Tell us how you would handle a situation during Nurse Fellowship training in which you are pressed for time and it would be easier for you to provide care to your patients if you did not follow established procedures and protocols.

"I would never intentionally break protocols and procedures just because I am busy. My job as a nurse is to provide the best quality of care to my patients, and violating protocols that are in place to protect my patients would go against what I stand for as a nurse. I have been in situations like this before, and while I have seen my colleagues take shortcuts, especially with things like safety and infection prevention; however, I would never intentionally do so. Just last week, I was caring for multiple high-acuity patients, including one with a serious infectious disease. Even though I was busy and at times, overwhelmed, I always followed infection prevention protocols while caring for the patient with the ID, as I needed to protect her, myself, my coworkers, and the broader community."

Procedures and protocols established for nursing professionals are in place to protect the patient, the nurse, and the facility, and they are not meant to be violated out of convenience. Violating such a procedure or protocol puts many individuals at risk, and nurses should always follow these guidelines to the best of their ability. The interviewers ask this question to determine if you understand the importance of established protocols and procedures and to hear that you will always follow them as you train in their Nurse Fellowship program, even in times when you are busy.

To successfully answer this question, you should indicate that you would not sacrifice the quality of care you are providing by breaking protocols. You can provide a stronger answer to this question by talking about your personal experience with a similar situation during your nursing career.

Talk about a time where you had to handle an irate patient. How did you handle that situation and what were the results?

"During my time working in a busy pain clinic, we had a patient one day that was demanding more narcotics for their pain. They had walked into the clinic without an appointment to demand another prescription. As the only nurse in a small clinic that day, I sat the patient down to talk to them. I used a calm voice and listened to what they were asking for. After listening, I explained that I would need to check their records for their last prescription and speak with the attending physician in the clinic that day. After seeing that their last prescription was written many months ago and the patient had missed their last appointment, I was able to talk to the physician to get another prescription written. Once prescribed, I explained to the patient how it was important for them to keep their regularly scheduled appointments and they walked away happy."

Registered Nurses often deal with patients and their family members during some of the most stressful and fearful times they'll experience. These stressful times can lead to emotional outbursts like rage or sadness. Your interviewers need to be assured that any nurse they bring into their Nurse Fellowship program will come with the ability to handle an angry patient in a respectful and nurturing manner, all while keeping the patient's best interest in mind.

Prior to your interview, think of a situation you have been in where you can clearly demonstrate your ability to diffuse a high-conflict situation. In dealing with someone who was angry, it is important to demonstrate your listening skills, problem-solving skills, and your ability to remain calm and collected to not escalate the situation.

During you career as a registered nurse, have you been open to participating on any project teams or other administrative projects?

"Two years ago, when the company I was working for was undergoing their EHR upgrade, my manager put me in charge of ensuring that all clinicians, nurses, and staff on my unit were trained on the upgraded product. Since there were three separate required training classes--each offered at multiple times and dates--it was difficult to keep up with who had attended which session. I created a tracking spreadsheet in Excel with validations and dropdown boxes so I could easily visualize who had completed each training and who had not. I posted this spreadsheet on my unit's share drive so each employee could update it accordingly. Weekly, I would verify the information with the training office's records."

While the primary focus of a Registered Nurse is on patient care, administrative duties are often a part of the job. This is especially important if you are pursuing additional Nurse Fellowship training that puts you on a leadership path. In proposing a question like this, your interviewing team wants to ensure that you have the motivation to help the nursing field and patient care by participating in project work and representing the nursing team in administrative projects.

To successfully answer this question, you should describe any administrative tasks or projects that you have worked on in the past. A stronger answer to this question would include an example of when you led or spearheaded an administrative project during your time working as a registered nurse. Also, make sure you understand the duties of the Nurse Fellowship you are interviewing for and discuss how the administrative side is important to your future work in that field of nursing.

Talk about a time that you had to deal with a significant change in your work procedures or in your workplace. How did you handle that change?

"My current organization went through a buyout to become what it is now. Due to the buyout, nearly everything about my job changed. We were working on a new EMR, our pay structure changed, our benefits changed, our leadership structure changed, and some of our work processes did too. Knowing about the buyout ahead of time, I was able to prepare myself by keeping in mind that I only can control what I can control. As I saw other coworkers complain, cry, and even look for new jobs, I took this as an opportunity to embrace change and improve the organization. Learning a new EMR and learning new work processes did end up making me a better nurse in the end and for that, I have always been grateful."

The healthcare industry is in a constant state of change. Organizations merge, laws change, and new technology and processes emerge to better patient care. While you've likely had to handle this type of evolving environment during your entire career, the pursuit of advanced Nurse Fellowship training will provide an entirely new set of changes for you. The interviewers pose this question to hear that you can thrive in a new environment like theirs.

To step into an unfamiliar Nurse Fellowship program and hit the ground running from the start, you need to be able to demonstrate that you can navigate change with ease in the workplace. This is your chance to talk in detail about a specific change you have dealt with in the workplace and had a positive outcome. In your answer, be sure to reiterate your ability to be flexible and open to change if you were fortunate enough to join this program.

What makes you the ideal candidate to join our Nurse Fellowship program?

