Top 7 Nursing Home Administrator Interview Questions to Ask

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Written by Katherine Zheng, PhD, BSN Content Writer, IntelyCare
Nursing home residents relax in the lounge, along with a nurse.

Nursing home administrators are in charge of overseeing the day-to-day operations at a nursing home facility. They juggle many different responsibilities, from creating budgets to managing logistics. Ultimately, they must be strong leaders who understand how to build an environment that supports both staff and residents. This is why asking the right nursing home administrator interview questions is key to finding the best person to manage your facility.

To help you get the most out of this critical step in the hiring process, we’ll outline seven of the top interview questions to ask a nursing home administrator and what to listen for. If you’re looking for candidates to interview, start by preparing a targeted job description. Need additional insights? Take a look at current openings for nursing home administrators and learn what top qualities other organizations are looking for.

We’ve provided a downloadable nursing home administrator evaluation form below to help you keep track of your next round of interviews.

7 Nursing Home Administrator Job Interview Questions

While nursing home administrators don’t take on direct clinical duties, they must have a deep understanding of both the clinical and administrative workflow at a facility. Here are seven nursing home administrator interview questions that can help you find a well-rounded candidate.

1. How have your past experiences prepared you to manage a nursing home?

Even if candidates haven’t worked in a nursing home specifically, they may have strong administrative experience in similar settings like a skilled nursing facility (SNF). Interview questions like this allow candidates to provide a more in-depth pitch of their skills and offer context that may not be captured on their resumes.

What to listen for:

  • Ability to articulate how past managerial or leadership experiences relate to the role
  • Understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a nursing home administrator

Potential follow-up questions:

  • How would you describe your management style?
  • What are your top motivations as a nursing home administrator?

2. What are some key areas that you prioritize when managing finances?

Resource allocation is one of the most important responsibilities of a nursing home administrator. This question evaluates a candidate’s approach to creating budgets and whether they’re able to align financial priorities with a nursing home’s goals.

What to listen for:

  • Ability to thoughtfully balance financial goals with resident care priorities
  • Effective strategies for evaluating strategic goals and adapting priorities as needed

Potential follow-up questions:

  • What approaches would you use to streamline and organize the billing process?
  • How do you collaborate with other facility leaders and staff when creating a budget?

3. How do you ensure compliance with state and federal regulations?

Nursing homes are tightly regulated by state and federal laws, and administrators must ensure that their practices reflect updated policies. Asking nursing home administrator interview questions like this allows you to evaluate whether candidates understand their responsibilities in enforcing appropriate guidelines.

What to listen for:

  • Understanding of key regulatory bodies, such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • Sound strategies for developing care protocols and training staff on compliance

Potential follow-up questions:

  • How do you stay informed about industry trends impacting nursing home administration?
  • What strategies do you use to ensure proper admission and transfer processes?

4. What initial actions would you take if you noticed that nurse turnover rates were increasing?

Understaffing is an ongoing problem impacting nursing homes nationwide, and administrators must be ready to handle staffing deficiencies effectively. As such, nursing home administrator job interview questions (and answers) should focus on key staffing issues like turnover.

What to listen for:

  • Thoughtful approach to reevaluating staffing strategies and identifying key issues
  • Ability to listen to staff concerns and use collaborative approaches to addressing causes of turnover

Potential follow-up questions:

  • What are your top strategies for retaining and motivating staff?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to take action because of poor staff performance.

5. Tell me about a new initiative you created that helped improve resident care and satisfaction.

Resident satisfaction is crucial to the successful management of a nursing home. As such, quality improvement should be addressed in at least one of your nursing home administratorinterview questions, and answers should demonstrate a candidate’s commitment to striving for excellence.

What to listen for:

  • Effective strategies for measuring and evaluating resident satisfaction and outcomes
  • Creative, thoughtful, and appropriate approaches to improving the resident experience

Potential follow-up questions:

  • How do you handle working with difficult families or residents?
  • How do you foster better communication among residents, families, and staff?

6. What strategies do you use to promote a positive and inclusive environment for staff and residents?

Administrators are responsible for making high-level decisions that strongly influence the culture of a workplace. Candidates should demonstrate a clear commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all types of staff and residents.

What to listen for:

  • Ability to balance the needs of residents and staff
  • Emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that reflect cultural competence

Potential follow-up questions:

  • What measures do you take to ensure the safety of your residents?
  • How do you ensure that clinical and non-clinical staff are working together effectively and respectfully?

7. What would you do if an ombudsman visited your facility to conduct an investigation?

A large part of being a good administrator is knowing how to handle complaints. This question can help you gauge whether candidates are able professionally handle criticism and effectively collaborate with outside stakeholders to resolve issues.

What to listen for:

  • Understanding of the state ombudsman program and how it serves residents/facilities
  • Ability to be respectful, professional, and transparent when handling complaints

Potential follow-up questions:

  • Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a sudden change in priorities.
  • How would you prepare your nursing home for crises and emergencies, like a pandemic?

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