You’ve made it through school, graduated and passed your boards – whew! Now you’re looking for your first job and thinking about interviewing. Not to worry – today I’m sharing all of my interview tips for new Nurse Practitioners.
We’ll start by talking about what to review before your interview so you’re well prepared. Next, we’ll jump into common questions you might be asked and finally, what questions you should ask during your interview.
Now depending on the job, you’re likely to have multiple interviews. Most jobs start with a phone interview with human resources (HR). After that you will often progress to an in person interview with the medical director, other providers and likely some other staff in leadership and HR. For example, it is often a panel interview meaning you will have several individuals in your interview who will take turns asking you questions.
You should complete all of your preparation for the interview prior to your very first interview. Whether it is over the phone or in person you want to be 100% prepared. Let’s jump into interviewing tips for new graduates!
Prepping for your interview
- Look at your voicemail – is it professional?
- Review the organization’s website
- Look over the mission statement.
- What services do they offer other than medical care?
- Is the website patient friendly? Available in multiple languages?
- Ask to shadow a provider at the clinic
- Shadowing will give you a sense of the workflow, what your typical day would look like and the organization’s culture
- Timing of shadow – the earlier in the interview process the better
- Check state boards to see if there are complaints about providers that work there
- Bring copies of your resume and cover letter for each person that will be part of your interview
- Prepare for common interview questions (see below)
- Ask yourself – What is normal onboarding for all providers? What else in addition do I need as a new graduate?
- They know you’re a new graduate provider so don’t shy away from being direct about what you need to feel supported as you make this big transition
- Prepare questions that you would like to ask throughout your interview process (see below)
Common questions you might be asked
- Why did you decide to become a Nurse Practitioner? How did you decide on FNP versus another population focus?
- Why do you want to work here?
- Tell us about a time when…
- You experienced conflict. How did you resolve it?
- You dealt with a “difficult” patient.
- You provided exceptional patient care.
- Do you have experience working with culturally diverse populations? Tell us about it.
- What are your biggest strengths as a provider?
- What are your biggest weaknesses as a provider?
- I recommend discussing a procedural skill that you’d like to learn or improve on. Some examples include interpreting spirometry, IUD insertions, skin biopsies, etc.
- Reframe the weakness and discuss your excitement to learn and eagerness to improve
- What is your philosophy of care?
- Aka what are your guiding principles about how you’d like to take care of your patients?
- Some examples might include your belief in shared-decision making, healthcare as a human right, holistic care of the person, etc.
- Why should we hire you? What will you bring to the team?
Questions you should ask during your interview process
You are being interviewed, but remember you are also interviewing them. If you’re successful through the interview process, you will be working for this organization meaning you’ll spend a good chunk of time there every week. You want to make sure they are also a good fit for you. Asking questions shows that you did your research, are going to be an engaged employee, and excited about the opportunity.
- What are you looking for that would make a great fit for this position?
- What are some of the challenges providers experience working here?
- Can you describe the onboarding and training process?
- How many patients will I be expected to see each day? Can you explain how this increases over the first year and during the onboarding process?
- How many hours per week are dedicated to direct patient care? How many hours of administrative time per week would I get?
- Who manages the inbox and what percentage of time is dedicated to that?
- Medical director – working for or with? How do providers’ performance get evaluated?
- How are new graduate providers supported?
- Who is included in the support staff? Are there referral coordinators, nurses, care managers? Will you work with a dedicated medical assistant?
- What are the most common languages spoken by the patient population served? Are there interpreters available?
Other Interview Tips for New Nurse Practitioners
- Observe the waiting room – is it friendly, signage in multiple languages, are reception staff friendly?
- Note who you interviewed with and their credentials – within 24 hours send a follow-up thank you note and mention what you connected with in the conversation.
- What is the vibe of the staff as you tour and meet people? Are staff stressed or do they seem happy?
- Make sure to ask about the next steps in the interview process and when you can expect to hear about the next step.
Interviewing is simultaneously intimidating and exciting. If you do your research ahead of time and come prepared to your interview, you’ll be sure to make a good impression. In conclusion, I hope these interview tips for new nurse practitioners were helpful and give you some guidelines on how to prepare for success.
Once you have the job, check out this post for tips on preparing for your first job.
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