Top 7 Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Interview Questions to Ask

Psychiatric nurse practitioners are trained to assess, diagnose, treat, and consult patients with various mental health conditions. Since this is an advanced nursing role, these professionals must be strong communicators, problem-solvers, and leaders. If you’re looking to fill this position at your facility, asking thoughtful psychiatric nurse practitioner interview questions is key to finding the right person for your team.

To help you narrow down potential candidates, we’ve outlined seven of the top interview questions for psychiatric nurse practitioners and provide tips for evaluating your candidate’s answers. Find applicants to interview by preparing a well-written job description. Seeking real-time job market insights? You can also explore current psychiatric nurse practitioner job openings to learn what top traits other facilities are looking for.

Below you’ll find a free, downloadable psychiatric nurse practitioner evaluation form that can help you stay organized during your next round of interviews.

7 Interview Questions for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Candidates

Psychiatric nurse practitioners are responsible for making important clinical decisions, but they also must be comfortable coordinating care among multidisciplinary teams. Asking these seven interview questions will help you evaluate whether each candidate can meet the needs of this role.

1. What inspired you to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner?

Psychiatric nursing can be emotionally taxing, so it’s important to find candidates who are pursuing this specialty for the right reasons. This is one of the best psychiatric nurse practitioner interview questions to ask at the start of the interview. It invites candidates to more thoroughly introduce themselves and share their personal motivations for applying to the role.

What to listen for:

• Experiences that inspired candidate’s to pursue higher education/mental health care
• Strong values that reflect a desire to help patients with mental health conditions

Potential follow-up questions:

• What are your top three short-term goals as a psychiatric nurse practitioner?
• What are qualities that every psychiatric nurse practitioner should have?

2. Can you tell me about a time that you were able to successfully implement a treatment plan for a challenging patient case?

Psychiatric nurse practitioners often care for patients with complex mental health conditions, requiring strong problem-solving and clinical decision-making skills. This question evaluates how a candidate applies these skills in practice.

What to listen for:

• Ability to appropriately handle more stressful/complex patient cases
• Sound process for re-evaluating and adjusting care as needed

Potential follow-up questions:

• How do you balance pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy when creating care plans?
• What experience do you have with crisis-management?

3. Walk me through your process of collaborating with other psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health professionals.

Behavioral health teams are often composed of many different types of care providers. Asking psychiatric nurse practitioner interview questions like this can help you evaluate how a candidate would coordinate care and work with other mental health professionals.

What to listen for:

• Confidence in delegating and coordinating care among teams
• Ability to listen to and consider different points of view

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever disagreed with another member of your team about a patient’s treatment plan? If so, how did you handle it?
• What steps do you take to keep a patient’s family informed about their loved one’s care?

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

Some patients may struggle to adhere to their treatment plans or forget to take their medications. This question assesses how candidates would address situations like this and ensure that any roadblocks aren’t overlooked.

What to listen for:

• Ability to problem solve and reevaluate care plans when needed
• Willingness to listen to patient concerns and meet them where they are

Potential follow-up questions:

• How do you follow up with patients after prescribing treatment to ensure that they’re adhering to their care plans?
• Can you describe your process for educating patients about their care plans and confirming their understanding?

5. How do you keep up with the latest evidence-based practices in psychiatry?

Nurse practitioners play an important role in determining the best course of treatment for patients. As such, it’s crucial for them to stay informed and incorporate the best evidence-based practices into their work. This question can clue you into whether a candidate will make these efforts to meet the highest standards of care.

What to listen for:

• Good grasp of vetted resources and journals to draw evidence from
• Commitment to continuous learning and professional development

Potential follow-up questions:

• What are some new treatment approaches and technologies you’d like to learn?
• It’s becoming increasingly common to deliver mental health services remotely. How comfortable or familiar are you with providing care via telehealth?

6. How do you account for a patient’s cultural background when formulating their treatment plan?

Culture can largely impact how patients and families perceive and receive mental health care. Thus, cultural competence should be addressed in at least one of your psychiatric nurse practitioner interview questions — and answers should reflect a candidate’s ability to be cognizant of all different beliefs and backgrounds.

What to listen for:

• Respectful attitude toward diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds
• Ability to tailor care to a patient’s needs and preferences

Potential follow-up questions:

• What steps do you take to uphold a patient’s privacy and confidentiality?
• Why is building strong rapport with patients important in a psychiatric setting?

7. What steps do you take to reduce mental health stigma and promote a safe and welcoming environment?

Psychiatric nurse practitioners must also be strong advocates. Patients with mental illness often face stigma, discrimination, and other barriers to care. Thus, it’s important for candidates to foster an environment where their patients feel safe, heard, and included.

What to listen for:

• Emphasis on delivering non-judgmental and inclusive care
• Understanding of how to advocate for patient needs and build trust

Potential follow-up questions:

• What do you do to take care of your own mental health and manage stress?
• You notice that another member of the care team is being dismissive toward a patient. How would you advocate for this patient’s needs?

Find Top Nursing Professionals to Interview

Now that you have a solid list of psychiatric nurse practitioner interview questions, it’s time to put them into practice. Want to select from a wider pool of applicants? IntelyCare’s job board can help you reach a nationwide network of nursing professionals who are actively seeking work.