"Throughout my career as a registered nurse, I have demonstrated that patient care is a top priority in any job that I have held. What makes me the ideal candidate for your Nurse Fellowship program is my experience in helping develop nursing and healthcare policy. I've loved working on an advisory committee for the state nurse licensing board and on my hospital's credentialing committee and I'm excited to take the next step in formal training in health policy as your next Nurse Fellow."

Often one of the final questions during your Nurse Fellowship interview, this is your final chance to sell yourself to the interviewers on why you are the best candidate to join their program. While any candidate can give a canned answer that they are a great nurse or motivated to succeed, they'll be looking for candidates to express their passion for this path of training in a unique way.

This is a good question for you to have prepared, but not rehearsed. Answer in a way that highlights your skills and how they will benefit both the program you are interviewing for and your future career path. Also, you can discuss any personal traits that you feel put you above the competition for the position.

What professional nursing organizations do you belong to and which ones would you like to join in the future?

"I have belonged to the Emergency Nurses Association since I started my career path in emergency medicine six years ago. I love reading their articles on a regular basis and last year I received my ENPC certification through their online coursework. If I were to join your Nurse Fellowship program, I'd join the American Public Health Association right away and get on the mailing list for their journal."

You may or may not get this question posed to you in an interview, but not belonging to any is not the answer that your interviewer is looking to hear. Being that you are actively seeking additional training to better your career, your interviewers are looking to hear that you have been engaged in learning opportunities through at least one of the many nursing specific organizations (and their publications) and that you'll continue to do so in your time training with them and beyond.

As you are likely aware, there is a wide array of nursing publications and organizations that you have access to as a Registered Nurse. Come to your interview prepared to discuss the professional organizations that you are a part of and talk about some of the benefits your membership has had. You can also openly elaborate on any training and development opportunities that you've participated in over the years because of your membership.

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?

"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."

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.

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.

Have you ever had a time where you were proud of your healthcare team? What role did you play in that effort?

"I currently work in a large rehab unit, and there have been many proud moments that we have enjoyed as a team. But the one that comes to mind first was this young patient who was in our unit following a car accident. With his original diagnosis being paralyzation from the waist down, our team of therapists, physicians, and doctors worked with him for over three months in our inpatient unit. I felt so grateful to be working the day he took his first steps unassisted after a relatively short stay on our unit. Many tears were shed that day, both by his family and our staff."

No matter what type of Nurse Fellowship training you are looking to pursue, you will be joining a new team that will be working towards lofty goals. By asking this question, your interviewers are ideally looking to hear that you would join their fellowship program with a sense of pride in the work that you do yourself and as part of a larger team.

Prior to your interview, think of a time when you felt a sense of pride and accomplishment in a team effort during your time as a registered nurse. Try to paint a clear picture for your interviewers of what the situation was, who was involved in making it a great team effort, and what the ultimate outcome was. If you can relate your answer to a direct patient care situation, that is even better. In the end, make sure that your interviewer walks away knowing that you would take pride in what you do as a Nurse Fellow at their organization.

How do you approach the documentation of patient records? Do you have specific strategies that you use?

"I am new to nursing, as I just finished nursing school, but I understand how important clinical documentation is. During my clinical rotations--when I had the opportunity to document my clinical encounters--I made sure to document everything and before signing the note, I would double-check to ensure everything was correct. Since I am new to this and have not had a chance to develop my own efficiencies, I cannot speak to that, but I can say that my background in IT project management will allow me to think outside the box, and I can see myself coming up with ideas for standardization. If I am fortunate enough to join your fellowship program, learning and mastering the EMR would be one of my first goals during orientation."

Documentation of clinical encounters in patient records is extremely important and much of this responsibility rests on the shoulders of the registered nurses. As you look to join a reputable Nurse Fellowship, documentation and record-keeping may go beyond patient charting. The interviewer is asking this question to determine how seriously you take accurate and timely documentation and other administrative duties and to see if you use any methods to improve efficiencies for documentation.

To effectively answer this question, be prepared to talk about how you approach documentation from beginning to end and give examples of any strategies that you use to improve efficiency. If clinical encounters, medications, procedures, vital signs, and other information are not documented properly, unintended consequences could occur, some being dire. Also, if you've had other administrative duties that involved record-keeping, be sure to highlight those experiences for your team of interviewers.

Describe your typical relationship with the physicians you have worked with throughout your career. What would your ideal physician relationship be while training in our Nurse Fellowship program?

"During my career, I've taken great pride in being able to communicate and relate to the physicians that I have worked with. Together, we ultimately work as a team to provide the best care that we can for each patient and our working relationship is key to accomplishing this goal. As part of your Nurse Fellowship program, my ideal relationship with the physicians would entail open communication and mutual respect for the care we each provide to patients here at your organization. I would also look for them to hopefully be mentors in my short time here and be open to answering the questions I would have."

As an experienced registered nurse looking to pursue additional training as a Nurse Fellow, you have had close working relationships with many physicians throughout your career. This question will enable you to showcase your relationship with the physicians that you have worked with and what your communication style would be with the provider staff at your Nurse Fellowship's institution.

As a nurse, building trust with physicians is important, so some examples of how you've built that trust can be beneficial. To really seal this answer for your interviewer, describe what an ideal relationship with a physician would look like if you were to join their Nurse Fellowship program.

Tell me about a time in your nursing career when you made a big mistake. How did you handle the situation?

