7 Common Nursing Phone Interview Questions to Ask
Interviews are a crucial part of the vetting process when hiring nursing professionals for your team. However, in-person interviews can take up a lot of time and resources, so many recruiters conduct an initial phone interview to screen promising applicants. If you’re in charge of these at your facility, you may be looking for essential nursing phone interview questions to ask.
In this article, we’ll outline a list of top questions that will help you evaluate potential candidates over the phone, whether on an audio-only or video call. We’ll also provide general tips on how to conduct the interview and what to listen for in a candidate’s answers.
What Is a Phone Screen Interview in Nursing?
During the hiring process, a phone screen is an initial interview that’s conducted over the phone by a healthcare recruiter. If a recruiter receives a strong application for a role, they can set up a phone interview to get a better sense of the person behind the resume. This allows them to more thoroughly vet an applicant and determine whether they’re qualified for an in-person interview with the nurse manager.
Asking Nursing Phone Interview Questions: Essential Tips for Interviewers
A phone interview is a more casual opportunity for you to share information about your facility and get to know each applicant. Because of this, the etiquette can be a bit different than that of in-person interviews. Follow these general tips to help your phone interviews go smoothly.
Introduce Yourself and the Role
While you should always schedule a phone interview with an applicant ahead of time, make sure to re-introduce yourself on the call. If you’re wondering how to start a phone interview as the interviewer, remember that this is a more casual (but still professional) conversation. Starting the interview can be as simple as introducing your name, the role you’re hiring for, and confirming whether you’re speaking to the right person.
Be Upfront About the Purpose of the Interview
As the recruiter, you want to accurately get a sense of the candidate’s fit for the role. So, it can be helpful for both you and the applicant to clearly explain the purpose of the phone screen. Make sure the applicant understands that this is a chance for them to get to know the culture of your facility, just as much as it’s an opportunity for you to get to know them.
Show respect for their time by letting them know about how long the conversation will take, and give a brief overview of what they can expect from your telephone interview questions. For nurses who are interviewing over the phone due to geographic barriers, promote engagement by briefly explaining the potential next steps in your remote interviewing process.
Leave Time for the Applicant to Ask Questions
After you’ve asked your nurse phone interviewquestions, it’s important to leave time for the applicant to do the same. They’ll likely also want to get clarification on a few things before advancing to the next step of the hiring process.
Additionally, you can learn more about the candidate from the questions they ask. For instance, are they more focused on pay, or do they seem genuinely interested in your facility’s mission and goals? The topics that they touch on can provide some good insight into their motives.
7 Common Phone Interview Questions for Nurses
Since the phone screen is a more general introduction to an applicant, it’s helpful to ask broader questions that assess their overarching values, goals, and demeanor. With that in mind, here are seven nursing phone interview questions (and answers to listen for) to help you learn about your candidate in a limited amount of time.
1. Tell me about yourself and what brought you to nursing.
This is one of the best phone interview questions to start with because it invites the candidate to give an elevator pitch of their professional background, interests, and goals. You can get a better sense of both their professionalism and personality from the way they answer this question.
What to listen for:
- Personal experiences that inspired the candidate to pursue nursing
- Genuine passion for helping patients and contributing to the healthcare space
Potential follow-up questions:
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What do you like most about working in healthcare?
2. Why are you interested in working at our facility?
This is a straightforward question that evaluates why a candidate applied for the role and some of their primary motivations. It also gives you a chance to gauge whether the candidate simply mass-applied to roles or truly took the time to research the role and your facility.
Some nurses will prove their compatibility with your care environment by giving excellent answers to facility-specific phone interview questions. Nursing professionals who are not only qualifiedbut also a strong match for your organization should stand out as top candidates.
What to listen for:
- Knowledge and understanding of the type of work being done at the facility
- Clear indication that the candidate researched the facility’s mission and values
Potential follow-up questions:
- What does our facility’s mission statement mean to you?
- What strengths do you think you would bring to our team?
3. Tell me about a time that you went above and beyond to provide patient care.
This is an insightful nursing phone interview question to ask, because it evaluates each candidate’s approach to working with patients. Not only does this evaluate a candidate’s ability to stay within their scope of practice, but also their willingness to meet the highest standards of care.
Keep in mind that student nursing interview questions, and answers provided, may not focus as much on direct experience with patient care. If you’re screening students for an internship, you could modify this type of question to address the broader topic of customer service.
What to listen for:
- Ability to provide exceptional care while following all applicable laws and policies
- Willingness to put the patient’s needs first and help other members of the care team
Potential follow-up questions:
- How do you advocate for a patient’s needs to the rest of the care team?
- What does cultural competence mean to you?
4. Have you ever had a conflict with another member of the care team? What steps did you take to resolve it?
Since nursing is such a team-based profession, it’s also important to evaluate interpersonal skills during the initial phone screen. This question assesses whether a candidate is able to effectively communicate and work well with others, even in difficult situations.
What to listen for:
- Ability to remain respectful and professional when dealing with interpersonal conflicts
- Willingness to self-reflect and take ownership of mistakes when appropriate
Potential follow-up questions:
- What would you do if you noticed another nurse was breaking protocol?
- How do you know when it’s time to ask for help?
5. Describe your core responsibilities at your most recent nursing job.
This question (and other common phone screen questions about prior work experience) is designed to verify the nurse’s resume and reveal more about their professional background. As the screener, you’re listening for red flags and inconsistencies that indicate the candidate shouldn’t move forward to a more in-depth interview.
What to listen for:
- Previous work experience and responsibilities that have prepared the candidate to fill your open position
- Authenticity and openness when discussing recent nursing work
Potential follow-up questions:
- In your previous role, what was the process for delegating tasks to CNAs?
- What electronic health record (EHR) system did you use at your previous workplace?
6. Are you comfortable managing care for patients with varying acuity levels?
It’s important to ask nurse phone interview questions that assess professional competence. If your unit treats unstable, high-risk patients, your candidate’s levels of training and experience should match this demand. If your unit provides specialized services, gauge the candidate’s experience with these services and their interest in receiving further training.
What to listen for:
- Ability to manage care for patients across a range of acuity levels
- Confidence regarding clinical nursing skills that apply to the position
Potential follow-up questions:
- Tell me about a time you acquired proficiency with medical equipment that was new to you.
- What is your approach to learning new clinical skills?
7. What excites you most about this nursing job?
Common phone interview questions like this one are designed to evoke positive responses. Now that you’ve asked the tougher questions and listened for warning signs, you can close by building rapport. This type of question allows candidates to end the conversation on a positive note, which may encourage their commitment to the hiring process as it progresses.
If you’re vetting a high volume of applicants to see who will move on to the next round of interviews, this is also your chance to ask final questions, perhaps about issues raised during the conversation.
What to listen for:
- Excitement about working with the patient population/team on the unit
- Eagerness to learn and pursue opportunities unique to the role, such as career ladders
Potential follow-up questions:
- What new skills and technologies are you interested in learning about?
- How do you keep up with new, evidence-based standards?
Build a Stronger Pool of Nursing Applicants
Now that you have a list of nursing phone interview questions, you may be looking for applicants to move along the screening process. Need to reach the right candidates faster? Post to our job board today and reach over 1 million nursing professionals who are ready to work.