7 Key Nursing Assistant Interview Questions to Ask

The primary goal of healthcare facilities is to provide excellent, patient-centered care. With the ongoing challenge of a tight supply of nursing professionals, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), often play a vital role in ensuring the delivery of quality care. Their significance to the efficiency and productivity of the care team is why asking the right nursing assistant interview questions is so important.

To help with your hiring process, we’ll outline seven key nursing assistant job interview questions and identify what to look for in a candidate’s answers. If you’re ready to begin finding quality candidates, start by creating a strong job description to make your facility stand out and explore current CNA openings to see what other facilities are offering.

Keep your interviews focused and on track with our helpful nursing assistant candidate evaluation form.

7 Key Nursing Assistant Interview Questions

Hiring managers must consider a variety of factors — background, experience, and professional recommendations, for example — to ensure the candidate is a good fit for your organization. The right nursing assistant questions, and answers from candidates, can help guide your hiring decisions beyond the first impression left by the resume.

1. What inspired you to become a CNA?

Asking questions about a candidate’s motivations, and other “tell me about yourself” nursing assistant interview questions, can help break the ice. This particular question can provide valuable insight into a candidate’s personality traits and how they might align with your mission statement.

What to listen for:

• Personal and professional experiences that inspired them to work in healthcare
• Passion for helping others and working as part of a team

Potential follow-up questions:

• What qualities do you think make a good CNA?
• Do you have specific career goals that you’d like to achieve in this position?

2. How do you ensure that patients feel safe and secure?

Patients often feel vulnerable when receiving care, so it’s important for CNAs to have a plan for inspiring confidence. Asking how the candidate plans to be intentional about a culture of safety helps assess their dedication to positive patient outcomes.

What to listen for:

• Confidence and clear communication about the prioritization of patient safety
• Knowledge of pertinent privacy rules and safety indicators (such as patient falls)

Potential follow-up questions:

• Was there ever a time you made a mistake while working? What were your next steps to correct the situation?
• Are there any patient safety goals that you feel especially passionate about?

3. What would you do if a patient was resistant to treatment?

Working as a nursing assistant sometimes involves providing care to uncooperative patients. It’s essential that a candidate has strategies to de-escalate these situations while still optimizing outcomes.

What to listen for:

• A patient-centered approach when redirecting resistance to fulfill treatment obligations
• Awareness of patients’ rights and responsibilities (such as informed consent)

Potential follow-up questions:

• How can you utilize your team to help in these situations?
• What would be your next step if the conflict escalated to the point of safety concerns, for yourself or the patient?

4. How do you manage your workload so each patient receives the care they need?

CNAs are often responsible for multiple patients at a time, each with individualized needs. A great candidate will have time-management strategies in place to organize their workload and ensure patient needs are met. Nursing assistant interview questions such as this one will help you gauge these critical skills.

What to listen for:

• An understanding of the need to prioritize when providing care
• Tools and tricks for staying on top of a busy workday, such as the use of an individualized to-do list or task tracker

Potential follow-up questions:

• Are you comfortable with asking for help when you need it?
• Tell me about a time you overcame the feeling of being overwhelmed at work.

5. In your own words, could you describe the responsibilities of a CNA?

This is a great opportunity to gauge not only their experience level but the amount of training they’ll require to integrate into the care team, too.

What to listen for:

• Awareness of their role within the care team and the expected job duties
• Eagerness to meaningfully contribute to patient and facility goals

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever had to navigate a work task that you didn’t want to complete?
• What would you do if you didn’t understand or feel comfortable with a designated task?

6. Could you share an example of a difficult situation you’ve faced in healthcare and how you navigated it?

Being a CNA can be challenging and the ability to address issues in real-time is essential. The candidate’s answer to scenario-based nursing assistant interview questions will shed light on their problem-solving skills, resilience, and ability to reflect.

What to listen for:

• Specific examples that maintain patient confidentiality (or co-worker consideration) while examining the reasons behind follow-up actions
• Learning and takeaways from reflecting on those events.

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever had a workplace conflict with another staff member? What steps did you take to resolve the issue?
• What strategies help you protect your mental wellbeing during a difficult shift or when work becomes overwhelming?

7. Could you share an example of a time you provided exceptional care?

Of all the nursing assistant job interview questions, this one should always serve as the finale because it allows the interview to end on a positive note. Highlighting successes leaves the candidate feeling confident and buoys excitement about the potential job.

What to listen for:

• Specific references to patient-centered care, critical thinking skills, and collaboration with colleagues
• Instances of overcoming challenges or adversity to achieve professional goals

Potential follow-up questions:

• What’s your preferred method of recognition for a job well done?
• Tell me about a time you saw a coworker doing a great job. How did you celebrate their hard work?

Use These Nursing Assistant Interview Questions to Find Your Next Hire

Finding qualified candidates, especially via generic job boards, can be a battle — but it doesn’t have to be. With direct access to millions of healthcare professionals looking for jobs, IntelyCare is here to help you find your next hire today.