Acing Your North Memorial Health Interview: 7 Common Questions and How to Prepare winning Answers

With over 9000 employees North Memorial Health is one of the largest and most prestigious health systems in Minnesota. Landing an interview is competitive, so being thoroughly prepared with thoughtful responses can help you stand out.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most frequently asked interview questions at North Memorial Health and provide tips to craft winning answers that highlight your skills and experience.

Overview of North Memorial Health’s Hiring Process

The typical North Memorial Health interview process consists of

• Initial phone screening with HR
• 1-2 technical/experience-based interviews focused on your qualifications
• Panel interview with multiple department stakeholders
• Final interview with hiring manager
• Reference and background checks

Interviews assess both your hard skills and soft skills relevant to the role. Clinical roles may include scenario-based questions to evaluate your judgment critical thinking and bedside manner. Come prepared to demonstrate your passion for the organization’s values and mission.

7 Common North Memorial Health Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions in North Memorial Health interviews, with advice on how to develop strong responses:

1. Why do you want to work at North Memorial Health?

Demonstrate sincere passion for their mission and values.

• Research their history, values, and culture. Align with examples from your experience.
• Share why you’re personally drawn to their mission and how you’ll contribute.
• Convey genuine enthusiasm for the role and working at their organization specifically.

Example response:

“I’m deeply committed to North Memorial’s mission of providing exceptional, compassionate care. Your organization’s values of integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence strongly resonate with my own. My past roles at nonprofit health systems like XYZ reinforced my dedication to serving patients beyond just clinical outcomes. I’m drawn to the warm, supportive culture you’ve built that allows your staff to thrive personally and professionally. As an RN case manager, I would combine my passion for coordinated, holistic care with my strengths in patient advocacy and education. I’m excited by the opportunity to collaborate with North Memorial’s diverse care teams to enhance the patient and family experience.”

2. Tell me about a time you delivered excellent customer service.

Share an example that highlights skills like empathy, communication, and problem-solving.

• Set the context by explaining the situation briefly.
• Discuss how you listened to and empathized with the customer’s needs.
• Outline the actions you took to address their concerns and provide an exceptional experience.
• Share positive feedback or remarks on the interaction.

Example response:

“Recently, I had a distressed patient whose surgery had to be postponed due to an abnormal lab result. Upset about cancelling preparations and delaying treatment, they were considering transferring to another facility. I listened closely to understand the inconvenience caused and empathized sincerely. I explained the critical importance of the lab value for safe surgery and that our team would make every effort to resolve the issue quickly. I immediately consulted our lab staff and the surgeon to create a plan, keeping the patient informed throughout. Within 2 days, we addressed the lab anomaly and rescheduled her procedure. The patient was relieved and grateful for my clear communication and diligent coordination. This experience demonstrated to me the substantial impact compassion and proactive problem-solving can have on the patient experience.”

3. How do you take care of yourself to avoid burnout in a demanding healthcare role?

Demonstrate self-awareness and healthy coping strategies.

• Share work-life balance tactics you employ like leaving work on time, taking breaks, and separating work from personal life.
• Discuss any stress-relief practices like exercise, meditation, counseling etc.
• Emphasize seeking support from colleagues, supervisors, friends and family when needed.
• Convey commitment to maintaining your mental and physical health.

Example response:

“To avoid burnout in my demanding nursing career, I’m intentional about maintaining work-life balance through tactics like leaving work on time, taking regular days off, and minimizing overtime. I make sure to disconnect from work completely while on vacation. I also prioritize getting adequate sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise, which keep me energized and resilient. When I feel particularly stressed or overwhelmed, I take short breaks during the day for deep breathing, meditation, or speaking to a supportive colleague which helps me reset mentally. Seeking counseling has also equipped me with healthy coping mechanisms tailored to my needs. Most importantly, I stay attuned to my state of mind and am proactive about reaching out for support from my community when I’m struggling. My mindset is that I cannot deliver compassionate care to others without first caring for myself.”

