Doing a hospital interview for a travel nursing position can be a mixed bag, depending upon your mindset going into it. Most people get at least a little nervous going into such an interview, which is totally natural. But you want to also remember that the interview is not just for the hospital to decide if they want you, but also for you to determine if you would be happy working at that location. Here to help you is this Travel Nursing 101: Hospital Interviews.
Of course you are interested in the position, or you wouldn’t be interviewing for it, but you want to be very sure to ask a lot of questions so that you can get a really clear idea of the hospital’s strengths and weaknesses, qualities and quirks.
You will want to ask a lot of details about the hospital, including: safety and traffic in the area surrounding the facility, the size of the hospital and the unit you’d be working in, patient population, parking options, dress code, and more. Make sure to record the interviewer name and notice the type of rapport you have with them — this person is a representative of the hospital so you may be able to glean some information on the general climate of attitude based upon how he or she conducts the interview.
You will also want to ask about staffing and what will be expected and required of you, as well as what to expect from the work environment there. It’s always good to ask very specific questions to get exactly the information you want, but at the end of the interview, ask a more open-ended question, like: “Is there anything else you’d want a nurse to know about the facility or their role as temporary staff?” Doing this opens things up and you’ll be surprised by the good info you might get from this type of question.
Click here for our “Hospital Interview Questions for Travel Nurse” from our Travel Nurse Resource section, which includes several handy checklists for travel nurses. There are also a couple of helpful links, such as other travelers’ ranking of hospitals and a link to U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Hospitals rankings.
Good luck with your interview — we hope you find a hospital that is complementary to your skills and attitude!
