patients at risk. Last week, I was in a similar situation, where I had been so busy that I didn't have time to complete handovers until my coworker arrived to relieve me. So, I stayed late and completed the templates for all my patients despite the fact that I was tired and ready to go home."

First and foremost, you want to reiterate to your interviewer that you will prioritize a proper shift handoff with all patient information because your NICU patients' health and safety depend on it. If you have an example of a time you successfully handed off at a shift's end to your colleagues when circumstances were difficult, talk about how you walked through that handoff. Now can also be a great time to confirm what process the unit you are interviewing with uses at shift change time.

"I would strive to be as mentally focused as possible, to ensure I did my end-of-shift report and handoff accurately and effectively. Neonatal intensive care unit patients are at increased risk for handoff communication failures due to complexity and prolonged length of stay, so it's important to document thoroughly and provide appropriate information to the next nurse. I would be sure to do walking rounds if necessary and answer any and all questions the next shift nurse had about patients."