There are few things more intimidating than preparing for a nursing job interview. Just because you’re good at what you do doesn’t mean you should put yourself out there.
The best way to free yourself of interview anxiety is to walk in feeling confident and well prepared. We can’t help you with how much you know about nursing or how long you’ve been working as a nurse, but we can tell you what kinds of questions they might ask. Take a look at the 18 nursing interview questions and answers we’ve put together for you below. If you familiarize yourself with each of these, you can walk in to any interview with confidence.
(Looking for interview questions for certain nursing jobs? Here are some common ER nursing interview questions that will help you do well at your next interview. ).
Landing an interview for an LTAC (long-term acute care) nurse position is exciting, but it can also be nerve-wracking. Unlike working in other nursing settings, caring for patients in an LTAC facility requires specialized skills and experience. The medically complex cases and extended patient stays mean that LTAC nurses need excellent clinical judgement, stamina, and compassion.
With competition often high for these roles, you need to really wow the interviewers to stand out. That means anticipating the types of LTAC nurse interview questions you’ll face and having strong, compelling answers ready.
In this complete guide, I’ll cover the 27 most common LTAC nurse interview questions along with tips on how to craft winning responses:
Technical Questions
Technical questions allow interviewers to assess your clinical capabilities and specialized knowledge required for the role. Be prepared to get into the details of your skills and experience.
1. Can you describe your experience with ventilator care and tracheostomy management?
LTAC nurses need to be extremely competent with ventilator care and tracheostomy management as many patients require mechanical ventilation Highlight your experience checking vitals, adjusting vent settings, suctioning, and replacing tracheostomy tubes Emphasize safety protocols and your ability to troubleshoot issues.
2. What wound care experience do you have, especially with pressure ulcers and surgical wounds?
Wound care is a large component of the job. Discuss your skills in assessing, cleaning, dressing, and treating wounds. Share how you strive to prevent pressure ulcers through repositioning and padding. Give examples of how you’ve helped surgical wounds heal properly through sterile dressing changes and infection control.
3. Can you explain your experience with tubes, lines, and TPN?
Many LTAC patients have feeding tubes, central lines, and IV medications. Demonstrate you are proficient in catheter and tube care, IV setup, TPN/PPN administration, and monitoring for complications like infection or occlusion. Highlight your attention to detail to prevent errors.
4. How do you manage pain medication administration and evaluation?
Discuss using scales and assessments to evaluate pain levels pre- and post-medication Share how you titrate dosages to provide adequate pain control Emphasize monitoring side effects and your commitment to ensuring patients are comfortable,
Behavioral Questions
Behavioral questions allow interviewers to get a sense of your soft skills, mindset and values. Use the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action, Results – to construct compelling answers.
5. How do you prioritize when caring for multiple high-acuity patients?
Acknowledge the challenge of juggling many sick patients. Share your approach of constantly re-evaluating each patient’s status to identify the most unstable and delegating tasks when possible. Convey how you maintain organization and calm under pressure.
6. What qualities make an excellent LTAC nurse?
Discuss passion for caring for chronically, critically ill patients, emotional resilience, patience, excellent clinical judgement, strong communication skills, and being a tireless patient advocate. Share why you feel you possess these qualities.
7. How do you ensure you’re up-to-date on latest practices and protocols?
Demonstrate you are committed to continuously developing your expertise by attending conferences, reading journals, taking courses, and networking with peers. Share examples of how you’ve learned new protocols and implemented them.
8. How do you communicate with doctors and other providers?
Highlight being concise, listening actively, utilizing SBAR technique, asking clarifying questions, and confirming understanding. Share how you maintain professionalism and communicate concerns when you strongly disagree.
9. How have you handled an ethical dilemma?
Briefly describe the dilemma but focus more on explaining your thought process. Highlight weighing pros and cons, consulting protocols, team collaboration, and ultimately prioritizing patient wellbeing.
10. How do you respond when a patient or family member is angry?
Discuss empathizing, actively listening, apologizing if appropriate, thanking them for feedback, and resolving issues. Share how you maintain calm and professionalism even when being yelled at.
11. Why do you want to work in an LTAC facility?
Convey your passion for caring for medically complex patients and helping them transition from hospital to home. Share why you enjoy building relationships with patients and families over longer periods.
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Affirm your interest in staying in LTAC nursing long-term and growing into leadership roles. Share your goals of becoming a charge nurse, preceptor, or educator so you can mentor others.
13. How do you respond to stress?
Acknowledge the high stress levels of the role but convey essential coping mechanisms like leaving work at work, exercising, talking to colleagues, and practicing mindfulness. Emphasize you are able to function under pressure and focus on patient needs.
14. How do you stay motivated on difficult days?
Discuss deriving motivation from patient successes and recoveries, no matter how small. Share how your teammates and nursing leadership inspire you to persist through challenges. Convey your deep passion for your work.
15. Have you handled a serious medical emergency? What was the situation and how did you respond?
Pick an example that demonstrates your skills and quick thinking under intense pressure, such as a patient going into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. Discuss following protocols, maintaining focus, and working as a team to manage the crisis.
