Nursing interview questions, with model answers for the clinical scenarios.

Nursing interviews test how you think when a patient’s safety is on the line. Here are two common scenario questions, with model answers that follow the steps interviewers expect.

Free question 1 (clinical scenario): A post-op patient is getting worse

You’re caring for a patient on day 1 after abdominal surgery. At 0200 their blood pressure is 88/52, down from 124/78 at 2200. Their heart rate is 118 and they seem restless and pale. What do you do?

Model answer

1. Say what you’re worried about. “A falling blood pressure with a rising heart rate after surgery makes me think of bleeding or another cause of shock, so I treat this as urgent.”

2. Stay with the patient and get help. Use the call bell or ask a colleague to stay close. Don’t leave to find a doctor.

3. Assess with ABCDE. Airway, breathing (rate, oxygen saturation), circulation (repeat the blood pressure and heart rate, check skin colour and temperature, cap refill), disability (level of consciousness, blood glucose), exposure (check the dressing, drains and bed for bleeding, and look for abdominal swelling or pain). Check recent urine output and temperature.

4. Escalate early. If the patient meets your hospital’s rapid response or early warning criteria, call the team. Otherwise, call the most responsible physician or surgical resident right away.

5. Report with SBAR. For example: “Situation: Mr. Lee in bed 4, day 1 post bowel resection, BP 88/52, HR 118, restless. Background: BP was 124/78 four hours ago, no history of low blood pressure. Assessment: I’m worried about bleeding; his dressing is saturated and urine output is 15 mL in the last two hours. Recommendation: I’d like you to see him now. Do you want bloods and an IV fluid bolus?”

6. Prepare and act on orders. Make sure IV access is working, have equipment ready, and carry out orders as they come.

7. Reassess and document. Recheck vital signs often, record what you found, who you called and when, and what was ordered. Update the charge nurse.

What interviewers listen for: you recognize the pattern, you never leave an unstable patient alone, you escalate early with SBAR, and you follow your hospital’s policy rather than guessing.

Free question 2 (patient safety): An order that doesn’t look right

You’re about to give a scheduled medication and notice the ordered dose is ten times higher than the dose you usually see for that drug. What do you do?

Model answer

1. Don’t give it yet. A nurse is responsible for every medication they give, so a dose you think is unsafe is never given just because it was ordered.

2. Check the facts. Re-read the original order and the medication record. Check the patient’s weight, kidney function and allergies. Look the drug up in your hospital’s approved drug reference. A decimal point in the wrong place or a mix-up between mg and mcg is a common cause.

3. Ask the pharmacist. They can confirm the usual dose range and whether there’s a reason for a high dose.

4. Call the prescriber. Explain what you found and ask them to confirm or change the order. If it’s changed, get the new order written or entered properly.

5. Escalate if needed. If you can’t reach the prescriber, or they confirm a dose you still believe is unsafe, involve the charge nurse or manager. Don’t give a medication you believe could harm the patient.

6. Document and report. Record what you found and who you spoke to. Report it as a near miss in your hospital’s safety reporting system. Most errors are caught because nurses report them, and reports help fix the cause.

What interviewers listen for: you stop before giving it, you check before accusing anyone, you use the pharmacist and prescriber, and you report the near miss. It helps to mention your college’s medication standard (in Ontario, the College of Nurses of Ontario’s medication practice standard).