7 Essential LVN Interview Questions to Ask
Licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic nursing care in a range of healthcare settings. Also referred to as licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in many states, these nurses can be valuable assets to a healthcare team. If your organization is looking to hire an LVN, asking targeted and customized LVN interview questions can help you find the perfect candidate.
Securing talented LVNs in your facility requires a strategic hiring process. You can attract nurses to your facility with a well-planned LVN job description, which serves as a first impression.
Be sure to conduct research on the LVN job market to see the benefits, salary, and scheduling options that other facilities are offering competitive applicants. Once you’ve verified a candidate’s skills and experience on a nursing resume, it’s time to start planning your interview questions. Here’s a downloadable candidate evaluation form to help you assess responses during the interview.
Licensed Vocational Nurse Interview Questions
As you prepare your LVN interview questions, consider the expectations for the role. Licensed vocational nurses function under the direction of a registered nurse, and their job duties can vary significantly. Employers should be familiar with the different levels of nursing to inform the interview process.
It may also be helpful to review an LVN’s scope of practice according to the California and/or Texas nursing boards as you prepare for the interview. By getting the hiring manager and job candidate on the same page, you’ll be better poised to ask strategic LVN interview questions and hire the best nurse for the role. Here are seven questions to guide the interview:
1. Tell me about your nursing background.
Begin the interview by getting to know the job candidate. This question allows the nurse to share their nursing experiences and elaborate on items listed on their resume. It gives the interviewer a good first impression about whether the candidate’s nursing background could be a fit. It also gives the nurse a chance to explain any employment gaps or other items that may be potential red flags for hiring managers.
2. Explain how you manage your nursing workload. What works for you?
Time management is an essential nursing skill required for managing patient workloads. This question encourages the nurse to reflect on their time-management abilities and other aspects of nursing, like patient prioritization and stress management.
By following an open-ended format, the interviewer creates space for the nurse to be introspective and reason through thought processes. Open-ended interview questions may also reveal a job candidate’s attitude and opinions about work.
3. Describe a situation in which your clinical team members disagreed with you. How did you handle it?
LVNs work alongside many other healthcare team members, like CNAs, RNs, physicians, and therapists. Asking teamwork LVN interview questions helps determine the nurse’s ability to function within a team.
How they handle a disagreement can reveal soft skills like conflict resolution and professionalism. As a hiring manager, you want to know if a nurse is capable of receiving feedback and reaching agreements for the sake of delivering patient-centered care.
4. Recall a time your leader gave you a responsibility outside of your nursing job duties. How did you handle the situation?
It’s important for LVNs to maintain boundaries related to their scope of practice, especially when working alongside RNs in a team nursing model. This question measures a nurse’s ability to handle a potential challenge on the job.
By asking adaptability-related LVN job interview questions, the hiring manager can gain insight into how well a nurse adapts to change to meet the demands of patient care. It also gives the candidate a chance to demonstrate fundamental nursing skills like problem-solving and staying calm under pressure.
5. Can you name a time when you made a clinical mistake on the job? What did you do about it?
Nursing mistake interview questions are more about measuring their sense of accountability than clinical competency. Hiring managers want to be sure a nurse is capable of owning up to a mistake and addressing the problem appropriately. A nurse with strong integrity is accountable for all of their work, mistakes included.
6. Describe something you contributed during a previous nursing job. What were the results?
Employers should invest in nurses who are motivated to improve their professional practice. Many nurses do this by joining shared governance councils or working with administrators to draft new clinical policies. This interview question reveals initiative. How will the candidate contribute to improving care at your facility?
7. Do you have any questions about the nursing position?
Bring the conversation to an end with a strong closing question. LVNs should have their own questions to ask in an interview and should take the opportunity to address aspects of the role that haven’t been discussed. Be prepared to provide information on shift requirements, salary details, nurse-to-patient ratios, and the patient population you serve.
This question is also a good way to gauge the nurse’s interest in the role. Being prepared for an interview shows that the nurse did their research and has a genuine interest in the position.
Get Qualified LVNs Into Your Facility Today
Now that you’ve drafted high-quality LVN interview questions, you’ll have an easier time selecting a candidate with the necessary skills and expertise. Need help attracting top candidates for your open positions? By posting your healthcare vacancies to our job board, you can quickly find qualified clinicians who are ready to work.