7 Key NICU Nurse Interview Questions to Ask

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses are trained to care for newborns who are sick or born prematurely. They also play an important role in educating new parents about their newborn’s care. Strong NICU nurses are critical thinkers who understand how to remain personable and calm in high-stress situations. If you’re hiring for this role, it’s important to ask your candidates thoughtful NICU nurse interview questions to evaluate these qualities.

To facilitate your hiring process, we’ll outline seven essential interview questions and answers for NICU nurses, as well as potential follow-up questions to ask. Prepare a well-written job description that will help you attract the right candidates to interview. You can also learn what qualifications other facilities are looking for by exploring current NICU nurse job openings.

Download our free NICU nurse evaluation form below to help you assess candidates during your next round of interviews.

NICU Interview Questions for Nurse Candidates

Although the NICU requires a specific set of skills, it’s actually quite common for new grads to pursue this specialty. Most new grads are able to pick up necessary skills on the job by building on their clinical training.

Because of this, it’s important to avoid asking complex questions that may rule out nurses with less experience. Here are seven NICU questions for nurses that can help you effectively evaluate all types of candidates, regardless of where they are in their career.

1. Why do you want to be a NICU nurse?

The NICU can be both a physically and emotionally taxing environment to work in, and this question assesses whether candidates are pursuing this role for the right reasons. Some candidates may be attracted to the NICU because they enjoy working with babies. However, this specialty requires a strong desire to not only work with babies, but also guide their families through challenging situations.

What to listen for:

• Acknowledgement of the critical nature of the job/need for life-long learning
• Genuine passion for helping families and their newborns through adversity

Potential follow-up questions:

• What strengths do you think you would bring to our team?
• What are some of your personal goals as a NICU nurse?

2. How do you cope with the emotional challenges that can arise in the NICU?

NICU nurses often take on the role of comforting distraught families, and they must know how to remain calm and collected during high-stress situations. This question evaluates a candidate’s resilience and ability to stay grounded during emotionally heightened circumstances.

What to listen for:

• Ability to prioritize family needs, demonstrate empathy, and provide proper guidance
• Understanding of how to practice self-care and lean on colleagues for support

Potential follow-up questions:

• How do you prioritize your tasks on particularly busy days?
• What strategies do you use to manage stress and practice self-care?

3. What strategies do you use to deliver family-centered care?

In the NICU, it’s vital to involve parents in their newborn’s plan of care. NICU nurses must be adept at communicating and collaborating effectively with families during a time that can be quite difficult for them. Asking NICU nurse interview questions like this will help you evaluate the candidate’s ability to provide and promote family-centered care.

What to listen for:

• Emphasis on helping parents bond with their newborns
• Knowledge of how to involve parents in care, such as encouraging skin-to-skin contact and participation in feeding and bathing

Potential follow-up questions:

• Describe your approach to educating families about their newborn’s care.
• Can you tell me about a time that you had to support a family experiencing loss?

4. How do you balance keeping patients safe while ensuring that parents are able to bond with their newborn?

NICU nurses must make the safety and wellbeing of their patients a priority. This means knowing how to help parents bond with their newborn while also adhering to appropriate protocols.

For example, parents may sometimes be advised not to hold their newborns for safety reasons. Candidates should understand how to approach these situations in a compassionate manner.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of safety concerns that can arise in the NICU, such as risk for infection
• Ability to enforce protocols while still empowering parents to stay involved in care

Potential follow-up questions:

• How familiar are you with NICU infection control protocols?
• How would you educate families about the importance of infection control in the NICU?

5. Tell me about your experience administering medications to newborns.

Medication administration is a delicate process in the NICU, requiring strong critical-thinking skills and attention to details. This question assesses a candidate’s experience with giving newborns medication and their understanding of how to keep them safe in the process.

What to listen for:

• Knowledge of basic safety measures, such as verifying dosages
• Understanding of how to account for a newborn’s weight and age when calculating dosages

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever cared for neonates with a congenital defect?
• What are some common newborn health problems that you have experience caring for?

6. You notice that a coworker on the floor is having a hard time completing their tasks. What do you do?

In a stressful environment like the NICU, being able to rely on your colleagues and provide mutual support is essential. Teamwork should be addressed in at least one of your NICU nurse interview questions, and answers should reflect a candidate’s willingness to help others. Asking NICU scenario interview questions like this can be a great way to assess how candidates might respond in situations where their colleagues are facing challenges.

What to listen for:

• Willingness to step in and help colleagues when they’re struggling
• Commitment to promoting a positive, collegial work environment

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever had a disagreement with a coworker? How did you handle it?
• Can you tell me about a time that you had to advocate for a patient’s needs to the rest of the care team?

7. Can you walk me through your process of conducting a head-to-toe assessment on a neonate?

NICU nurse interview questions should also evaluate a candidate’s approach to conducting assessments on neonates. Newborn assessments require a unique set of considerations that are different from adult assessments. Candidates should know what to prioritize and look out for in this patient population to provide effective care.

What to listen for:

• Clear, systematic approach to examining newborns from head-to-toe
• Age-appropriate assessment techniques, such as listening for crying and vocalization

Potential follow-up questions:

• What assessments would you prioritize when a neonate is first brought to the unit?
• What steps would you take if you noticed a neonate was not responding to their current course of treatment?

Find Top Applicants to Interview

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