Scenario-Based Questions
These “what would you do” questions test your judgment and ability to make sound decisions in challenging real-world situations.
16. If you noticed early signs of sepsis in a patient, what would you do?
Share that you would immediately inform the provider, draw blood cultures, start fluids and antibiotics, monitor vitals, and document findings – all key steps in early sepsis management. Emphasize swift teamwork to prevent deterioration.
17. A patient’s family member demands to know confidential information about the patient. How would you handle this?
Highlight that you cannot share private details without patient consent. Tactfully explain that you aim to partner with family members while protecting the patient’s rights and building trust. Offer to arrange a meeting with the care team and patient to address concerns.
18. You get report on a new patient. What do you do first to prepare for this patient?
Discuss reviewing the patient’s chart thoroughly, conferring with the prior nurse, introducing yourself to the patient and doing an initial assessment of their condition, needs, and any concerns. Share how you prioritize building rapport from the start.
19. If you saw a more experienced nurse performing a procedure incorrectly, what would you do?
Emphasize respectfully bringing this observation to their attention in private and reminding them of proper technique. If they resist, highlight reporting the issue to your manager to prevent potential patient harm while maintaining diplomacy.
20. A patient’s relative wants to administer herbal supplements that could interact with medications. How would you respond?
Explain that you cannot allow unsafe practices and must consult the care team before permitting supplements. Offer to page the provider to discuss appropriate options that don’t risk interactions or side effects. Highlight patience and tactful education.
21. How would you respond if a confused elderly patient became combative?
Discuss calmly asking what is upsetting them, removing potential environmental stressors, validating their feelings, distracting with conversation, and calling for help if needed. Emphasize protecting patient dignity while safely resolving the situation.
22. A family member insists on a care plan you feel is not in the patient’s best interest. How do you respond?
Express understanding their wishes but gently explain your duty is to advocate for the patient. Offer to arrange a family meeting with the care team to discuss all perspectives. If no agreement is reached, highlight you must do what you feel is safest for the patient while respecting the family’s views.
23. You notice another nurse is not using proper hand hygiene. What do you do?
Discuss politely reminding them of hand hygiene protocols to prevent infections. Share that if you notice a pattern, you have a duty to report persistent non-compliance to your manager to address, for patient safety.
24. A patient’s condition rapidly deteriorates. What initial steps do you take?
Share that after calling for assistance, you would check vitals, administer oxygen, begin monitoring, establish IV access, draw labs, call providers to report critical change, document events, and implement orders. Emphasize remaining calm and focused.
25. You are asked to perform a procedure you are not competent in. How do you respond?
Politely explain that you are not comfortable performing a skill you were not fully trained on, as patient safety is paramount. Offer to call upon another nurse who is qualified in this procedure and advocate the patient be transferred to their care.
26. If you observed another provider being disrespectful to a patient, how would you handle it?
Highlight addressing this one-on-one and emphasizing the need to be compassionate and professional at all times. If behavior persists, state you must report the incidents to your
1 Why did you decide to be a nurse?
This question may make it sound like the employer wants to know more about you and your background, but what they really want to know is if your goals are in line with those of their facility.
“My family has always been involved in medicine. It made sense because both my grandfather and uncle were doctors and many of my aunts and cousins are nurses. Helping people in practical yet compassionate ways comes naturally to me. ”.
You’ve provided information on something essential about your character: care and compassion. The fact that your family’s values make you want to help people shows a lot about your desire to become a nurse.
1 How do you deal with cultural differences?
Nurses are taught how to deal with cultural differences, but to do it well, they often need both experience and respect for others. Specific stories and methods are especially helpful when answering this question. Give an example of a time when you were faced with this, and talk about what you learned.
Nursing Interview Questions and Answers by Nurse Sarah
FAQ
What is the job description for a LTAC RN?
What are the 6 C’s nursing interviews?
How to handle an angry patient interview question?
What is the hardest part of a nursing interview question?
What skills do LTAC nurses need?
As a Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) nurse, your critical thinking skills are vital in ensuring the well-being of your patients. This question is designed to assess your ability to make sound judgments, particularly in high-pressure situations.
What questions do LTAC interviewers ask?
Interviewers ask this question to gauge your ability to step up, take charge, and effectively manage a crisis or challenging situation. They want to see that you can be a reliable and competent leader when the situation demands it. Example: “In a previous LTAC setting, we faced a critical staffing shortage.
What is a long-term acute care (LTAC) nurse?
As a Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) Nurse, your patients often have complex medical conditions that require specialized nursing skills, like managing feeding tubes and Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). Interviewers want to ensure you’re adept at these procedures and can provide the high level of care their patients need.
What does a LTAC nurse do?
As an LTAC nurse, you’ll be working with patients who have serious, long-term conditions, many of whom will have specific nutritional needs due to their illnesses. Managing these needs is a delicate balance that requires a deep understanding of both the medical and dietary aspects of patient care.
