Top 7 Urgent Care Nurse Interview Questions to Ask
Urgent care nurses provide first-line treatments to patients with minor illnesses or injuries. These experienced and specialized nurses are in high demand, which means finding a qualified professional for your open position can be challenging and time consuming.
Asking job candidates the right urgent care nurse interview questions is the first step to filling your vacancy. To help you get started, we’ll review seven example interview questions — and answers to listen for — so that you can choose the right candidate for your organization.
If you’re interested in more insights to help you connect with today’s nursing professionals, see how other organizations are reaching out to candidates by reviewing the Urgent Care Nurse positions currently on our job board.
Urgent Care Nurse Interview Questions and Answers
Patients often present to urgent care facilities with issues like broken bones, respiratory infections, burns, and cuts. They seek quick and efficient treatments to get them back to normal. Nurses who care for these patients often require years of clinical experience and need to be familiar with the signs and symptoms of a variety of illnesses and conditions.
How can hiring managers ensure that the nurse they hire has what it takes? These seven urgent care interview questions and answers can help you get a better understanding of a nurse’s passion, drive, and clinical experience so that you’re well informed when making your candidate selection.
1. What made you interested in urgent care nursing?
Most nursing interviews will start off with an introductory question to better understand a nurse’s personal and professional background. While it seems basic and generic, open-ended questions like this one reveal key clinical experiences and personality traits necessary for success in urgent care nursing.
Tip: After responding to the nurse candidate’s answer, provide an introduction to the position and the role of urgent care nurses at your facility. Highlighting key perks of working at your organization can excite and motivate nurses to pursue a career with your team.
It’s important to remember that you’re not the only one collecting information — interviewees are just as interested to hear what you have to say. Nurses are highly sought after and want to partner with organizations that support their personal, financial, and professional goals. Show them that you prioritize workplace wellness and strive to help them develop their careers.
2. Can you describe three attributes of a high-quality urgent care team?
Shifts in urgent care centers are fast-paced and unpredictable, and teamwork is necessary to ensure safe patient care. A strong response would describe collaborative skills and qualities like:
- Multidisciplinary communication
- Delegation skills and a willingness to ask for help
- Standardized nursing handover practices
- Post-crisis debrief procedures
- Trust, honesty, and openness
Tip: Not all nurse candidates will have experience working in an urgent care facility, but all nurses have been part of a team. Encouraging interviewees to share stories of when they’ve contributed to effective teamwork during their career can help highlight relevant skills and build rapport during an interview.
3. How would you educate a patient who is unwilling to follow the recommended treatment regimen?
A single urgent care clinic can treat hundreds of patients of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds each week. This urgent care nurse interview question should reveal a nurse’s patience, compassion, and communication skills.
Candidates may mention tailoring education and teaching to each individual’s needs and preferences. Understanding why patients are noncompliant with medical guidance is the first step to improving patient outcomes.
Tip: It’s important to take note of a nurse’s tone of voice when they answer this question. Some caregivers may respond with frustration or disdain when discussing challenging patients. Nurses who are compassionate and empathetic understand that there are many barriers to following treatment plans, and are able to address these situations with optimism and patience.
4. Describe your experience triaging patients during or after a community accident.
Now, we dive into more challenging urgent care nurse interview questions that reveal a candidate’s preparedness and expertise. Here, assess a nurse’s skills in time management, prioritization, and critical thinking. Nursing interview questions — and answers candidates may give — can help facility managers determine whether the interviewee is the right person for the job.
A confident and experienced nurse will discuss categorizing patients according to injury severity and prioritizing treatment for those with life-threatening injuries most likely to survive.
Nurses with emergency room, patient transport, and rapid response experience have all participated in patient triage. This question allows nurses who haven’t worked in urgent care to show off their skills and abilities.
Tip: Ask in-depth urgent care nurse interview questions like these after setting a calm and respectful interview tone. Doing so can encourage nurses to share honestly and openly. Starting with a difficult or complex question can seem abrasive and may turn nurse candidates away.
5. What would you do if you noticed signs of abuse or neglect during a patient assessment?
Studies reveal that 88% of patients suffering trauma or neglect came in contact with a healthcare provider during their mistreatment. While some patients may not be willing to disclose abuse directly, offering trauma-informed care is essential to providing high-quality urgent care.
Nurses are mandatory reporters of abuse, which means they’re required by law to notify law enforcement when mistreatment or abuse is suspected or confirmed. However, it’s important that nurses approach these issues with a sensitive and caring manner to gain the trust of patients looking for care. Nurses may discuss providing patients with housing, food, and transportation resources to help them on their journey to safety and wellness.
Tip: Urgent care nurse interview questions like these may be uncomfortable to answer for job candidates. While it is a part of the job, it’s important to use discretion and be mindful of the sensitivity of the topic for some who may have experienced or witnessed abuse.
6. Have you previously served in any leadership roles?
Leadership qualities are desired in professionals of all clinical specialties. Nurses who are dedicated to process improvement, mentorship, and clinical excellence often step up for leadership roles — these are the clinicians you want on your team.
Tip: Don’t disqualify candidates who might not have the specific experience you’re looking for. Nursing leadership can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, and isn’t limited to roles like “charge nurse” or “team leader.” Listen for answers that highlight a nurse’s ambition and dedication to improving patient health outcomes, such as:
- Developing unit-based training on evidence-based practices.
- Chairing hospital-wide council meetings.
- Mentoring or precepting new graduate nurses.
- Presenting a facility project at a nursing conference or symposium.
- Representing their organization at community outreach events.
7. How do you care for yourself after a long shift?
Nurse burnout is a major concern for facility leaders, and evidence suggests that the key to healthcare employee retention and satisfaction is work-life balance. Nurses may mention their healthy coping strategies for physical and emotional stress or may give insight into things that motivate them outside of work.
Ending with this question lets you finish on a lighthearted tone, giving your nurse candidates an opportunity to have a bit of fun! Show them that you want to get to know them as a full person, not just for what they can provide to your patients and facility.
Tip: This question provides a great opportunity for hiring managers to describe any workplace wellness perks their facility may offer. For example, if a nurse answers that they enjoy exercising after work, the interviewer could mention employee discounts on local gym memberships. If the interviewing nurse mentions that they like to hike, promote your facility’s staff hiking club to excite them about joining your team.
Need to Find High-Quality Nursing Professionals Today?
It’s important to ask well-structured urgent care nurse interview questions when hiring healthcare professionals for that role. Sometimes, attracting the right candidates is the toughest part. Save yourself time and effort by posting your open nursing positions on our job board — we can help you reach a wide array of top-tier candidates when you need them most.