Nursing Trends
A Nurse Educator’s role is extremely important since they are responsible for teaching licensed practical nurses and preparing them for the field. You will find a majority of the nurse educators working in colleges and nursing schools. They also offer information connected to nursing education, which involves training aspiring future nurses by using their skill set and knowledge. Today, we will be listing down and discussing some important nurse educator interview questions in this article. We will also provide some crucial sample answers to some of the questions for you below.
Who Is a Nurse Educator?
A nurse educator’s job is to teach and guide both future and present nursing students. They are responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating the educational curricula. In addition, they also work as professional trainers in clinical settings. An ideal nurse educator will always display an effective interpersonal skillset, an outgoing personality, and strong leadership skills. Successful traits such as authority and creativity to design and implement new curricula will be present in promising candidates. But the unsuccessful ones won’t have the required clinical background for mentoring the nursing students.
The Interview Questions
Now, let us discuss some of these crucial interview questions that you need to be aware of. After that, we will take a look at some of the sample answers.
So, tell us a little bit about yourself?
You can always expect this question in any type of job interview. You will be confused about where to start since the question is quite wholesome. Here, you need to talk about your key strengths in this field. Let them know about how they can benefit by employing you because of these strengths. Also, start discussing a few of your accomplishments.
Make sure to also mention your present employer. Your answers should be precise and concise. Also, do the due diligence of researching their company to see where your strengths can kick in. You can also talk about your specific past work experiences. But always avoid talking about your life story.
Why should our company hire you?
This is another common question that allows you to stand out. Here, you need to market yourself by demonstrating certain essential key points that will benefit and expand your company. So, like we just mentioned before, you need to do some proper research on their company. You should have sound knowledge of the type of employee that they are looking for. Speak up about your past work experiences and the qualities which make you suitable for the job.
Why caused you to leave your recent job? Or Why are you leaving your current job?
The interviewers will always ask this question regardless of you are employed at the moment or not. If you resigned on your own, then tell them the reason behind it. If it had something to do with the economy and sales that caused you and other members to leave, then be vocal about it. But if the company fired you, then you can give them a good reason for it but ensure that it doesn’t affect their job requirements. But always make sure to talk positively about your past employer.
Tell us about your long-term career goals?
Here, you need to talk about the progress that you have made and where you wish to end up in the future. You should never say that you don’t have a future career plan. If you do, then the chances of you getting hired will be very minimal to none. Every company wants a strong, well-rounded candidate that knows what she wants to make out of her life. You don’t want to portray yourself as that person who wanders from one job to the other without any clear plan. They want someone who’s committed and emotionally invested in their jobs.
Why do you wish to work with our company/organization?
The interviewer is asking this question to see if you are genuinely motivated for the job. You don’t want to come off as someone who is just in it for the impressive salary package. We would advise you to answer this question by talking about how you can help their company grow and expand through your expertise. You need to talk about how you can complete tasks that are assigned by the company and more. It is also important to regard the company here and how you wish to be a part of an organization that gives back to the community.
What is your biggest weakness coming into this field?
No one is perfect, and you certainly aren’t just like any other candidate. So, you need to be honest and transparent with the interviewers. However, the trick is to use that flaw of yours and turn it into a strength. You can also choose to be direct about where you lack and how you are working to improve on it. It is important to share the process of what you are doing to overcome this specific weakness.
What, according to you, is your biggest achievement up till now?
Now, you need to identify this question properly to avoid giving irrelevant answers. For instance, you can’t attend an interview for a leadership position in Human Resources and talk about how enhancing throughput by over 18% in 6 months was your biggest achievement. Instead, you should talk about how you successfully rescued an employee that was underperforming. You can also talk about how you were able to overcome infighting between different departments. It could also be about the promotion of all your direct reports.
Tell us the reason behind your employment gap?
When the interviewer asks you this question, you need to be honest about it. If you took some classes during the gap or engaged in some useful activities, then tell them about it. After that, you need to steer from the conversation and jump to the topic of how you can help them and their company through your past work experiences and the things that you have learned. The key is to shift the conversation on how you can be a contributing factor to their organization.
The Sample Answers
Now, let us delve into some of the sample answers that you can make use of for your nurse educator interview.
How did the nurse training prepare you for this job?
