7 Key Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Interview Questions to Ask

Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) are trained to care for critically ill newborns. These specialized clinicians assist during infant delivery, diagnose and treat life-threatening conditions, and educate parents on how to care for their new baby. If you’re hiring an NNP, you’ll need to find a candidate with the right skills and qualifications. Asking tailored neonatal nurse practitioner interview questions can help you identify the best candidate for the job.

In this article, we’ll list seven great interview questions for neonatal nurse practitioners. For each question, we’ll review strong answers to listen for and follow-up questions you can ask to glean additional insights.

Before recruiting candidates, you’ll want to create an enticing neonatal nurse practitioner job description to attract top applicants. Browse local NNP job postings to ensure that your job’s salary and benefits package aligns with what competing facilities offer. Once you’ve collected enough applications, you’ll be ready to begin interviewing candidates.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Interview Questions and Answers

When hiring a neonatal nurse practitioner, you’ll want to look for a clinician who not only has strong newborn assessment skills, but also demonstrates compassion and empathy in all that they do. Start by asking a few introductory questions to get a sense of each NNPs professionalism and conversational style. Then, you can dive into critical-thinking, behavioral, and scenario-based questions to identify the right candidate for your organization.

1. Why are you interested in joining our neonatal team?

Open-ended neonatal nurse practitioner interview questions can help you learn more about a candidate’s personal and professional background. Answers can also reveal how well they prepared for your interview.

After a candidate responds, share details on how you got involved with the organization. This can help you establish a relaxed, casual tone for the remainder of the interview.

What to listen for:

• Demonstrates a genuine passion for neonatal nursing
• Communicates in a confident, warm, and professional tone

Potential follow-up questions:

• What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a provider?
• Why are you looking to leave your current job?

2. What inspired you to go back to school to get your advanced degree?

Answers to neonatal nurse practitioner job interview questions like this one can reveal what motivates and inspires a candidate to perform their best every day. You’ll want to hire an NNP who is driven to improve health outcomes and care quality, not someone who went back to school just to make more money.

What to listen for:

• Understands the importance of continuing education and professional development
• Shows excitement at the opportunity to hone their clinical leadership skills

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever led a research project or quality improvement initiative? Describe your involvement.
• What are your professional goals for the next five years?

3. How would you describe your nursing leadership style?

Neonatal nurse practitioners are among the more senior clinicians in the NICU environment. You’ll want to hire a provider who demonstrates strong mentorship and interprofessional communication skills so they can effectively lead clinical improvement efforts.

What to listen for:

• Coaches and mentors other clinicians with an approachable leadership style
• Strives to build a cohesive multidisciplinary team

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever made a mistake on the job? What steps did you take to correct it?
• How do you plan to stay up-to-date on the latest neonatal care recommendations?

4. What clinical signs and symptoms could indicate infection in a newborn patient?

Irritability, fever, elevated heart rate, and poor feeding are all signs of sepsis in the newborn population. An experienced neonatal nurse practitioner understands that infections need to be recognized, diagnosed, and treated quickly to prevent further complications.

What to listen for:

• Utilizes strong critical-thinking and assessment skills
• Mentions prescribing an intravenous antibiotic like ampicillin or gentamicin to treat the newborn’s infection

Potential follow-up questions:

• What medication would you prescribe to an infant who was diagnosed with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)?
• How do you prioritize tasks when managing the care of multiple sick newborns?

5. While performing an infant assessment, you notice signs of nasal flaring. What would you do first?

Nasal flaring, rapid breathing, and tracheal tugging are all symptoms of respiratory distress in newborns. It’s important that you hire a provider who recognizes when an infant is short of breath and intervenes quickly to provide the support they need. If a candidate struggles to answer neonatal nurse practitioner interview questions like this one, they might not have the level of experience you’re looking for.

What to listen for:

• Recognizes the signs of respiratory distress and communicates concerns to other members of the team
• Provides immediate oxygenation and ventilation support to the patient

Potential follow-up questions:

• How would you manage pain control for a newborn recovering from cardiac surgery?
• Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma while working as an NNP? How did you handle the situation?

6. Have you ever had a disagreement with a provider regarding an infant’s treatment plan? How did you work together to resolve the issue?

Managing the care of critically ill infants can be complex. Sometimes, providers have different opinions on how to treat a particular condition. In these circumstances, it’s important that your providers can keep things professional, even if they believe that they know what’s best.

What to listen for:

• Prioritizes patient safety over professional pride
• Collaborates with other members of the multidisciplinary team to establish a plan of care that everyone can agree on

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would you do to support a coworker who was having a challenging shift?
• Working as a neonatal nurse practitioner can be emotionally challenging. How do you stay resilient on tough days?

7. What strategies do you use to involve parents in the care of their critically ill newborn?

Parents of NICU patients may find the hospital environment stressful. They may not feel comfortable caring for their newborn infant and often need support and encouragement to take part in basic care activities. Before concluding your neonatal nurse practitioner interview questions, you’ll want to gauge a candidate’s experience comforting and educating new parents.

What to listen for:

• Help parents feel confident feeding, holding, and touching their baby
• Ask parents about their preferred learning style and cater to their preferences

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever had to give bad news to parents or family members? How did you handle the situation?
• Which team member would you consult to help a new mother who was struggling to breastfeed?

Connect With Qualified Neonatal Clinicians Today

Once you’ve decided which neonatal nurse practitioner interview questions to ask, you’ll be ready to move forward in the hiring process. Want to ensure your applicant pool is filled with qualified candidates? Learn how IntelyCare can connect you with a network of over 1 million vetted and experienced nursing professionals actively searching for jobs.