We want to hire the best people to work for our organization so that our mission and values can be supported and advanced.
With over 15,000 employees, Scripps Health is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in Southern California. Getting hired at Scripps can help boost your career as a healthcare professional. But first, you’ll need to ace the Scripps Health interview process.
In this comprehensive guide I’ll cover the 20 most commonly asked Scripps Health interview questions that candidates report being asked during the different rounds. From behavioral prompts to technical clinical knowledge you’ll gain insight into the types of Scripps interview questions you need to prepare for.
Let’s get started!
Overview of Scripps Health’s Hiring Process
Scripps Health’s hiring process typically looks like:
- Initial online application
- Phone screen with HR
- Panel interview (behavioral + situational questions)
- Skills assessment (for clinical roles)
- Background check
- Final interview with department manager
- Reference checks
- Offer
The process aims to assess both hard skills through technical evaluations as well as soft skills and cultural fit through multiple interviews.
Now let’s dive into the kinds of questions you’ll get at each stage.
Common Scripps Health Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral questions that explore your past experiences are a major part of the Scripps Health interview process. Some examples include:
Q1: Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work. How did you handle it?
This probes your integrity, accountability and judgment. Use the STAR method to structure your response:
- Situation – Provide brief background context
- Task – Explain the mistake and goal
- Action – Share how you took responsibility and fixed the error
- Result – What you learned from the experience
Q2: Describe a time when you experienced a conflict with a co-worker. How did you resolve it?
This assesses your interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. Discuss:
- The nature of the conflict
- How you actively listened to understand their perspective
- The collaborative resolution approach you took
- How it improved your working relationship going forward
Q3: Tell me about a time you had to juggle multiple demanding tasks. How did you prioritize?
This looks at your time management and organization abilities. Share:
- The context – multiple urgent tasks that needed attention
- System you used to assess priority based on criteria like patient impact
- Process you followed to tackle tasks efficiently
- The positive outcome of all tasks completed on time
Q4: Why do you want to work for Scripps Health specifically?
This evaluates your motivations for joining the company. Showcase:
- Knowledge of and enthusiasm for their mission and values
- How your personal passions align with their goals
- Ways your background and skills make you a strong culture add
- Appreciation of their leadership in the healthcare space
Scripps Health Situational Interview Questions
In addition to behavioral questions, you may get situational prompts testing how you’d respond in hypothetical scenarios you may face on the job:
Q1: If you witnessed a colleague acting unethically, what steps would you take?
This assesses your ethics and proactive stance on misconduct. Discuss:
- Speaking directly to the colleague first if appropriate
- Reporting to a supervisor if the behavior persists
- Emphasizing patient wellbeing as top priority
- Willingness to intervene when ethics are compromised
Q2: How would you handle a patient or family member who is upset and yelling at you?
This probes your patient care skills and composure. Share how you would:
- Listen actively without getting defensive
- Empathize and apologize for their experience
- Ask questions to understand their frustrations
- Explain next steps to resolve their concerns
Q3: Imagine you have a disagreement with your manager about a patient treatment plan. What would you do?
This looks at your critical thinking, communication skills and poise under pressure. Cover how you’d:
- Hear their perspective and reasoning first
- Explain your viewpoint and rationale calmly
- Suggest compromises or alternatives that ensure patient safety
- Offer to consult other physicians to reach the ideal decision
Q4: If assigned multiple urgent tasks at once, how would you prioritize?
This assesses your judgment under pressure. Discuss:
- Considering factors like patient outcomes, supervisor expectations
- Making a quick triage plan but remaining flexible
- Updating involved parties on timelines and progress
- Asking colleagues for support if you get overwhelmed
Scripps Health Clinical Interview Questions
For clinical roles like nursing, you can expect more technically focused prompts testing your hard skills:
Q1: How would you recognize and respond to an allergic reaction?
This ensures you know critical medical assessment and response protocols. Cover key steps like:
- Recognizing symptoms – rash, swelling, low blood pressure
- Stopping medication or allergen exposure
- Administering emergency epinephrine if breathing compromised
- Monitoring vital signs
- Calling emergency response team if severe reaction
Q2: What are some nursing interventions you would implement for a heart failure patient?
This probes your ability to develop appropriate patient care plans. Discuss interventions like:
- Monitoring fluid intake and weight fluctuations
- Encouraging low sodium diet and nutrition planning
- Implementing activity recommendations and rest periods
- Administering and tracking response to medications
- Educating on symptoms to report immediately
Q3: How would you ensure proper sterile technique when changing a dressing?
This demonstrates your ability to follow proper protocols. Cover:
- Donning PPE for barrier protection
- Disinfecting all instruments and surfaces
- Using sterile gloves and tools only
- Disposing soiled dressing safely
- Inspecting site and maintaining sterile field
Q4: What vital signs would you monitor for a head injury patient?
This tests your triage abilities and assessment knowledge. Discuss signs like:
- Level of consciousness
- Pupillary response
- Respiratory rate
- Blood pressure
- Oxygen saturation
- Neurological reflexes
Emphasize doing frequent monitoring to catch any changes quickly.
