Asking RN Behavioral Interview Questions: 5 Tips for Facilities

When interviewing a nurse candidate, it’s important to go beyond surface-level questions about work experience and certifications. One way to do this is to ask your applicant RN behavioral interview questions. This is a different approach than the common strategy of asking nurses general, hypothetical, or self-assessment style questions.

We’ll discuss what these types of questions are, why they’re effective at helping you hire the right person for the role, and provide five tips to help you successfully implement behavioral questions into your interview process.

What Are Behavioral Interview Questions for Nurses?

These questions focus on specific events that happened in the past to shed light on how a nurse might perform in similar scenarios. This style of question requires the nurse to tell a story, including some context to the situation, the action steps they took to resolve it, and the outcome.

For example, a behavioral interview question aimed at discovering a nurses’ conflict-resolution style might be: “Describe a time when you disagreed with a member of your team. How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?”

Why Behavioral-Based Interview Questions Are Used

Even if you attract a large number of applicants who are technically licensed and qualified, not all of them will be the right fit. When you ask behavioral based interview questions, RNs can get into more depth with their answers beyond simply having a current license and relevant experience, giving you insight into whether a nurse will thrive in the position you’re hiring for.

How This Method Can Help You Learn About Nursing Applicants

According to the theory behind the method, past behavior is a more accurate predictor of future performance than self-assessment. This is because past behavior is concrete, whereas self-assessment can get skewed and is often based on ideals.

A traditional interview question for an ER staff nurse position might ask something open-ended, like, “How well do you perform under pressure?” The nurse may hold an ideal of being cool-headed in emergencies and stressful situations, and her answer will reflect that.

In contrast, a behavioral interview question for an ER nurse applicant might be, “Tell us about a time when you were under a lot of pressure to complete a nursing task while a patient’s health was rapidly deteriorating. What were the step-by-step actions that you took, and what was the result?” By focusing on a specific, real-life event, the question gets to facts rather than ideals.

5 Tips for Asking RN Behavioral Interview Questions

Interviewing candidates for nursing positions is a skill. Using multiple techniques will help you find nurses who truly fit within your facility’s culture, contribute to the team, and ultimately provide excellent patient care. It might take some training and practice before you’re an expert behavioral interviewer.

Also, healthcare behavioral interview questions and answers are specific to the industry, so you need even more knowledge under your belt before you perfect the art. Here are some tips to help you build your skills and hire great nurses for your organization.

1. Be Prepared

Set aside some time before the interview process begins to get organized. Write a list of two to six behavioral-based interview questions RN applicants will have to answer, and develop a system for documenting the responses. This could include a rating scale or rubric. Ensure that all interviewers know the system so that scoring is consistent.

2. Tailor Questions to Facility Values

While some of the RN behavioral interview questions you include will likely touch on qualities all nurses should have, such as time management, critical thinking, and adaptability, it’s great to tailor at least a few to your facility’s core values.

For example, a hospice facility’s core values might include “heart-centered care.” A behavioral interview question tailored to that trait might be: “Tell us about a time when you provided heartfelt and compassionate care to a dying patient.”

The right questions can help you identify the nurses who will not only fulfill the obligations of the job, but will also be engaged and happy in the role.

3. Set a Limit

This technique can give you valuable insights into a nurse’s ability to perform on a team and care for patients, but it’s also time consuming. Because behavioral interview questions require the applicant to tell a story, you’ll need to limit the number you ask. In an hour-long interview, you may only have time for a handful of these types of questions.

4. Be Ready to Dig Deeper With Follow Up Questions

As you converse with your applicant RN, behavioral interview questions may reveal positive or negative information that you need to know more about. If you hear anything that intrigues or concerns you, it will be important to gather more information.

Maybe you discover that a nurse has leadership experience you weren’t aware of, or you’re worried about a nurses’ account of a conflict with a coworker during her last assignment. Whatever the issue is, follow-up questions will cast more light on it. Think in terms of a back-and-forth conversation instead of a cut-and-dry interview.

5. Know What to Look for in Answers

Asking the right questions is only half of the battle. To really nail this interview technique, you need to know what to look for in the nurse’s answers. Body language and tone, not just the content of the story, can reveal how the nurse handles challenges on the job. Did a nurse get defensive when you asked about a time when she was dealing with concerned parents? If so, she may not be the right nurse for a PICU.

Properly prepared interviewees might use the “STAR” framework — situation, task, action-steps, results — for providing cohesive answers and staying on track. Each part of an answer gives you information about a nurse’s experience, reasoning process, attitude, work ethic, and more.

Attract the Right Candidates to Interview

Asking your applicant RN behavioral interview questions is a great way to determine whether they’re a match for your facility. Make sure you have a strong candidate pool by posting your next job on IntelyCare’s premier nursing job board and reach a network of over 1 million nursing professionals actively seeking employment.