"I have made a few mistakes in my nursing career, but the one that stands out to me most is when I was working in an outpatient infusion clinic early in my career and accidentally administered the wrong infusion medication to a patient. There were two patients with the same first name with appointments close together, and they were both in the waiting room at the same time. When I went out and attempted to call her, let's call her Jane A, I only said, 'Jane', and Jane B came back with me. My mistake got even worse when I did not verify Jane's last name. The mistake was eventually caught by my colleague, but unfortunately, I had already started her infusion. It was a terrible mistake, and I wanted to be sure it never happened again. So, I helped my supervisor develop new procedures for verifying patient information and I helped train my colleagues on the new procedures."

Mistakes in healthcare can be commonplace, and how a person providing direct patient care reacts is critical. This question is very important for your interviewers, not to learn about the candidate's past mistakes, but to learn if you are able to recognize your mistakes and how you will ultimately handle situations in which you make mistakes as a Nurse Fellow in their program.

You should ideally be honest in answering this question and not be afraid to share information on the mistakes you have made. To successfully answer this question, you should provide an example of a mistake you have made in the past and tell the interviewer how you successfully mitigated the situation. A more successful answer to this question would include details of when you took a mistake you made and spearheaded a policy change or education program to ensure the same mistake was not made by your colleagues.

How do you respond to situations where new technology is introduced that significantly changes your work?

"Early in my career, I probably wasn't the best at adapting to new technology. However, I was always able to eventually because I remained determined to learn how to use it. For example, when my last company changed to a new EHR system, it was completely different and extremely hard for me at first. But, instead of giving up, I took extra training, took copious notes, and made help sheets for myself so I could remember specific shortcuts for how to use the system. This helped me adapt to the system more quickly than most nurses who were having the same challenges as me. I feel confident in my ability to learn and master a new EHR and all of the new equipment I would be exposed to in your NICU."

The interviewers are asking this question to determine how you will respond to changes in technology that will be part of joining an unfamiliar Nurse Fellowship program. Knowing that you likely have been exposed to many changes in technology throughout your career, they'll look to hear you talk positively about learning and mastering new technologies and maintaining a positive attitude for the changes that will come during your training in this program.

To effectively answer this question, you should be honest about your technical skills, whether they are limited or advanced, and discuss the effort you will put forth to adapt to the new technology you will be exposed to as a new Nurse Fellow. A more successful answer to the question would include an example from your nursing career when you successfully adapted to new technology.

Nurse Fellowship training can be extremely stressful. What do you think your personality strengths are that will enable you to handle this stress well?

"I am easygoing, but I'm not a pushover. I work well on a team, but I am a nurse that can make up my own mind about things. I think that's important when training as a new Nurse Fellow because I must work within the constraints of the program and training. I am very inquisitive and ask lots of questions, which will make me an ideal trainee for my preceptors.

Nurses entering Nurse Fellowship training can often experience long, demanding, and sometimes exhausting shifts. Interviewers ask questions like this to allow the prospective job candidate to showcase the emotional and personality strengths that allow them to handle the toughest days of fellowship training.

Your interviewers are ideally seeking a candidate with honesty, candor, and emotional/psychological resilience. They are not looking for a smooth and polished answer, but rather an authentic answer that is unique to you and illustrates your best qualities.

Describe a time you set a goal for yourself on the job and achieved it. What did you do to ensure that you met your goal?

"When I have an important goal, I like to break it down into baby steps or smaller pieces. Then, I feel accomplished when I achieve each smaller goal and this allows for opportunities to adjust my bigger goal if needed. Three years ago, I made it a goal to become a certified nurse mentor with my current organization as they require educational and experiential steps to becoming a certified mentor. I broke down the requirements and set a step-by-step path to achieving the certification and ensured that my supervisor was on board with the plan. Over the next year, I worked hard to take the classes and gain the 'mentoring the mentor' experience that was required. To this day, I'm always proud of mentoring new staff."

Nurse Fellowship programs love candidates who set goals and accomplish them. The rationale for asking this question is to gain insight into how your mind works when problem-solving.

This is a great time to showcase your problem-solving skills when faced with a personal goal. For example, if you lost weight and got in shape, the ideal answer would have the elements of being coachable, listening to guidance, developing a plan that was S-M-A-R-T, and perhaps reverse engineering your goal. This is not the time to say you bought meal replacement shakes and drank Red Bull all day to boost your metabolism or that you starved yourself. This is the time to outline the process and commitment that led to your success.

How would you handle a situation during Nurse Fellowship training where you disagreed with the team consensus on how to handle a situation?

"When it comes to taking care of my patients, I assume full responsibility for the care I provide. However, I try to be flexible when it comes to working within a larger team and I would bring this same attitude to your program as a Nurse Fellow. For example, our unit director took a staff poll for Christmas scheduling, with one of the options being that everyone rotates 4-hour shifts on the major holidays. I really wanted the 8-hour option, with fewer overall holidays, but the majority wanted the 4-hour shifts. I was disappointed but grateful that my nursing leadership tried to accommodate everyone's suggestions and allowed everyone's input. While I was disappointed I had to work on Christmas, our shift made the best of it and everyone brought in their favorite cookie to swap."

Many times, nurses work in a team environment, but they remain responsible for working within the scope of their nurse duties. Interviewers at Nurse Fellowships certainly do not want a maverick individual who will butt heads with everyone, but they also do not want an individual who will be swayed by groupthink.