Questions to Ask at the End of Your Scripps Health Interview
Always prepare some thoughtful questions to ask your interviewer as well. This shows your engagement. Some options:
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How would you describe the culture on your team?
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What qualities make someone successful in this role?
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What are some of the biggest challenges facing your department right now?
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What are the top goals you’d like me to accomplish in the first 90 days if hired?
With these tips, you’ll be ready to tackle any question thrown your way in your Scripps Health interview. Best of luck!
A Great Fit for Scripps
We want to hire and train people who care deeply about our mission and values, the San Diego community, and each other. This goal guides our decision making and hiring experience. By only hiring people who are a good fit for Scripps Health, we help build the culture that leads to an award-winning workplace and great care for patients. We’re extremely proud to have a system-wide job acceptance rate of 90 percent!.
We provide the highest quality of service.
We demonstrate complete respect for the rights of every individual.
We care for our patients every day in a responsible and efficient manner.
Our seven Principles of Excellence help us live out our values and build a culture of consistency, care, and high performance. We incorporate these into our hiring, training, daily work, recognition and more.
We put our patients first.
Our talent acquisition team prides ourselves on providing a highly transparent and efficient interview process.
HealthcareSource©, the biggest company in the healthcare industry that manages talent, just said that Scripps Health has been chosen by Lean Human Capital to be a winner of its 2020 Elite Honor Roll program.
There are 201,200 hospital recruiting firms across the country, and this puts Scripps in the top 5%. It also recognizes our talent acquisition team as performing at an elite level.
We encourage all of our applicants to be selective. Apply only for jobs that you are really interested in, that you are qualified for, and that are within the commute time you want.
If you are one of the best applicants, you will get an email right away with instructions on how to schedule a phone call or virtual interview with one of our talent advisers or complete an on-demand video interview. There may have been better applicants than you if you don’t get an invitation, so keep looking for jobs with Scripps Health. +.
You applied for a job at Scripps Health that required Basic Life Support (BLS). Did you not get an invite for an OnDemand Video or move forward in the interview process?
Please don’t give up! It could be as easy as not meeting the American Heart Association’s (AHA) BLS requirements.
Many of the people who apply for jobs at Scripps may have BLS, but not through the American Heart Association. This means that they don’t automatically move forward in the selection process.
That’s why we want to give you an edge and encourage you to apply again after you get your BLS from the American Heart Association.
Let’s help YOU to reapply…
When you need to get your BLS certificate before you can be hired, these are the three AHA Scripps Health-approved locations in San Diego that we usually suggest.
Community Resources for American Heart Association Classes in San Diego
Express Training Solutions: http://expresstraining.enrollware.com/schedule/
Critical Care Training Center: https://acls123.com/san-diego/acls-class-san-diego/
Once you have obtained your AHA BLS…REAPPLY, REAPPLY, REAPPLY!
You have 72 hours from the time you get the invitation to complete your on-demand phone interview, video interview, or virtual interview. No matter the format, come prepared to share how you are connected to the Scripps Health mission. Try to provide answers that are authentic, specific and recent.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for the on-demand interview:
- You have three minutes to make a video answer for every question. Don’t worry—you can go back and record each one again if you need to.
- Treat the interview like an in-person interview. Dress professionally and find a place that is quiet, well-lit, and free of other things that could distract you.
- For up to six months, you can use your videos again when applying for jobs.
Congratulations on passing your first interview! If you are chosen for the next step in the hiring process, we will let you know by phone or email. At any time, you may also check your application status online in your Scripps Health applicant profile.
Once you have been chosen for a job, here are some tips to help you get ready for the onboarding process:
- As you plan your start date, keep in mind the time it will take to give your current employer notice and meet the Scripps onboarding requirements.
- There will be a background check (3 to 5 days to process once submitted). If you have a criminal record, you should be honest about it.
- You must make an appointment with our Employee Care Clinic (ECC) during the onboarding process to get a pre-employment physical and review of your immunizations. Once you’ve accepted the job offer, your recruitment coordinator will help you set this up.
- The employee’s health clearance will include a physical exam, a review of their immunizations, and a urine drug screen that will check for marijuana.
- Get immunized It is required that all healthcare workers show proof that they are immune to measles (rubeola), mumps, rubella, varicella, and tdap/pertussis. For this, you might need to have blood drawn in a lab and maybe get vaccinated. All healthcare workers must show proof that they have been fully vaccinated (and boosted if eligible) against COVID-19, agree to get vaccinated at the time of hire, or write and ask for an exception citing a medical reason, disability, or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance, along with supporting documentation. At the pre-employment physical, you must show proof of vaccinations and a booster shot, if you are eligible. Everyone who works for the company has to get their COVID-19 vaccine (2nd dose or booster) within 2 weeks of becoming eligible for it in order to be considered compliant. If you don’t show proof of a vaccine or booster dose within two weeks, or if you have an approved exemption, you could be suspended without pay or fired for not following the rules.
- I-9 Document Requirements: You must show up with up-to-date documents that prove you are legally allowed to work in the United States. Click here for the List of acceptable I-9 documents.
- Day 1 of New Employee Orientation (NEO): GoTo Meeting-based virtual interactive webinar Your recruiter will send you the link to sign up ahead of time for orientation. This will be your 1st day of work.