I did my clinical training in the City Hospital’s ER, which helped me prepare to become a full-fledged ER Nurse. Also, I completed my internship at the Oncology Center once I graduated back in June. It has helped me gain hands-on experience in treating patients that are suffering from Cancer.
During my studies, I also got the golden opportunity to work for Dr. Gray as a part-time research assistant. I worked there for a year and garnered enough knowledge to deal with cardiac patients effectively. If I receive the opportunity, then I wish to specialize in nursing care for cardiac patients.
How do you work under pressure?
I know that the job of a nurse educator is an intense one. I understand how busy and hectic hospitals can get, especially when there are patients suffering from severe conditions. It is my job to provide intensive care to all these individuals, remain calm, and keep everything in order amidst the chaos. My past work experience in previous hospitals has prepared me for such situations.
There was once a patient who was verbally abusive to everyone inside the hospital. It was because he was under a ton of excruciating pain and didn’t want anyone touching him. I proceeded to review his chart and also spoke with the physician for ensuring that we were doing our part to ease his pain. I told him that we were doing our absolute best, and his pain would soon go away. Fortunately, he listened and calmed down. He was no longer dismissive.
Have you ever worked with a tough physician?
I, unfortunately, did in the past while I was working on post-op. The surgeon also worked during the same shift as mine. It wasn’t just me, but a majority of the staff thought so too. The things that he said and did near the patients were very unprofessional most of the time. Well, I never really called him out because I wanted to remain professional. I always tried my best to excuse his shortcomings and just take the higher road.
So, the entire time I kept my cool and remained professional every time, he would act unprofessionally. It all became better as we allowed the higher authority to take care of the situation. However, if I was in a similar situation but instead the physician was causing harm to someone else, then I would step in, inform the authorities and help better the situation.
What type of personality traits, according to you, is needed in a nurse?
I strongly believe that nurses need a ton of skills to successfully co-exist and work with doctors, the staff, the patients, and their families. But interpersonal skills, in particular, are mainly required to have a successful work atmosphere. For me, personality traits such as attentive focus to details, patience, and compassion are the most effective and needed.
How would your former staff describe you?
My former staff will probably describe me as a committed, passionate, and hard-working person. Through my passion and commitment to health care, I’m able to come through for all the patients that come in daily. I take my job very seriously and would always stay longer than the working hours, taking care of all the patients and helping the doctors as well. The fact that I get to help and take care of people who are trusting me with their lives is truly profound.
Can you tell us some of the major challenges that nurses face nowadays?
I wholeheartedly believe that some of the biggest challenges that nurses of today face has to be workplace safety, mandatory overtime, and safe staffing levels. The current shortage of nurses in hospitals has led to dangerous mandatory overtime and staffing levels that are downright unsafe. Such issues lead to an increase of stress in nurses, quality reduction inpatient care, and boost the chances of having medical errors.
Do you have a hard time working with other nurses and doctors?
No! not at all! The job of a nurse involves continuous interaction with a plethora of people every minute of the day. I perfectly understand this role and have worked with different staff in the past. I believe my work ethic and friendly personality make me blendable in just about any situation with different types of people.
How will you stay motivated in such an intense and difficult field?
As a nurse educator, the entire purpose of the job is to help people. I truly believe that there’s no greater satisfaction than the one you get from helping out people. I will be using my knowledge and experience to teach and guide future aspiring nurses, which is just magical to me. So, my devotion and assistance to humanity will always keep me motivated even during the most intense and hectic situations.
What would you consider your biggest weakness to be?
My biggest weakness has to be how absorbed I get in my work. I usually end up losing all track of time and working for additional hours without even knowing. The next moment I look around, and I see everybody has ended their shifts and gone home. It’s time that I pay more attention to my mental health and stop working at the right clock. But I have to admit that it’s not always easy, especially when you are doing something that you love.
What will you bring to the company in the first few months?
I am a workaholic, so you can expect me to stay busy doing all the right things for the company. My contribution is all about bringing value to the organization and what it stands for, and what it’s aiming for. I hope to work in proper coordination with all the staff and the doctors.
My skill set and expertise in this field will surely be of use here. By hiring me, you can expect to see effective results in the first few months of my time here. The fact that I am emotionally, physically, and mentally invested in this job speaks loud about my passion and commitment to my community.