The answer you provide should ideally be one that walks a fine line and showcases both a willingness to work as a team and a determination to independently do the right thing for your scope of practice and the patient. If you have a real-life scenario where you were challenged by a disagreement you had with your team, walk your interviewers through your thought process and how you reacted appropriately.

Throughout your career, how have you handled being asked to complete nursing tasks you had never done before?

"I really want to jump in and be a contributing member of the team during Nurse Fellowship training, but I'll always stop and do a check-in before enthusiastically saying I'll do something I'm not sure about. When I started my current position in the PACU, there were many new tasks and procedures I had to learn. Wanting to be oriented and running as quickly as possible, I asked a ton of questions, shadowed the best nurse, and spent extra time learning our work procedures so I could be independent after just four weeks."

At the very heart of your pursuit of advanced Nurse Fellowship training, you are looking to grow and build new skills to help further your career in the field. Your interviewers know that you will join their program and face new and unfamiliar situations. This question allows them the chance to see how you will react when faced when new tasks and responsibilities during your time training with them.

This is not the time to say that you would jump in with both feet. The interviewers are not looking for someone who just jumps when someone says jump, but someone willing to jump with confidence and competence. Your job is to provide an answer that illustrates this difference. Some key things to highlight could be your current set of nursing skills and asking for help when you feel you need it.

Describe a situation where it may be appropriate to use humor in the workplace when training as a Nurse Fellow.

"I am not opposed to a funny nursing meme posted in the office away from patient eyes, but I feel that we should represent the hospital staff as compassionate, caring, and professional individuals. During the busiest of days when it's easy for staff to be downtrodden and dejected, humor can help brighten days and raise spirits if used correctly. I wouldn't hesitate to use my wit to help lift a colleague in the appropriate moment."

Sometimes, even on the toughest of days, direct patient care staff need to have humor and fun in the clinic or hospital setting to help keep things sane. This question allows your interviewers some insight into your personality and the type of team member you would be if you were to join their Nurse Fellowship program. They'll look to hear that you will always be conscientious of when you use humor and that you do so appropriately.

There is a time for humor in the workplace for nursing staff, but it must be mindful. What people think is funny can vary wildly. If humor is used, it should be very mild and universal. It's a good policy to be kind, tolerant, professional, and compassionate with your patients. Certainly, laugh at a child's joke, if appropriate, and acknowledge a patient's attempt to be cheerful, but follow rather than lead with humor and only support, chuckle, or smile at anything that would be universally accepted as OK.

What kinds of review questions would you ask yourself after dealing with a difficult situation in Nurse Fellowship training?

"I really like to go back and review with myself and the team what happened and ways to be better. 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."

Any Nurse Fellow wants to have positive and impactful shifts every day, but this is not a reality. Things happen, situations go awry, and it's important to reflect as an individual or a team and extract the lesson to learn how to be better. Your interviewers pose a question like this to gauge your ability to reflect and learn after you've faced a challenge.

It's human nature to rationalize or justify and not face the difficult feelings or emotions of a situation gone bad. However, reflection is extremely important when training as a fellow. You want your time in Nurse Fellowship to be a learning and growing experience, so reiterate to your interviewers that you would take time to reflect on the situation, ask questions to your preceptors, and think of ways that you could help a situation like this improve in the future.

Who in your life has been the biggest mentor or inspiration to you?

"I find inspiration in a variety of people and things. The person who has most greatly inspired me is my grandfather. Having worked his whole life as a farmer, growing his small family farm into a large commercial dairy farm over his career, he instilled in me a solid work ethic and a genuine personality. He taught me that nothing in life comes for free and without hard work. I remember these words each and every day of my life. As a successful nurse, these virtues have allowed me to build great relationships with all of my colleagues, leaders, and patients I have worked alongside over the last eight years."

Your interviewers want to gain some insight into the personalities and personal motivations of each candidate they talk to. This question allows your interviewers to see who influenced you to become the successful and motivated nurse that would be joining their Nurse Fellowship program.

Your life's inspiration can come from a book, a mentor, your family, or a celebrity. Talk to the interviewers about who has inspired you and why. If possible, explain how this mentor or influence has inspired your choice to pursue a career as a registered nurse.

What is motivating you to pursue additional training in our Nurse Fellowship program?

"At this point in my career, I'm honestly looking to give back more because I feel I've accomplished every great thing I can in direct patient care. While I still love bedside care of patients, I want to become an innovative leader in the care at home directives that our field is moving to and your Nurse Innovation Fellowship will help me get on the best path for this goal."

Due to the sheer competitiveness and the high number of applications, your interviewers will consider many great candidates for their Nurse Fellowship program. Who they select to ultimately join may come down to which candidate can express their best motivations for success in their program. This question allows them to gauge each candidate's motivation.

Prior to your Nurse Fellowship interview, put some deep thought into what is motivating you to pursue this training. Where many candidates will simply talk about a career move, you'll ideally want to go a step further and passionately speak about your internal drive for that career move. If you can express why this is important to you, your patients, and the field in general, you just might win over your interviewers and land a coveted spot.

You see a nurse colleague pretend to give a narcotic to a patient while her back is turned to you. Then you see the medication in her pocket. What do you do?

