Top 7 Interview Questions for Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are trained to assess, diagnose, treat, and educate patients in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Since NPs receive advanced training, they’re expected to take on high-level responsibilities and guide patient care. Crafting thoughtful interview questions for nurse practitioners is the key to finding an NP who is competent and aligned with your facility’s values.

To help you narrow down your pool of candidates, we’ll outline seven of the top interview questions to ask a nurse practitioner and provide tips for evaluating your candidate’s answers. Find applicants to interview by preparing a targeted job description. You can also explore current nurse practitioner job openings to learn what qualifications other facilities are looking for.

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7 Interview Questions for Nurse Practitioners

Keep in mind that nurse practitioners can work in a range of specialties, and their exact duties may differ by practice setting. The following questions are well-suited for all types of NP roles and can be easily adapted to reflect the specialty you’re hiring for.

1. What inspired you to become a nurse practitioner?

Becoming a nurse practitioner takes time and effort, and each candidate will have their own motivations for pursuing this path. Interview questions for nurse practitioners such as this one allow you to learn more about a candidate’s personal goals and values.

What to listen for:

• Experiences that inspired candidate’s to pursue higher education
• Commitment to delivering high quality and compassionate care

Potential follow-up questions:

• Why do you want to work here?
• What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a nurse practitioner?

2. Tell me about a time that you worked on a challenging patient case and how you handled it.

Nurse practitioners are responsible for guiding and managing care plans for a range of complex patient cases. This question assesses how a candidate has applied their critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills to past experiences.

What to listen for:

• Ability to effectively handle more complex patient cases using evidence-based practices
• Sound process for collaborating with team members and re-adjusting care as needed

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would you do if a patient wasn’t responding to standard treatment?
• What’s your approach to working with interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient care?

3. What would you do if a patient was non-compliant with their medications?

Nurse practitioners play an important role in educating patients and working with them to ensure they’re meeting treatment goals. However, it’s not uncommon for patients to have trouble adhering to their medication regimens. Asking interview questions for nurse practitioners like this can help you evaluate how a candidate handles these situations and their approach to problem-solving.

What to listen for:

• Deductive reasoning skills that enable swift identification of treatment barriers
• Compassionate approach to engaging with patients and meeting them where they are

Potential follow-up questions:

• A family member is upset about a patient’s treatment plan. What do you do?
• What steps do you take to ensure that you’re delivering culturally competent care?

4. Have you ever had a disagreement with a team member? How did you handle it?

Collaboration is an important aspect of any healthcare job. NPs coordinate care with various members of the care team and must be able to effectively work as team players — even when disagreements arise.

What to listen for:

• Constructive ways of addressing disagreements and strong conflict-resolution skills
• Ability to listen to other team members and consider different points of view

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would you do if you witnessed your collaborating physician engaging in unethical behavior at work?
• How would you describe your mentorship style?

5. How do you stay up to date on the latest evidence-based practices?

Nurse practitioners take a lead role in determining the best course of treatment for patients. In order to make sound practice decisions, they’re responsible for keeping up with best evidence-based practices in the field. This is why evidence-based practice should be the topic of at least one of your interview questions for nurse practitioners, and answers should reflect a candidate’s commitment to continuous learning.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of vetted websites, journals, and resources to draw information from
• Passion for expanding clinical knowledge and skill set

Potential follow-up questions:

• Tell me about a time you helped improve care and outcomes at your workplace.
• How comfortable or familiar are you with providing care via telehealth?

6. How do you empower patients to stay involved in their own care?

As an NP, it’s crucial to engage patients and empower them to make their own care decisions. This question evaluates a candidate’s ability to work collaboratively with patients and encourage them to take ownership over their health.

What to listen for:

• Careful consideration of patient’s opinions when formulating care plans
• Ability to address patient preferences with empathy and understanding

Potential follow-up questions:

• Walk me through your process of educating patients about their care plans.
• How do you involve family members and caregivers throughout a patient’s course of treatment?

7. How do you manage stress and stay on task during your busiest days?

NPs often have to care for multiple patients at a time, so candidates should feel comfortable prioritizing tasks in fast-paced environments. This question allows you to get a sense of a candidate’s general approach to organizing their day and ability to stay calm under pressure.

What to listen for:

• Ability to set boundaries and delegate tasks when necessary
• Effective time management and prioritization skills

Potential follow-up questions:

• How do you prioritize tasks based on patient needs and urgency?
• How do you ensure that you’re staying within scope of practice guidelines when delegating tasks to other nursing staff?

Connect With Qualified Nursing Professionals Today

Tired of conducting interview after interview? IntelyCare can connect you with candidates who can answer your interview questions for nurse practitioners with ease. Post to our nationwide, nursing-only job board today and reach the right applicants faster.