7 Key Charge Nurse Interview Questions to Ask

Charge nurses are responsible for overseeing nursing care across an entire department or unit at a hospital. They’re vital leaders on the floor, ensuring that staff get along and are equipped to deliver optimal patient care. While responsibilities can vary by hospital, every charge nurse should have strong leadership, communication, and organization skills. This is why asking the right charge nurse interview questions is a necessary step to finding the best leader for your team.

To help you with the process, we’ll outline seven key questions to ask when interviewing candidates for this important position. Make sure you also prepare a well-written job description to attract the right people to interview. Seeking more insights? Browse current charge nurse openings in the job market and learn what top qualities other facilities are looking for.

Download our free charge nurse evaluation form below to help you stay organized and assess each candidate during your next round of interviews.

Interview Questions for Charge Nurse Candidates

Charge nurses typically work on the floor for several years before transitioning to this role. Assessing leadership and decision-making skills should be a primary focus of your charge nurse job interview questions — and answers should reflect a candidate’s ability to confidently draw from their collective experiences. The following seven questions will help you evaluate the essential qualities of a charge nurse.

1. How have your past experiences prepared you to become a charge nurse?

Although you’ll have a snapshot of each candidate’s work history on their resume, it’s important to evaluate how they would apply their experiences as a senior charge nurse. Interview questions like this allow candidates to share a more personalized pitch of their qualifications and elaborate on skills that would translate most to the role.

What to listen for:

• Strong track record of clinical and leadership experience
• Ability to clearly articulate strengths and skills that translate to the role

Potential follow-up questions:

• What are three qualities that you think every charge nurse should have?
• What inspired you to take on a nursing leadership position?

2. Tell me about a time that you mentored another nurse.

Staff will be leaning on their charge nurse to guide them through tough situations and facilitate care when necessary. This question allows you to assess a candidate’s ability and willingness to mentor other nurses.

What to listen for:

• Ability to build strong relationships with team members
• Willingness to facilitate the professional growth of other nurses

Potential follow-up questions:

• How would you describe your leadership style?
• Can you tell me about a mentor who motivated or inspired you to do your best work?

3. How do you prioritize tasks when the floor gets busy?

Charge nurses can be pulled in many different directions. Not only are they responsible for ensuring smooth workflow, but they must also intervene during any patient-related emergencies or staff conflicts. This can make staying on task a challenge — especially when the floor gets busy. This question evaluates a candidate’s organization and prioritization skills, which are essential for getting things done efficiently.

What to listen for:

• Sound process for evaluating and prioritizing responsibilities
• Ability to stay calm under pressure

Potential follow-up questions:

• How do you delegate tasks?
• How do you balance clinical and administrative tasks?

4. You notice that a nurse is talking very negatively about her team members. What do you do?

Charge nurses have a strong influence over team dynamics. As a leader, they must take steps to maintain a positive work environment and help their staff get along. Posing common charge nurse scenarios like this allows you to evaluate how a candidate would handle interpersonal conflicts and address negative behavior.

What to listen for:

• Confidence in confronting staff when necessary
• Ability to remain objective and professional when dealing with conflicts

Potential follow-up questions:

• Tell me about a time that you had to advocate for a staff member’s needs.
• What strategies do you use to build a collegial and positive work environment?

5. Describe your process for creating patient assignments.

Creating patient assignments is an integral part of the charge nurse’s responsibilities. Therefore, it’s important to touch on this in at least one of your charge nurse interview questions — and answers should reflect strong decision-making skills.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of how to even out workload on the floor
• Thoughtful consideration of staff skills and patient’s needs

Potential follow-up questions:

• One of your nurses tells you that her patient assignments are too much to handle. What do you do?
• What strategies do you use to ensure the floor is adequately staffed?

6. A patient on the floor becomes combative. What do you do to ensure everyone’s safety?

This is a situation-based question that assesses how a candidate would respond to an emergent situation. If a staff member feels threatened, the charge nurse must intervene appropriately to protect the safety of both the staff and the patient.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of de-escalation techniques
• Ability to act swiftly and call for additional help when necessary

Potential follow-up questions:

• What’s the most challenging patient situation you’ve faced and how did you handle it?
• How do you support your staff during emotionally-heavy situations involving patients?

7. How do you engage your team in shared decision-making?

A good charge nurse will understand the importance of engaging with and involving staff in decisions that impact the whole unit. Asking charge nurse interview questions like this will allow you to assess whether a candidate values their team’s input and their ability to adapt to feedback.

What to listen for:

• Ability to incorporate staff opinions, concerns, and feedback into the decision-making process
• Emphasis on empowering nurses to stay engaged and involved on the floor

Potential follow-up questions:

• What strategies do you use to encourage staff to participate in quality improvement?
• What’s your greatest accomplishment as a nurse or charge nurse?

Take the First Step Toward Building Your Ideal Nursing Team

Finding someone who can thoughtfully answer your charge nurse interview questions is a daunting task, but IntelyCare can help ease the process. Post to our job board today and start collecting high-quality applications from a nationwide network of nursing professionals.