"I would record the patient's name, the nurse's name, and the time of the incident. Then, I would look at the patient's chart to see who ordered the medication. I would report the incident to the nurse's immediate supervisor. However, my responsibility doesn't end there, because I have to act as the patient's advocate. I would ensure that the patient received the appropriate dosage of the prescribed medication and follow up with the supervisor."

Substance abuse is becoming more and more prevalent amongst healthcare providers and staff. Your interviewers want to know that you are aware of this fact and that you would be willing and ready to step in when you witness it. Not doing so can put the patient, the staff, and the institution at major risk.

In any situation that involves both the well-being of a patient and the program that you represent, it is your business to act accordingly. Assure your team of interviewers that you would immediately address the situation with the nurse and take the issue up the chain of command immediately. When training as a Nurse Fellow, you will be expected to uphold the highest degree of integrity.

What do you feel is your greatest non-medical strength you can bring to our Nurse Fellowship program?

"I was honestly attracted to a career in nursing because of my trusting and respectful personality. I love forming relationships with patients and look forward to building them throughout my time as a Nurse Fellow with your program and throughout the rest of my career. I build trust with my patients through a friendly and knowledgeable approach. I take the time to get to know the little things about my patients and, in turn, they trust me to help them in their journey towards better health."

Outside of the nursing skills that you've been honing during your education and in practice, interpersonal soft skills are equally important to finding success in Nurse Fellowship training. In asking this question, your interviewers want to know that you have those soft skills as they look to consider you for their program.

Your answer to this question could include soft skills such as empathy, charity, integrity, and consistency. Tell a brief anecdote that demonstrates why you find this strength important for your success in your career. Be sure that your answer is well thought out and speak with a passion to impress your team of interviewers.

What drove you to pursue a career in nursing?

"From a very young age, being the oldest of four siblings, I was always the caregiver. When I was 13, my youngest brother became extremely ill--he was only eight. With both parents working, I helped care for and attend to his needs for over two months. From that point, I knew a career in nursing would be something that I would avidly pursue. Now, after having ten years of primary care and emergency care experience under my belt, I'm looking to break into the neonatal care arena and your critical care fellowship is the perfect training for that path."

Being passionate about nursing is essential for any nurse to be successful in their craft. This is even more true for those looking at advancing their career in pursuit of a Nurse Fellowship training program. Your team of interviewers wants candidates who are passionate and dedicated to the field of nursing and the subspecialty training that they are pursuing.

This is a question in which you can shine by espousing the vision of nursing--directly caring for patients. Share why forming relationships with individual patients and families is necessary and meaningful to you and what drew you to serve patients. Explain how this Nurse Fellowship program will be driven by your passion and how that passion is motivating you to pursue this training.

What do you feel is your greatest nursing weakness, and how would you correct it during your time in our Nurse Fellowship program?

"I feel that my greatest weakness is my desire to be social with every person I interact with. While this has never been a problem during my nursing career to this point, I realize that I need to have boundaries with my patients and colleagues to be productive. While I know this is a positive trait when building rapport with my patients, I will strive to never cross any boundaries with my patients. As a Nurse Fellow with your program, I will hold these same boundaries and always be mindful of them."

As your interviewers connect with and consider many great candidates for their Nurse Fellowship program, they know that every candidate has flaws. Your interviewers want to hear that you are cognizant of any shortcomings you have and are willing to do what is necessary to overcome those shortcomings.

This is your chance to promote yourself despite your flaws. Your answer should point out a salvageable weakness; you should admit that you're imperfect but have the gumption to work on your weakness because you are committed to being the best nurse you can be. Explain that--if you didn't perform at your best--you'd feel as if you were failing your program and you would find that unacceptable.

What has been your biggest ethical challenge thus far in your nursing career?

"Having been born and raised in another region of the country, I realize that I have many cultural beliefs that are different from your patient base here. I want you to be confident that I would never allow cultural differences to hinder my ability to do what is best for every patient. Two years ago, I had a physician ask if I could pull some very personal information on a patient from their medical record and get it to him in writing that day. The entire question raised major red flags and I told the physician it was against policy to do so. He said okay and let it go, but I didn't want to be responsible for getting personal contact information out of the system for potential improper use."

In the healthcare setting, working closely with patients for many years can pose ethical challenges for any nurse. Your interviewers want to know how you solved your biggest ethical problem in your career to get a sense of how you will behave ethically as part of their Nurse Fellowship program.

This is not a trick question. Your answer should demonstrate that you know what is ethical and non-ethical and where you need to intervene in your work as a nurse. The relationship between nurses and their patients puts the patient first, but not at the expense of your own ethics. Explain that you will be an ethical and competent nurse as part of this Nurse Fellowship and leave no shadow of a doubt in your interviewers' minds as you answer.

Are there any specific things you would like to focus on learning during your time training in Nurse Fellowship?

"As you can see from my work experience, I have a very good handle on the basics of critical care. Your fellowship training will help round me out as a complete critical care nurse with additional training in EKG and advanced critical life support. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is one skill I'm looking forward to mastering in your simulation lab for real-life scenarios down the road."

The motivations for pursuing advanced Nurse Fellowship training are almost endless, and your interviewers will be looking to gauge your motivation for pursuing fellowship training and some goals you are looking to obtain. This question allows them to hear one or two things that you are specifically looking to learn and take from your time training as a Nurse Fellow in their program.

