5 Common Medical Surgery Nurse Interview Questions & Answers

Kellie Hanna, CPRW
By Kellie Hanna, CPRW, Career Advice Expert Last Updated: April 14, 2022

Our customers have been hired at: *Foot Note

Finding a job in the nursing industry can be quite the hassle, even for experienced employees. After you’ve created your outstanding resume and a cover letter geared towards making you the best candidate on paper, it’s time to concentrate on your upcoming face-to-face interview. These meetings are integral to the hiring process because they give potential employers the opportunity to evaluate your professional skills in person, as well as gather information regarding your behaviors when on the job, how you might approach situations that are likely to arise on the job, and many other details that will impact their decision on offering you the position. With so much hanging in the balance, it’s imperative that you prepare for the interview beforehand. While you may already be familiar with some of the more general interview questions, such as, “Why should we hire you?” you should also be prepared to answer some more specific medical surgery nurse interview questions throughout the process to ensure hiring managers that you’re prepared for this line of work.

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5 Medical Surgery Nurse Interview Questions & Answers

In this line of work, you'll oftentimes be working with patients and their confidential information. How will you maintain this bond of trust with your patients and their families?

First and foremost, I’ll always remain up-to-date with the most recent laws regarding confidentiality in the medical field, and I assure patients and their families that I always adhere to the governing laws in this regard. This will help maintain the trust that’s necessary for me to treat my patients to the best of my ability while I’m on the job. During my previous position, I was asked by someone who wasn’t a patient’s family for some rather sensitive information regarding the medical condition and current status. I approached the individual respectfully and told him that I could not, unfortunately, release such information due to our company’s privacy policies. I take pride in my work, and always keep both my patients’ physical comfort and emotional as well as mental security in mind.

When you're performing as a medical surgery nurse, there's little room for error when you're on the floor. How will you work to minimize the potential for mistakes occurring on the job?

I’m aware that your hospital already has a rigid set of standards and procedures designed to prevent accidents and errors from occurring. After having briefly reviewed some of these standards, I’d say that studying these procedures throughout every aspect of my workday is just what’s needed to successfully minimize the number of errors that can be made. While I’m sure you’ve covered all your bases, I’m always up for creating a new standard and course of action for any situations that haven’t already been carefully handled by your contingencies.

Have you ever had a job in customer service?

I have never had a job in customer service per se, but I have worked in the medical industry before, and have therefore had a lot of contact with the public. I worked in trauma, meaning I’ve seen people at their best and worst and learned to handle almost any situation with a clear head while treating patients and their families with the respect they deserve, particularly in their time of crisis.

This job might have you tackling several different tasks at once. How do you prioritize?

I always handle the most urgent patient business first. While I appreciate the importance of getting everything done at the end of the day, there are simply some things that can’t wait, particularly in this field. I tend to work steadily through my workload, but am always flexible enough to deviate from my pace if the situation requires it.

How would you rate your organizational skills?

Overall, I’m a very organized person, particularly at work. I consider staying organized both at the desk and away from it to be a critical part of doing an excellent job in any line of work. Planners, sticky notes and folders are all a part of my normal workday organization, and they all play a part in helping me to ensure that I don’t let a single patient detail slip through the cracks while I’m taking care of my many workday duties.

Using these medical surgery nurse interview questions and reviewing the sample answers can help you to make a better impression during your upcoming interview and increase your chances of landing the job.

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5 Common Medical Surgery Nurse Interview Questions & Answers

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