Now that you already have some experience in the nursing field and have an impressive resume backing you up, it’s time to make a major leap in your career. Assistant nursing managers hold key responsibilities in medical care facilities in assisting the Nurse Manager or Director in the delivery and improvement of quality nursing services.
Mentioned below is a list of common interview questions for nurse manager candidates that you can check out here. Note that the sample questions and nursing management job interview answers are generic and generalized, you’ll have to tweak them accordingly.
Assistant Nurse Manager Interview Questions
Tell Me About Yourself?
This is probably one of the first nursing supervisor interview questions you’ll be asked. The interviewer wants you to ease you into the whole process and also get a brief idea about you. Don’t just go about blabbering about unnecessary details though, be as professional and to the point as you can.
Here, you’ll have to give a basic, conventional introduction stating your name, age, cultural background (in some cases), academic qualifications and previous job experiences (if any). You can then move on to discuss your family background, likes, dislikes, your hometown, schooling, hobbies and stuff.
Why Did You Opt For Nursing?
This is another frequent assistant nurse manager position interview question you might have to face. He/she wants to understand your motivation and reason that made you opt for nursing as a career option. The trick here is to be as honest as possible. Talk about the perks involved, the satisfaction and joy you derive from helping people. Avoid talking about the money factor here.
I have always wanted to help and serve people and nursing gives me an opportunity to do that. Watching someone get better under my care is possibly the best feeling in the world. I would be successful and satisfied if I can bring about a positive change in the life of my patients and improve their condition.
Tell Me About Your Previous Job Experience?
The interviewer here wants to understand about the kind of practical experience you’ve had in the field of nursing previously. Talk about the job experience and organization but don’t bash it. Describe the working environment there, the kind of people you had to deal with and the reason why you left the job.
Before applying for this position at your hospital, I was working for the “ABC” (insert the organization name). The organization has shaped me up and given me a first-hand experience of what it’s like working in a hospital. I have learned a lot from my previous workplace that has improved me as a professional.
How Was Your Former Employer/Organisation?
The interviewer here wants to understand how loyal and credible you are as a person. Avoid bashing or criticizing your previous employer as it doesn’t really portray a positive image. Talk about the kind of things you learned from the previous experience and how that has shaped up your career and skills.
The previous organization I worked for has helped me immensely in improving my skills as a nurse. I had the opportunity to work with several professionals and doctors from the medical field. My employer Ted (insert the name of the employer) was extremely supportive and patient in dealing with an amateur like me.
What Are Your Strengths And Weaknesses?
It is another of those common questions that any aspiring nurse case manager has to answer in the interview phase. The interviewer wants to get a clear idea on what strengths and flaws you have. Be as honest and straightforward as possible. Evaluate yourself as you are, don’t underplay or overplay your qualifications.
I am an honest, hardworking and punctual person who will always give in her best at the job. I am good at handling pressure and know how to keep my calm even in the most stressful of situations. I am a team player and believe in collaborating with my colleagues and superiors. You can have a look at the previous projects and programs I’ve been a part of to get a better idea about my managerial skills.
Read here – 15 Top Nursing Skills and Qualities
What Are Your Salary Expectations?
This is a sure shot question that will be included to test your interview skills. Avoid stating a very unrealistic and overrated salary package. Look up the average pay scale of an assistant nurse manager in any reputed organization and state an amount accordingly. This might also be a trick question, as some organizations have a fixed pay scale and aren’t really open to bargaining. Smaller hospitals are more flexible and have a buffer-zone when it comes to negotiating the salary.
Describe The Kind of Challenges You’re Expecting to Face in Workspace?
When the interviewer asks you to state the challenges and obstacles you’ll be facing at the job what he really wants to know it how you would tackle them. Be as professional and diplomatic as you can. This not only puts forth a collected and smart personality but also gives the interviewer an insight into how good a manager you are
As an assistant nurse manager, there will be a lot of challenges I’ll have to face every day. From the doctors not cooperating with the staff being complacent and careless, there are a number of things that can go wrong in any organization. I would also have to tackle the patients, their families and keep a positive front so as to not diminish their hopes. You can rest assured that will manage and handle all of these challenges to the best of my ability.
Why Do You Think We Should Hire You?
The interviewer here gives you an opportunity to put forth your point as to why you feel you’re the best candidate for the job. Play your strengths and not just the academic ones. Talk about the qualities you have, like leadership, honesty, integrity, punctuality, etc.
I have worked as a registered nurse before and have enough experience working in a professional environment. Other than having the necessary academic qualifications and work experience, I also possess a lot of qualities that I feel make me an asset to the organization. I am a good manager and know how to optimally utilize the given resources and give you the maximum benefit out of it. I understand and empathize with the suffering of the sick and want to help them out in any way I can.
Describe Some of The Responsibilities You’ll Be Entrusted with as an Assistant Nursing Manager?
The interviewer wants to know about how you view your job and what do you think will be the responsibilities you’ll be entrusted with.
As an assistant nurse manager, I will be responsible for keeping control and harmony in the organization. This involves monitoring the nurses and hospital staff and see to it that they are doing their job. I would also be in charge of providing administrative support to the whole department and oversee the day-to-day operations in each unit.
