Pediatric Nurse Mock Interview

Master 29 Pediatric Nurse interview questions covering patient care, family communication, and clinical scenarios.

Question 1 of 29

Tell me about a time you had to deal with a distraught family member and how you handled it.

Entry Level
Experienced
How to Answer
Example Answer
Community Answers

Darby Faubion has been a Nurse and Allied Health Educator for over 20 years. She has clinical experience in several specialty areas, including pediatrics, medical-surgical, critical care, and hospice.

"One experience I had with a distraught family member was when I was caring for a young boy who had a broken leg. The accident happened when the child was at a friend's house and the mother wasn't there. By the time she got to the hospital, she was very upset and not sure what happened or what to expect. I was able to take her to the room where her child was so she could see he was ok. I notified the doctor that the mother had arrived and he counseled with her regarding her son's status. Those few minutes with her made a huge difference for her."

Darby Faubion

"I can actually think of several occasions that I had to handle a situation with a distraught family member. Dealing with pediatric patients, especially, requires patience and sometimes I think nurses feel like we are caring for more than one patient. Not because the family requires medical care, but emotional care. In all of those instances, I try to make sure I offer sympathy and take time to explain diagnosis, tests, and procedures in a way that the loved one can understand. Being able to understand what is going on with their child helps parents to deal with the situation."

Heather Douglass

Heather Douglass has over 20 years of experience as a Career Coach, Recruiter, and HR Specialist. Much of her experience is as a Technical Recruiter in the healthcare industry.

Pediatric nursing requires not only dealing with a patient, but the family members who are responsible for the child. Being able to identify stressors that may affect a family member is important for a nurse in this specialty. The interviewer wants to know that you are capable of addressing the needs of the family member as well as the patient and that you understand why that skill is important for a pediatric nurse.

Heather Douglass

Heather Douglass has over 20 years of experience as a Career Coach, Recruiter, and HR Specialist. Much of her experience is as a Technical Recruiter in the healthcare industry.

"One thing about pediatric nursing is, the patient is not always the only 'patient,' so to speak. I have learned that being a good pediatric nurse also means being able to communicate with family members who are unsure of what to expect or who don't quite understand a diagnosis takes a great deal of stress off of them. When parents or other family who are with a pediatric patient are calm, it often makes the patient calmer and easier to care for."

Write Your Answer

0 - Character Count

Anonymous Answer

One example of a time I had to deal with a distraught family member was when I was caring for a young child who was admitted for tonsillitis and mono but he was quickly declining and going into respiratory distress. The mother was very upset and scared as she didn't know what was happening to her son and why he now needed to be placed on high-flow oxygen. I reassured the mother that we are keeping a close eye on her son and that the doctor is aware of these changes and if the high flow oxygen doesn't work or her son continues to decline we will transfer him to another facility. I also told the mother that we will make sure to keep her updated on all of the results of tests we are performing. The mother calmed down and asked if she could step out of the room for a few minutes and if I and the primary nurse could sit in there with her child for a few minutes while she updates her family. By the next morning, the patient was started on steroids and antibiotics, and when I came back the next day the patient was weaned off of oxygen and tolerating oral fluids.

Cindy's Feedback

Great! The narrative works very well to demonstrate the past example of your work. You may want to explain how the story ended and how you were able to maintain her calm until the child was better.

Previous Question Next Question

29Pediatric Nurse Interview Questions & Answers

1.Tell me about a time you had to deal with a distraught family member and how you handled it.

2.What characteristics do you think are important for healthcare professionals to have?

3.What made you choose to become a pediatric nurse?

4.Have you ever had a disagreement with a coworker? If so, how was it resolved?

5.What about your job as a pediatric nurse gives you the most satisfaction?

6.Nurses at our facility often work on rotation. Are you willing to work, nights,weekends, holidays, or overtime if needed?

7.Have you ever cared for children with autism, and can you share your knowledge of one of the disorders within the Autism spectrum?

8.Have you ever done wellness exams or given immunizations to pediatric patients?

9.Working in a pediatric unit requires a great deal of attention to detail and often multi-tasking. What do you do to help keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed?

10.What about your work feeds your spirit?

11.What would you say is your greatest strength as a pediatric nurse?

12.What changes have you seen in terms of children's chronic health issues since you became a pediatric nurse?

13.Has there ever been a time when you received negative feedback, and how did you handle it?

14.What advice would you give to a nurse who is about to begin a career in pediatrics?

15.Why do you think nurses often report experiencing 'burn out' and what do you do to help try to prevent that?

16.Have you ever been in a situation in which a co-worker put a patient in jeopardy? If so, how did you handle it?

17. Have you had any special patient or experience that you could share with me that would tell me what it's like to be a pediatric nurse?

18.Why do you think you are a good pediatric nurse?

19.What is a challenge you face being a pediatric nurse?

20. If you could choose a specific schedule or shift, what would it be?

21.In addition to providing care to seriously ill children, pediatric nurses must attend to stressed out family members. How do you approach offering support to family members?

22.Has there ever been a time that you had a disagreement with a coworker? If so, how was it resolved?

23. What are some things you would like for people to notice about your personality?

24.If you were offered a position that requires travel, would you accept it?

25.If you were the person responsible for hiring new employees, what qualities would you look for in a candidate? Do you think you possess those qualities?