Come to your Nurse Fellowship interview prepared to describe one or two specific new skills or procedures you are looking to learn and master during your training. What you'll want to ensure is that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the program and the curriculum to be able to match your desires with what the training is offering.

Outside of your nursing career, what are your hobbies and interests?

"Over the last two years, my life has revolved around my twins and their activities outside of school. I help coach their softball team during the summer months. We spend fall playing volleyball and winter is packed with swim meets all over the tri-state area. I wouldn't trade this for anything in my personal life."

Having hobbies and interests outside of work or school is an important part of maintaining a healthy work/life balance. Your interviewers will also want to get to know you a bit better as a person to gauge how you will fit culturally with their organization, their faculty, and your colleagues during training. They also want to know that you will have a healthy balance during your time training with them.

Talk openly and honestly to the interviewers about the activities that interest you outside of the workplace. As you answer, talk about how these activities will be important in your life as a fellow in their program to help keep you happy, healthy, and refreshed during your training.

Take some time to walk us through your formal education to this point. How will your path help you succeed in training as a Nurse Fellow?

"As you can see from my resume, I receive my BSN from State University. Heading into college out of high school, many future nurses were getting high-paying jobs with a tech degree in nursing. But, I felt it was very important to my future as a nurse and a leader to pursue a well-rounded Bachelor's degree program and I've never regretted that decision. My degree helped me learn a lot of great skills that other nurses weren't getting and that path has helped me become a preceptor and a charge nurse throughout my career. Knowing that my career goal is now focused on formally educating nurses of the future, I would be just as dedicated to your Nurse Fellowship program over the next year."

If you are looking to enter Nurse Fellowship training after getting solid work experience as a registered nurse, this will may be your first opportunity to be a trainee again in quite some time. If you are a new graduate and looking to gain fellowship training before hitting the workforce, your educational path can prove your ability to be committed to your training. Either way, your interviewers are looking to hear that you have been committed to your nursing education to this point and will continue to be with their program.

Simply walk your interviewers through your educational path in nursing. As you do that, talk about the highlights of your schooling and training up to this point in your career. Speak with passion as you discuss any awards or accolades you received along the way and ensure your interviewers walk away from your time together knowing that you would be committed to their Nurse Fellowship program.

If becoming a registered nurse was off the table as a career option for you, what career path would you have chosen outside of medicine?

"I do not regret the direction I have taken in my career, and I'm looking forward to furthering my career as a Nurse Fellow. If I were forced to start over in a new direction, I would likely pursue a career in education. I have a passion for teaching and look forward to this aspect during my career--shaping the futures of nursing students. I could see myself teaching the arts or sciences at the middle school level where teenagers can feel the influences of these subjects on their future."

Your interviewers want to get to know each candidate they are considering for their Nurse Fellowship program a bit better during the interview process. This hypothetical question will give the interviewers some insight into other topics that interest you outside of the medical field.

There is no right or wrong answer, but be sure to think about questions like this before your Nurse Fellowship interview. As you answer, talk openly and honestly with your interviewers about where your career path would have ideally taken you if becoming a nurse wasn't an option. If you want to have some fun with your answer, don't hesitate to talk about a hypothetical alternative career path that shows more of who you are as a person.

How have you handled stressful workloads throughout your career and how will you manage the high amounts of day to day stress that are a part of training in our Nurse Fellowship program?

"When I have been under pressure on the job, I focus on the task at hand and make sure I don't get distracted. Over the last two years, I've worked in a very busy inpatient hospital unit and we've been at maximum capacity and diverting patients over 90% of the days. I know that the next year's training in Nurse Fellowship will require the same focus and dedication. I plan to utilize my free time wisely by doing what is necessary to recharge my mind and rest my body. Some ways I like to do this are playing golf, hiking with my dog, and reading."

Registered nurses are known to have a high amount of stress and burnout due to the nature of the work. You need to be aware that the demands and pressure of Nurse Fellowship training can lead to fatigue and little sleep. Your interviews want to hear about your plan to handle the high amounts of stress during your time with them.

Explain to your interviewers that you have the tools to keep your mind, body, and spirit in the best shape possible to learn and grow every day during Nurse Fellowship training. Talk about your ability to maintain perspective, use your downtime to recharge, and come to each shift prepared for the challenges that you'll face. If possible, talk about how you have successfully navigated the high-pressure situations during your career to this point and how that experience will help you benefit while in fellowship training.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge the nursing field will face in the coming years?

"I think every healthcare organization, both large and small, is currently feeling the direct effects of the nursing shortage and the stress it is putting on the workforce and patients. With no real solution in sight due to the many reasons for the shortage, those of us currently in the field need to have a refreshed mindset and positive attitude. I haven't been exempt from this issue in my current role, but continue to be diligent in my focus and willingness to chip in where needed. Can you talk about any staffing challenges your organization has faced in recent years and what you're doing to combat them?"

Coming into their Nurse Fellowship program, your interviewers want to know that you have a finger on the pulse of the nursing field and have the wherewithal to forecast the challenges the field is facing. They also want to see that you understand that training in their program may come with some of the same current challenges and that you are ready to face those head-on.

Before your Nurse Fellowship interview, study, and read as much as possible about the challenges the nursing field is facing and will continue to face moving forward. Discuss the challenges you foresee and speak about how you plan to succeed despite these challenges.