How Would Deal With Conflict in Workspace?
By giving a situational question or hypothetical scenario the interviewer checks your presence of mind.
As an assistant nurse manager, it is my duty to keep control in the organization and ensure that everything is going on smoothly. If I notice a conflict between any of the members of the organization I would try my best to resolve it. I would listen to either of the parties and try to understand the crux of the issue. In serious cases, I would consult my superiors and report the matter to them.
What Would You Do If The Doctor Doesn’t Cooperate?
This is again a situational question that checks how calm and composed you are under untoward situations.
If I notice any doctor being rude or uncooperative with the nurses and hospital staff I would politely but firmly ask them to mend their ways. I believe in directly approaching the problem and tackling it by the horns rather than being shady or diplomatic about it. If the doctor doesn’t listen then I might have to take some serious action against him and report to my superiors.
How Would You Tackle An Incompetent Nurse Under You?
These hypothetical scenarios deal with untoward or exceptional cases that check how well you can manage the staff and keep the discipline in the organization.
As an assistant nurse manager, it is my duty to monitor the day to day activities of the organization and also keep an eye out for the incompetent and uncooperative staff. If I find any cases of complacency and carelessness in the workplace I would approach the person directly and try to talk to him/her about it. I would try to understand their problems and solve it, motivating them to give their best to the hospital and do their duty properly.
What Would You Do If You See The Office Staff Misbehaving with a Patient?
Hypothetical situations like these check how smart and diplomatic you are in dealing with complicated problems.
If I see any of the staff members misbehaving with the patients or their family members, my first step would be to intervene and demand an explanation from the said person for such behavior. Any kind of unprofessional behavior cannot be tolerated inside an organization and I would try my best to uphold the decorum of the place. I would immediately report the case to my superiors and ensure that the hospital official in question would be appropriately punished.
How Can You Keep Up With The Changes In The Field Of Medicine?
The interviewer wants to check how flexible and open-minded you are.
There are new and improved technological changes almost every other day that everyone inside the organization must be familiar with. I am a pretty tech-savvy person and am flexible to the changes in technology. Also, I am pretty well informed about everything that’s happening and can keep up with it.
Tell me about the Patients You’ve Dealt with in the Past?
The interviewer here wants to get have an idea about the kind of challenges you have faced in the past and how well you’ve dealt with them. Talk about the challenges in your previous workplace, state an example or an experience.
As a registered nurse in the hospital, I had to deal with patients on a daily basis and not all of them were cooperative. There are always some cranky and often frustrated patients to make things harder for the hospital staff. They would refuse to follow the dietary restrictions or take their medicines or would simply refuse to talk and open up to the doctor. In such cases, we have to keep our cool and try to understand their suffering. Keeping an optimistic, firm and professional approach helped me tackle the tough cases.
What Do You Hope To Gain From This Position?
This is one of the most important interview questions for nurse manager. The interviewer wants to check the basic incentives and expectations you have from the job.
I have previously worked as a certified nurse in hospitals assisting doctors and other medical professionals, and also assisted nursing managers and their assistants in activities such as reporting, presentations of ideas to management, and quality improvement initiatives. With this job, I would like to expand and improve my career opportunities. Being a nurse assistant manager I get to serve the patients and also maintain order and control in the organization. Of course, the money factor is also an incentive here.
How Would You Rate Your Computer Skills?
An assistant nurse manager must possess good computer skills. The interviewer wants an insight on how well you can handle the basic functionalities of the computer. If you have a degree or certification in a particular computer program, now’s the time to mention it.
Nowadays nothing is really done on paper; everything is entered and monitored using computers. I understand that as an assistant nurse manager I’ll have to work with and around computer systems to analyze patient reports as well as all kinds of nursing service quality data. I can handle the computer very well and have completed a certificate course in basic Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.
How Would You Deal With Emotional Family Members?
This is a behavioral question that most nursing candidates are asked in an interview. Here, the interviewer wants to check how well you empathize with the grief of the patient’s family. It also gives them an insight on how calm, optimistic and collected you are in times of crisis.
Dealing with the family members of the patient is never an easy job. I understand that they’re under extreme stress and worried about the well-being of their loved one. As an assistant nurse manager, it is my duty and responsibility to be as honest yet compassionate as possible. I’ll avoid putting any undue pressure on them without refraining from telling the truth.
Read here – Nursing Behavioral Interview Questions
What Motivates You To Be A Nurse Assistant Manager?
This might be a trick question and has to be tackled with very tactfully. The interviewer not only wants to know about the practical expectations you have from the job but also emotional connection you feel.
As an assistant nurse manager I know I’ll be facing a lot of pressures and challenges in my job. However, at the end of the day, I get to work with the best doctors, nursing managers, directors, and medical experts in a renowned hospital. Secondly, I get to help people and ensure that everything is working out smoothly within the organization. Thirdly, the monetary aspect is also a motivating factor here.
Do You Have Any Questions For Us?
Most of the interview sessions are wrapped up by this question. Here, you get an opportunity to ask questions and clear some doubts that you might have regarding the responsibilities or other terms of your employment contract. Make it a point to ask some questions or give in your input as it gives out a positive impression. Being unresponsive or not asking questions might be taken in as a sign of you not being interested in the job.
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