How will you approach coming into Nurse Fellowship onto a team of nurses who have been working together for quite some time, who have already solidified their working relationships, and who clinically, have a very specific way of doing things?
Starting as a new Nurse Fellow in a completely unfamiliar organization can be intimidating, but when a professional is joining a team that is already cohesive, it can be even more challenging. This can sometimes be even more complicated in clinical settings, where teams of nurses or other clinical professionals are so established that it can be difficult to break into. While looking for a great fit on their team, your interviewers want a candidate that builds rapport, trust, and respect quickly while also keeping the mood fun and hard-working.
"Four years ago, I moved to my current region from across the country and had come from a job as a research nurse, so my joining the team on the inpatient geriatrics unit was quite the change. The nurses on the team were not very welcoming to me. They felt I did not belong on their team--everyone had been there for at least two years, but most of them for more than five. It was difficult for me, but I knew it wasn't impossible to eventually become a functional member of the team. As my colleagues did their best to ignore me at first, I didn't take it personally but did my best to be courteous and friendly to them, and eventually, they started letting me in. Before long, I was welcomed into their group, and I immediately began trying to loosen the culture so that the team wasn't so unwelcoming to other newcomers."
To successfully answer this question, you should indicate that you would be patient about being welcomed into the team community, but also suggest that you would strive to develop relationships with coworkers to make an effort in becoming a part of the team. A more successful answer would include an example of how you dealt with a similar situation coming into a new team during your nursing career.
