Nursing School Interview Q’ – Flashcards

Even from a young age I have aspired to work hard to achieve my goals.xx. Despite the fact that I came from a very small and rural high school with very little money or opportunity for students interested in pursuing a higher degree, I began my quest for entering the nursing field as a high school senior. In addition to finishing up my final high school quarter (when most classmates had "senioritis"), I entered a nursing assistant course through a nearby community college. Following completion of the program, I worked hard using my gained skills first as a caregiver/resident assistant, working my way up to medication aid. As a medication aid I was delegated to administer medications, give injections such as insulin, chart and take vitals. I continued my work in assisted living and memory care while earning my Bachelors of Science in Vascular Technology. I now have three years of clinical experience, which includes outpatient, inpatient, research and operating room/procedure experience, in a direct-patient care role performing vascular ultrasounds and writing preliminary reports. My diverse and hands on experience in the medical field has prepared me to be a well-rounded and hard working nurse.

XXX I know that my strengths of being to motivate others and my attention to detail are well suited for nursing, which focuses on caring for the patient, and not the disease. XXX -grandpa, working with him to improve, taking care medically. Helping him improve meant encouraging him in different ways. - career that keeps me busy, engages critical thinking and uses evidence based science.

- Moving from acute care floor to rehabilitation inpatient unit. - Gaining experience for CRRN. - Work for 10-20 more years before pursing advanced practice

As her nurse I would ensure that the patient had adequate education about the health risks to both herself and the baby associated with smoking. If the patient was interested in quitting, then I would encourage her through that decision, and if not, I would continue caring for her just as I would care for any other patient.

I am definitely more of a team player and feel that productively and morale is improved when staff can work together as a team and get along cohesively. Working in a team also provides more opportunities for growth in knowledge and a more well-rounded employee. That being said, not every task needs to be taken on by a team. I am self-directed and can work well independently when it is warranted.

I try to maintain a calm and collected attitude in times of stress. The first thing I like to do is take a step back and evaluate the entirety of the situation. This allows me to work with purpose and accurately prioritize tasks. Working through the stressful situation I do my best to maintain a positive attitude, which helps to improve my coworkers, patients, and my own day.

Throughout college, I would take every possible opportunity to work as a caregiver, and later, a medication aid. At the time I was working as a caregiver in an assisted living facility with approximately seventy residents. There were two caregivers and one medication aid on staff, when my fellow caregiver walked out on the job without telling anyone near the beginning of shift. Despite the fact that I had originally been scheduled for a "short shift" of only four hours, without hesitation I stepped into the longer shift. With some reevaluation of priorities and strategic planning to make best use of time, I managed to successfully take care of all of the resident's needs with a little help from my supervisor, who graciously stepped in. While it was not the most ideal of situations, I was able to stay calm under pressure, complete the necessary tasks at hand safely and maintain a positive attitude.

Although not a failure, I do have a regret regarding one of my past decisions. Not being accepted to the nursing program in 2010. I continued to earn a bachelors of science in vascular ultrasound technology with the plan of returning to school later in life to become a nurse. While I can now say with absolute confidence that I do not have a life long future in ultrasound, I am grateful that the experience taught me the meaning of hard work. I was able to reaffirm that nursing is the best fit for me, while developing patient and healthcare skills, along with a lot of knowledge, that will be helpful both in nursing school and throughout my nursing career.

My experience working both as a medication aid/caregiver and as a vascular technologist, I have worked with many patients and families that are going through a great amount of stress, confusion and fear. As the medical professional in charge of their care, I do my best to go above and beyond to make sure that their needs are being met to the best of my ability. When these individuals get worked up, I remain calm, being sure to diffuse the situation instead of escalating it. I reassure them and make sure it is clear that I am actively listening and that they are being heard. Ultimately, the patients well-being is my priority, so I do my best to make sure that the environment is as therapeutic as possible.

Flexibility, evaluating priorities and analyzing situations are all important attributes to a successful nurse. When faced with an unexpected situation, I do my best to take it in stride and be flexible, while utilizing resources available to meet the challenge successfully. For example, if we are going to be short staffed, I reevaluate my plan to make sure that tasks are prioritized appropriately. If I am asked to do a procedure that I am unfamiliar with, I utilize whatever tools I have and ask questions if I still am lacking information. In my past experiences, some of the best learning opportunities come from unexpected circumstances.

- Finding a positive outlook in a less than ideal situation. Example?

I am highly motivated by personal competition and the opportunity to improve myself. XXXX Add to this!

