Top 7 Trauma Nurse Interview Questions to Ask

Trauma nurses specialize in treating patients with severe injuries, often working in fast-paced settings like emergency departments or trauma centers. These nurses help patients recover from life-threatening accidents and events, so they must be highly skilled in managing critical conditions while providing psychosocial support. Given the intricacies of this specialty, it’s crucial to ask the right trauma nurse interview questions when hiring for this role.

Before preparing for the interview process, you’ll want to craft a well-written trauma nurse job description that appeals to top candidates. Exploring local trauma nurse jobs can give you a sense of the skills, qualities, and behaviors other organizations are looking for in their nursing candidates.

Once you’re ready to begin the interview process, asking these great trauma nurse interview questions will help you select the best candidate for your position. Use the following candidate evaluation form to keep track of each trauma nurse’s interview responses.

Trauma Nurse Interview Questions

Trauma nurses work in various acute care settings, so you’ll want to ensure your interview questions differ from more general emergency department nurse interview questions. Here are seven questions that will help you evaluate the essential qualities of a trauma nurse.

1. What inspired you to become a trauma nurse?

Trauma nursing is a very niche specialty, so individuals will likely have personal reasons for pursuing it. This question is a strong opener because it allows the candidate to walk through their resume and discuss their experiences and motivations in a more personal light.

What to listen for:

• Genuine passion or interest in helping patients through critical situations
• Previous professional or personal experiences that motivated them to pursue trauma nursing

Follow-up questions:

• How has your previous clinical experience prepared you for this role?
• Why are you looking to leave your current job?

2. How do you prioritize care tasks while working with multiple trauma patients at a time?

Trauma nurses work in fast-paced environments, so it’s important to have at least one of your trauma nurse interview questions touch on prioritization skills. Candidates may need to see multiple trauma patients at a time and should understand how to deliver safe care under pressure.

What to listen for:

• A candidate’s ability to prioritize care based on clinical indicators, such as the ABCDE (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure) approach
• Acknowledgement of other important soft skills such as teamwork and communication

Follow-up questions:

• Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma on the job? Describe the situation and how you worked to preserve patient safety and wellbeing.
• Who would you reach out to for help if you needed assistance placing a foley catheter on a trauma patient?

3. What steps do you take to keep your team informed about your care process?

Teamwork and communication are both essential as a trauma nurse. Keeping the entire team informed can have a large influence on the outcomes of a patient in need of urgent care.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of how to convey information in a concise and effective manner, such as the SBAR (situation, background, assessment, recommendation) method
• Indicators of knowing how to prioritize the most relevant information under pressure

Follow-up questions:

• What would you do if you realized a miscommunication occurred between you and a coworker?
• Have you ever made a mistake on the job? What did you do to minimize patient harm?

4. How do you handle angry or upset family members who are stressed about the situation their loved one is in?

Trauma nurses will have many difficult conversations with patients and their families. Answers to this trauma nurse interview question should reveal whether candidates are able to remain professional and maintain composure and empathy when addressing family members who may be feeling stressed.

What to listen for:

• Ability and willingness to acknowledge, listen to, and understand families’ concerns
• Strong approach to balancing family’s needs and ensuring urgent patient care tasks are addressed

Follow-up questions:

• What would you do if you noticed a patient or their family member becoming combative?
• How do you stay resilient while handling the stresses of working in a trauma environment?

5. Walk me through the process of assessing a trauma patient upon their arrival to a unit.

As a trauma nurse, being able to conduct swift assessments under pressure is crucial for the safety and well-being of trauma patients. This question assesses whether a candidate has the knowledge or experience to make quick assessment decisions and prioritize care.

What to listen for:

• Clinically sound, systematic processes for assessment (such as the ABCDE approach)
• Details on how a candidate would examine and document a head-to-toe assessment

Follow-up questions:

• How do you ensure that you’ve received all of the necessary patient health information during patient handoff?
• What would you do if you noticed that a trauma patient’s abdomen was pulsating on admission?

6. What are some potential complications that can arise in trauma patients and what’s your process for monitoring them?

There are many potential complications that can arise in patients who are in critical condition, and trauma nurses should understand what these are and how to address them. It’s important to have trauma nurse interview questions (and answers) that address a candidate’s overall clinical knowledge and approach to monitoring patients throughout their stay.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of common complications such as infection and hemorrhage
• Ability to monitor signs of these potential complications to help prevent further harm

Follow-up questions:

• How would you identify septic shock in a patient who presents with third-degree burns?
• While completing patient rounds, you notice that a patient’s pleural chest tube drained 150 mL during the last hour. What would you do first?

7. Tell me about a time when you had to advocate for a patient’s needs.

The care process for a trauma patient moves at a very fast pace, and sometimes a patient’s needs may be overlooked. This question allows you to get a real-world example of how a candidate speaks up for their patients in situations like this.

What to listen for:

• Willingness to respectfully confront team members when necessary
• Ability to deliver person-centered care and prioritize patient’s needs in difficult situations

Follow-up questions:

• Have you ever disagreed with a coworker about a patient’s plan of care? How did you resolve the situation and come to an agreement?
• How do you plan to provide culturally competent care to our trauma patients?

Find Qualified Trauma Nurses to Interview Today

Recruitment can be an arduous process, especially for an in-demand profession like nursing. Struggling to find applicants who can answer your trauma nurse interview questions? Connect with high quality candidates faster by joining IntelyCare’s nationwide, nursing-only job board.