Welcome to 2025, where your nursing interviews are designed to test more than your skills, and employers are not just looking for your clinical knowledge, but they want emotional intelligence, tech savvy, and adaptable professionals. In 2025, the nursing interviews are more competitive than before because employers are asking deeper, smarter questions to see if you are fit for the role. In this blog, we discuss the most common nursing interview questions and tips to answer them so that you can ace your nursing interview.
Common nursing interview questions
In nursing interviews, questions are designed to understand more than just clinical skills; it is designed to understand your communication skills, your emotional intelligence, your decision-making power, etc.
Personal interview questions:
Interviewers ask these questions to understand your values, career goals and passion for the nursing profession. Some of the examples of personal interview questions are:
- Why do you want to be a nurse?
- Why did you choose this facility?
- What makes you so passionate about nursing?
Clinical interview questions:
Nurse interviewers ask these types of questions to evaluate your decision-making power and critical thinking skills. Some if the examples of clinical or scenario-based questions are as follows:
- What will you do if the patient refuses to take medication?
- Describe a time when you had to deal with an emergency situation?
- How will you handle a patient having a seizure?
Behavioral interview questions:
The purpose of asking these types of questions during a nursing interview is to assess your soft skills, such as teamwork, conflict resolution, etc. Some of the examples of behavioral questions are as follows:
- Have you ever had a conflict with a coworker? How did you handle that situation?
- Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient?
- Tell me about a time when you had to advocate for your patient and what was the result?
Situational interview questions:
Situational interview questions are asked to test the ability of the nurses to see what they will do in critical or difficult situation for example:
- What will you do if you see that your shift is short-staffed?
- If two patients need your help, who will you help first?
- What will you do if you see that a nurse is neglecting a patient?
Questions related to the facility:
Interviewers will ask these questions to determine whether you are a perfect fit for the facility or not. For example:
- Why did you choose this facility? What is the reason you want to work with us?
- What do you know about our facility/hospital?
- What type of work environment do you thrive in?
Question related to your values/ethics:
The main purpose of asking questions about values and ethics is to assess your honesty, compassion and how you prioritize patient wellbeing.
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- Why do you want to be a nurse?
To answer this type of question, you can make it personal, for example, how you were taking care of your grandmother, etc. While answering this question, you have to be sincere and avoid generic phrases, show emotional intelligence, and connect it to the job and how it aligns with the facility or unit.
What are your nursing career goals?
The best way to answer this question is to mention your short-term goals and long-term goals and why they matter to you. Make sure that you are being realistic and, in the end, align it to the job you are applying for and indicate how this job will help you achieve these goals.
What can you bring to our team?
When an interviewer or nurse manager asks you this question, it is important to talk about your top strengths and how these strengths will benefit and bring positive change in the team. You can mention your soft skills, technical skills, etc.
In your opinion what qualities do you think will make an effective nurse leader?
While answering this type of question, it is important that when you mention the qualities, you are tying it to the patient care and team performance. For example, if you say communication, then mention how strong communication will help the team to perform tasks easily in an emergency situation. If you say a good nurse leader should take accountability, this means admitting to mistakes to set examples for professionalism.
Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient?
The best way to answer this type of question is to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. Explain the situation, task, what action you took and what was the result of that action.
How to prepare for a nursing interview in 2025?
Nursing interviews in 2025 have become more challenging as the hiring managers are not just assessing your clinical skills but also your soft skills, technical skills and how adaptable you are to the rapidly changing healthcare demands. Some of the tips to prepare for your nursing interview are as follows:
- Understand and do your research in a healthcare facility.
- Understand the latest technological trends in nursing.
- Highlight your soft and clinical skills.
- Always show your interest in continuing learning.
What are the mistakes you should avoid during your nursing interview?
If you want to ace your interview and want the job you applied for, avoid the following nursing interview mistakes:
- Not researching about the facility.
- Speaking negatively about past employers or coworkers.
- Forgetting to highlight your soft skills.
- Less knowledge of tech tools.
- Not asking questions in the end.
Conclusion
In 2025, nursing interviews go beyond clinical skills, and therefore it is important to be prepared for them. Healthcare employers are looking for nurses and healthcare professionals who know today’s technology, know how to use AI and smart tools, and have the knowledge of how to navigate into the modern system of healthcare. The nurse managers or interviewers ask questions to assess soft skills, your decision-making power your adaptability to the healthcare environment. You must always stay ahead and be prepared. Always research your facility, mention your soft skills, and use the STAR method to answer questions to ace your interview and get your dream job. Skill Gigs is an AI platform that helps you land your dream job. Sign up now and get the job that gives you flexibility, freedom, and high pay.