4. How do you keep your skills and knowledge current in this rapidly changing field?

Highlight a commitment to continuous learning and development.

• Discuss reading industry journals, publications, and taking continuing education courses.
• Share how you leverage professional networks and conferences to expand your learning.
• Provide examples of how you’ve applied knowledge gained through professional development at work.
• Convey enthusiasm for lifelong learning as part of career growth.

Example response:

“Keeping my expertise sharp is a top priority for me, so I actively seek educational opportunities within work and on my own time. I regularly read nursing publications and journals to learn about clinical and industry developments. Within my organization, I’ve participated in skills certifications, leadership training programs, and cross-department projects to diversify my experience. I try to attend at least 1 major nursing conference annually which exposes me to innovative practices nationwide. Outside work, I’ve completed post-graduate certifications in areas like palliative care and patient counseling to expand my knowledge base. By proactively developing myself professionally, I’ve become more adept at evidence-based patient care and quality improvement initiatives. I’m genuinely excited by the advances occurring in healthcare and see lifelong learning as crucial to providing exceptional care as the field evolves.”

5. How would you respond if a patient or family member became angry or hostile with you?

Demonstrate calmness and empathy when faced with challenging situations.

• Emphasize staying calm, listening attentively to fully understand their perspective.
• Discuss expressing empathy and validating their feelings.
• Share how you would calmly work with them to address the root issue.
• Convey that your top priority would be preserving their dignity.

Example response:

“When facing hostile or angry patients and family members, I understand that painful emotions are often driving their reactions, so my first priority is listening and seeking to understand their experience. I would calmly let them express themselves without interruption. No matter how they approach me, I would respond with empathy, respect, and validation of their perspective. Once I comprehend the root issues, I would work collaboratively with them to address any needs or concerns, providing open communication tailored to mitigate their distress, always preserving their dignity. While remaining composed myself, I would offer to bring in support staff or a supervisor if I felt the situation required assistance finding a resolution. My aim is to transform tense moments into constructive conversations focused on how we can work together to help them heal physically and emotionally.”

6. How would you handle a disagreement with a coworker?

Highlight conflict management and teamwork skills.

• Emphasize open, direct communication focused on understanding their perspective.
• Discuss finding common ground and aiming for collaborative conflict resolution.
• Share how you’d involve your supervisor if disagreements persist and threaten team cohesion.
• Convey mutual respect and maturity despite differences.

Example response:

“If a disagreement arose with a colleague, I would first seek to understand their viewpoint through open dialogue focused on finding common ground. Even when perspectives differ, I believe showing mutual respect preserves team cohesion critical to patient care. If differences persist, I would request mediation from our manager – collaboratively identifying solutions is better than letting conflicts fester. In a past team disagreement over process changes, one-on-one conversations revealed we actually shared the same goals and values for improving care. By articulating our common ground and compromising cooperatively, we unanimously revamped our protocols, boosting team morale. Though disagreements inevitably arise at times, maintaining compassion for each other and prioritizing the needs of patients above our own egos ensures care doesn’t suffer over petty differences not worth sacrificing our team unity.”

7. How do you respond when your schedule or workload becomes extremely demanding and hectic?

Demonstrate grace under pressure and effective workload management.

• Share time and stress management tactics you utilize, like triage, delegation, and seeking help when overloaded.
• Emphasize keeping your team and manager informed of your capacity and needs.
• Discuss remaining focused on priorities and patient care despite turmoil.
• Convey that your top concern is ensuring excellent care delivery.

Example response:

“In healthcare, days with crushing workloads and endless urgencies inevitably occur. When experiencing periods of extreme busyness, I utilize workflow triage to identify and sequence priorities while communicating transparently with my team and manager regarding capacity. If delegating tasks to cross-trained colleagues could alleviate collective burden, I discuss this option. Most importantly, I ensure that patient-centered care does not suffer – if I feel quality being compromised by workload, I escalate immediately. No