Anyone that joins our Nurse Fellowship must pass a required criminal record check and education verification. Is there any reason you would not be comfortable with this?

"I am ready to fully comply with any background and verification checks that are required of me to join your program as a Nurse Fellow. I have clean criminal and driving records."

In any healthcare-related setting, successfully passing a criminal background check is a necessity. Your interviewers ask this question to ensure that you would be able to pass any required institutional, state and/or federal background checks and education verifications.

If you can successfully pass a criminal record check or education verification, explain that you have a clean record. If you have any blemishes on your records and are not able to pass a criminal record check or education verification, be upfront about that in the interview process. The fellowship program will be more forgiving if you are honest about any marks on your background check.

To find success in our Nurse Fellowship training program, communication skills are essential. How would you describe your communication skills on the job?

"My communication skills with patients focus on education and compassion. I treat every conversation with the utmost respect, no matter the nature of it. I am also a very focused and open communicator with my team. I am very comfortable and open to working with physicians and APP staff. On my nursing team, I have the ability to take control and lead others when necessary. On my most recent performance review, I was commended for my ability to clearly communicate discharge instructions to patients and their family members."

Patient-centered communication is vital for the fellows of any Nurse Fellowship training program, and your interviewers want to know that you are a great communicator. They want to hear that you have strong verbal and written communication skills when communicating with patients, providers, fellow nurses, and your entire patient care team.

Before your interview, think about your communication strengths. Come to your interview prepared to talk about what makes you great at communicating with patients, colleagues, and support staff. More important, make sure to explain why solid communication skills are vital for any nurse and Nurse Fellow. If you have received any formal feedback on your communication skills throughout your career, now is a great time to mention that feedback.

How will you work effectively and collaboratively as part of a larger care team as a Nurse Fellow with our program?

"During my six-year nursing career, I have learned how important teamwork is in both a clinic and hospital setting. I intend to bring my top-notch communication skills to your Nurse Fellowship program. I maintain open lines of communication with my colleagues and support staff. In a busy clinic setting, there can be a hundred things happening at once, and the only way for the team to keep abreast of everything is through communication. If I am fortunate enough to join your program, you'll quickly find that people typically work well with my leadership style. I listen to ideas from everyone, show respect for everyone I work with, and don't hesitate to grab the bull by the horns when needed."

No matter if you are looking to join a Nurse Fellowship program directly out of nursing school or after having years of work experience as a registered nurse, you need to be prepared to step in and be the ultimate team player with faculty, fellows, and all members of the larger care team during fellowship training. The interviewers want assurance that you would join their program as a team player, regardless of personality or work style differences. They'll also want to hear that you can be a natural leader.

The goal of your response is to describe your approach to collaborating with others while highlighting how your collaboration style will be a good match for the fellowship program you are interviewing with. Highlight your leadership skills, communication skills, listening skills, and the respect you show for others in a working environment. If you have examples of times you've proven to be a team player, don't hesitate to share them.

If you joined our Nurse Fellowship program and didn't know the answer to something, what resources would you use to find the right answer?

"To be as prepared as possible for any situation I would encounter as a Nurse Fellow at your organization, it would be extremely important for me to know all on-staff experts. I would take the time to get to know who the charge nurses, nurse educators, and physician staff are and what their areas of expertise are so I could tap into them when needed. I would also get to know my colleagues and their experiences to ensure that we can work with each other's strengths on a daily basis. If an issue that came up needed further research into policies or procedures, I wouldn't hesitate to do what is necessary by way of research to seek resolutions."

Your interviewers fully understand that experienced Registered Nurses are often the go-to for questions from patients and their families. They also know it's impossible for even the best and most experienced nurses to know the answers to everything when coming to a new organization for Nurse Fellowship training. What they are looking to hear is that you can be resourceful in finding an answer if you were to join their program.

As you answer, talk about your willingness to tap into physicians, colleagues, policies, or any other resources to best help answer questions that may come your way. If you have an example of a time when you had to be creative in your resourcefulness to answer a question, don't hesitate to talk about it as you answer this question.