Being able to prioritize is very important in a busy and unpredictable environment such as a hospital unit. When setting priorities at work, I focus first on tasks with acute needs or tasks that have the most significant consequences of not being completed right away. While each task is important, there are also some tasks that can be delegated or that can wait to be completed. When I first started working as a medication aid, it took me a long time to complete med pass for all forty residents that we had at the time. Because some treatments/medications were more critical than others, I would always make sure that medications like Lantus or NovoLog got first priority, where treatments such as once daily miralax powder could afford to wait a bit longer. While I became much faster at my medication pass with experience, it was still critical to prioritize tasks as new situations arose.

When managing my time, I step back and prioritize my tasks, completing the most acute or critical items first, followed by the less time sensitive tasks. If necessary, I also look to see what can be delegated. While working as a caregiver and medication aid, I would arrive a few minutes early to my shift to make a list of the tasks that needed to be completed, arranging my list in terms of priority. As the shift progressed, I would cross tasks off and reassess based on new situations, such as a resident suddenly needing the next two days of medications because they are about to walk out the door with family. Adequate time management is key to a successful nurse.

XXX My patients are given the best possible care and experience as possible. Patients are usually stressed, scared and very vulnerable, and I contribute motivation, encouragement, and the knowledge that they have someone advocating for them.

xxx grandfather??xxxxx While my love for OHSU first began as a child, sitting by my Grandfathers bed after a terrifying life-flight that saved his life, there are many reasons why OHSU is the right school for me. OHSU is Oregon's only academic health center, and having completed a year of undergraduate clinical experience at the University of Washington, I highly value the unique nature of combining professional education, research and top of the line health services that OHSU provides. I know that I am an excellent fit for OHSU, as my passion for serving the under served and diverse populations align with OHSU's core. I am very inspired by the work that OHSU is doing to bring healthcare to rural areas and to increase diversity awareness. I recently read an article discussing how the family practice program running a free medical clinic for high schoolers, and how Salem Health and OHSU have recently become partners. I am very drawn to the way that OHSU is a driving force in medical innovation and the high value that is placed on serving others.

To conduct high quality, relevant, and timely public health related research and training.

XXX My background working and developing skills as a caregiver, medication aid, and vascular technologist have provided me with a strong foundation for nursing. My time traveling through depressed areas of Asia, growing up in a rural town near a federal prison and working in a culturally diverse area such as Seattle has left me well-rounded and with the skills to interact successfully with all sorts of personalities and backgrounds. However, what really makes me stand out from the other applicants is my drive to continually strive to be a better person and to continually learn and grow. Between my leadership skills and ability self-start, I can promise you that I will work above and beyond to show you that you made the right decision admitting me to the program.

I really admire my cousin, Shelly. While she currently works in ENT and pediatrics, each year she volunteers with multiple oversea medical missions. I really aspire to follow in her footsteps, as I am very passionate about contributing patients in the under served and economically depressed areas (including areas of the United States). She also displays great leadership in her role in prepping for and undertaking the medical missions, which I identify with and find to be an important trait for a successful nursing to possess.

I would be interested in working part time in assisted living, as long as the program and school does not suffer from it. Thankfully, between my husbands career and our savings for while I am in school, I have flexibility in finances.

Because I have more experience with chronic illness, NRS 332- Acute Illness will provide the most new learning experiences. Luckily i am driven by a challenge and look forward to being immersed in an area that is totally new to me.

Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius (heartbreaking and eye-opening recount of boy who became mysteriously quadriplegic and woke up from a comatose state years later). I just started the book "Who moved my cheese?"

- Broad view of health populations (health= physical, mental and social well being) - pursuit of social justice in health for all - being a voice and promoting population perspective on health - innovation, and risk taking in teaching, research and service - collaboration is essential to carrying our mission - seek diversity in thought and personnel - ethical behavior in research and work

Determination, innovation and compassion are extremely important in nursing, which is one of the reasons that I really admire Jane A. Delano. She emphasized the importance of nursing education and helped facilitate the enlistment of nurses for oversea duty in World War I. She also founded the American Red Cross Nursing Service in 1909. Since I volunteered with the Red Cross in Thailand following the 2004 Tsunami, it has been a dream of mine to assist in disaster relief or poor socioeconomic oversea missions. I also really admire Lillian Wald, who really advocated for women's and children's rights. She was a great leader who valued higher education, innovation and integrity.

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To provide leadership in nursing and health care through thoughtful innovation in healing, teaching and discovery.

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