Top 7 Nursing Supervisor Interview Questions to Ask
Nursing supervisors are vital members of the care team. In addition to overseeing nursing care and workflow across an entire unit, they serve as important liaisons between nursing staff and other hospital departments. When hiring for this role, asking thoughtful nursing supervisor interview questions is key to finding someone who can effectively carry out these responsibilities.
To help you narrow down potential candidates, we’ve outlined seven of the top interview questions for nursing supervisors and tips for evaluating candidates’ answers. Need help finding applicants to interview? Start by preparing a well-written and targeted job description. You can also explore current nursing supervisor job openings and learn what top traits other facilities are looking for.
Below you’ll find a downloadable nursing supervisor evaluation form that can help guide you through your next round of interviews.
Interview Questions for Nursing Supervisor Candidates
Strong nurse leaders are highly adept at mentoring teams, communicating with a range of stakeholders, and resolving problems efficiently. These seven nurse supervisor interview questions will help you assess these key qualities.
1. What makes you the best nursing supervisor for our team?
Asking this question at the start of the interview allows candidates to provide a more personalized elevator pitch of their qualifications. This is a great way to lead into the rest of the interview, also allowing you to assess a candidate’s communication skills as they articulate their skills in relation to the role.
What to listen for:
- Genuine passion for leading teams and promoting optimal nursing care
- Confidence in translating past work experiences to the nursing supervisor role
Potential follow-up questions:
- What do you hope to gain out of this position?
- How have your past clinical experiences prepared you for this role?
2. What factors do you consider when creating patient assignments?
Nursing supervisors are often the ones responsible for assigning patients to staff. So, they must be highly attuned to each patient’s condition and any other work-related demands that staff are facing. This is one of the best nursing supervisor interview questions to ask if you want to evaluate a candidate’s general approach to creating patient assignments.
What to listen for:
- Understanding of how to balance the needs of both patients and staff
- Ability to account for staff input/feedback when creating assignments
Potential follow-up questions:
- What steps do you take to promote a culture of safety on the floor?
- How do you encourage self-care and advocate for the mental health of your nurses?
3. How comfortable are you with providing direct patient care when necessary?
Staff often turn to their supervisor for help when they’re struggling with difficult care tasks. You should touch on clinical duties in at least one of your nursing supervisor interview questions, and answers should reflect a candidate’s willingness to provide bedside assistance when needed.
What to listen for:
- Willingness to providing hands-on care to help both staff and patients
- Understanding the importance of being a team player, even as a leader
Potential follow-up questions:
- How do you balance administrative and clinical priorities?
- Tell me about a time you had to work through an emergency situation.
4. Tell me about a time when you contributed to a policy development that helped improve patient care.
Continuous quality improvement is crucial to the success of any unit, and nursing supervisors must implement policies to support these efforts. This question invites a candidate to draw from their past experiences in policy development, allowing you to get a better sense of their approach to improving care.
What to listen for:
- Past example of impactful contribution to a policy change
- Sound process for identifying problems, engaging in solutions, and evaluating outcomes
Potential follow-up questions:
- How do you keep up with the latest evidence-based practices in nursing?
- What would you do if a public health emergency caused supplies to run low on the unit?
5. What would you do to help resolve a conflict between two nurses on your team?
Conflict resolution is a critical skill for any type of healthcare supervisor. Interview questions like this assess a candidate’s ability to guide teams through conflicts and whether they can address these situations professionally and objectively.
What to listen for:
- Understanding the importance of having difficult conversations with staff when necessary
- Ability to set aside personal biases and treat all staff fairly
Potential follow-up questions:
- What would you do if a family member was angry about the care a patient received?
- What would you do if a nurse was refusing to listen to your direction?
6. Tell me about a time you had to manage patient assignments when your unit was short-staffed.
Short-staffing is one of the most pressing issues affecting healthcare facilities. Asking nursing supervisor interview questions like this allows you to evaluate how a candidate applies their problem-solving skills to a real-world and likely scenario.
What to listen for:
- Ability to stay calm and make good decisions under pressure
- Effective approach to problem-solving and utilizing facility resources (e.g., float pools)
Potential follow-up questions:
- What do you think are the biggest issues impacting the nursing industry today?
- How do you advocate for your team when relaying issues to higher management?
7. If a nurse on the floor was underperforming, what would you do?
Nursing supervisors play a key role in evaluating staff, so it’s important to gauge how candidates might handle staff performance issues. Candidates should be prepared to have difficult conversations and understand how to motivate staff to improve their skills.
What to listen for:
- Ability to objectively recognize staff performance issues and have productive conversations
- Collaborative approach to addressing individual hurdles and helping staff meet obtainable goals
Potential follow-up questions:
- How do you encourage and motivate your staff to continuously improve their skills?
- How do you train new nurses versus seasoned nurses?
Find Top Nursing Candidates to Interview
Tired of asking your nursing supervisor interview questions to underprepared candidates? IntelyCare can connect you to the right people faster. Post to our job board today and reach a nationwide network of nursing professionals who are motivated to advance their careers.