Nurse Fellowship Interview Questions

Go Back

1. Tell us how you would handle a situation during Nurse Fellowship training in which you are pressed for time and it would be easier for you to provide care to your patients if you did not follow established procedures and protocols.
2. Talk about a time where you had to handle an irate patient. How did you handle that situation and what were the results?
3. During you career as a registered nurse, have you been open to participating on any project teams or other administrative projects?
4. Talk about a time that you had to deal with a significant change in your work procedures or in your workplace. How did you handle that change?
5. What makes you the ideal candidate to join our Nurse Fellowship program?
6. What professional nursing organizations do you belong to and which ones would you like to join in the future?
7. 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?
8. Have you ever had a time where you were proud of your healthcare team? What role did you play in that effort?
9. How do you approach the documentation of patient records? Do you have specific strategies that you use?
10. Describe your typical relationship with the physicians you have worked with throughout your career. What would your ideal physician relationship be while training in our Nurse Fellowship program?
11. Tell me about a time in your nursing career when you made a big mistake. How did you handle the situation?
12. How do you respond to situations where new technology is introduced that significantly changes your work?
13. Nurse Fellowship training can be extremely stressful. What do you think your personality strengths are that will enable you to handle this stress well?
14. Describe a time you set a goal for yourself on the job and achieved it. What did you do to ensure that you met your goal?
15. How would you handle a situation during Nurse Fellowship training where you disagreed with the team consensus on how to handle a situation?
16. Throughout your career, how have you handled being asked to complete nursing tasks you had never done before?
17. Describe a situation where it may be appropriate to use humor in the workplace when training as a Nurse Fellow.
18. What kinds of review questions would you ask yourself after dealing with a difficult situation in Nurse Fellowship training?
19. Who in your life has been the biggest mentor or inspiration to you?
20. What is motivating you to pursue additional training in our Nurse Fellowship program?
21. You see a nurse colleague pretend to give a narcotic to a patient while her back is turned to you. Then you see the medication in her pocket. What do you do?
22. What do you feel is your greatest non-medical strength you can bring to our Nurse Fellowship program?
23. What drove you to pursue a career in nursing?
24. What do you feel is your greatest nursing weakness, and how would you correct it during your time in our Nurse Fellowship program?
25. What has been your biggest ethical challenge thus far in your nursing career?
26. Are there any specific things you would like to focus on learning during your time training in Nurse Fellowship?
27. Outside of your nursing career, what are your hobbies and interests?
28. Take some time to walk us through your formal education to this point. How will your path help you succeed in training as a Nurse Fellow?
29. If becoming a registered nurse was off the table as a career option for you, what career path would you have chosen outside of medicine?
30. How have you handled stressful workloads throughout your career and how will you manage the high amounts of day to day stress that are a part of training in our Nurse Fellowship program?
31. What do you believe is the greatest challenge the nursing field will face in the coming years?
32. Anyone that joins our Nurse Fellowship must pass a required criminal record check and education verification. Is there any reason you would not be comfortable with this?
33. To find success in our Nurse Fellowship training program, communication skills are essential. How would you describe your communication skills on the job?
34. How will you work effectively and collaboratively as part of a larger care team as a Nurse Fellow with our program?
35. If you joined our Nurse Fellowship program and didn't know the answer to something, what resources would you use to find the right answer?

Nurse Fellowship Interview Questions

1. Tell us how you would handle a situation during Nurse Fellowship training in which you are pressed for time and it would be easier for you to provide care to your patients if you did not follow established procedures and protocols.

2. Talk about a time where you had to handle an irate patient. How did you handle that situation and what were the results?

3. During you career as a registered nurse, have you been open to participating on any project teams or other administrative projects?

4. Talk about a time that you had to deal with a significant change in your work procedures or in your workplace. How did you handle that change?

5. What makes you the ideal candidate to join our Nurse Fellowship program?

6. What professional nursing organizations do you belong to and which ones would you like to join in the future?

7. 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?

8. Have you ever had a time where you were proud of your healthcare team? What role did you play in that effort?

9. How do you approach the documentation of patient records? Do you have specific strategies that you use?

10. Describe your typical relationship with the physicians you have worked with throughout your career. What would your ideal physician relationship be while training in our Nurse Fellowship program?

11. Tell me about a time in your nursing career when you made a big mistake. How did you handle the situation?

12. How do you respond to situations where new technology is introduced that significantly changes your work?

13. Nurse Fellowship training can be extremely stressful. What do you think your personality strengths are that will enable you to handle this stress well?

14. Describe a time you set a goal for yourself on the job and achieved it. What did you do to ensure that you met your goal?

15. How would you handle a situation during Nurse Fellowship training where you disagreed with the team consensus on how to handle a situation?

16. Throughout your career, how have you handled being asked to complete nursing tasks you had never done before?

17. Describe a situation where it may be appropriate to use humor in the workplace when training as a Nurse Fellow.

18. What kinds of review questions would you ask yourself after dealing with a difficult situation in Nurse Fellowship training?

19. Who in your life has been the biggest mentor or inspiration to you?

20. What is motivating you to pursue additional training in our Nurse Fellowship program?

21. You see a nurse colleague pretend to give a narcotic to a patient while her back is turned to you. Then you see the medication in her pocket. What do you do?

22. What do you feel is your greatest non-medical strength you can bring to our Nurse Fellowship program?

23. What drove you to pursue a career in nursing?

24. What do you feel is your greatest nursing weakness, and how would you correct it during your time in our Nurse Fellowship program?

25. What has been your biggest ethical challenge thus far in your nursing career?

26. Are there any specific things you would like to focus on learning during your time training in Nurse Fellowship?

27. Outside of your nursing career, what are your hobbies and interests?

28. Take some time to walk us through your formal education to this point. How will your path help you succeed in training as a Nurse Fellow?

29. If becoming a registered nurse was off the table as a career option for you, what career path would you have chosen outside of medicine?

30. How have you handled stressful workloads throughout your career and how will you manage the high amounts of day to day stress that are a part of training in our Nurse Fellowship program?

31. What do you believe is the greatest challenge the nursing field will face in the coming years?

32. Anyone that joins our Nurse Fellowship must pass a required criminal record check and education verification. Is there any reason you would not be comfortable with this?

33. To find success in our Nurse Fellowship training program, communication skills are essential. How would you describe your communication skills on the job?

34. How will you work effectively and collaboratively as part of a larger care team as a Nurse Fellow with our program?

35. If you joined our Nurse Fellowship program and didn't know the answer to something, what resources would you use to find the right answer?