Screening and hiring nurse practitioners is hard. These professionals are what Peter Drucker called the “knowledge worker,”. Knowledge workers are “high-level workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal training.”

Nurse practitioners certainly qualify as “high-level workers,” having received extensive clinical training they apply in their work. For the average human resource manager, it can be hard to know the best questions to ask to determine the skill set of even the most inexperienced NP.

This article will help you understand the best questions – and right answers – for interviewing a nurse practitioner candidate.

NP Interviewing Cheat Sheet

While a list of general questions related to a candidate’s history can apply to any type of job applicant, NPs have specific skills that require medical knowledge coupled with an understanding of regulatory rules. A good nurse practitioner will combine training with common sense to be more effective.

Here are five key questions and the responses you should look for when interviewing a nurse practitioner.

What is the most difficult thing about being a nurse practitioner?

Look for a candidate that expresses candor related to their job experiences. A career in this field is challenging, and the job stresses can have a negative impact on the NP’s quality of life. How did the candidate overcome these challenges? What did they learn?

How have you improved the lives of the patients you care for?

Look for Nurse Practitioners who appear not only clinically competent, but who offer compassion and caring to their patients. The ideal candidate will share how they forged a unique patient bond or went above the call of duty to help those in need. The best NPs remain focused on creating a higher standard of care and caring for their patients.

How do you handle disagreements with physicians related to a patient’s treatment plan?

Even the best nurse practitioner has a run-in occasionally with a physician. A good nurse practitioner should be a strong collaborator while still being devoted to their patient.

How do you handle a patient who is not responding to current medication dosages, still experiences pain, and asks for more than the recommended amount?

Pain management is an important part of the NP’s role. There will be times when the allowable medication dosage simply will not handle 100 percent of the patient’s pain. The NP must have high prescribing standards and good communication skills to discuss the medication limits with patients. How did they handle these stressful situations and what was the outcome?

Have you ever seen unethical behavior in clinical staff and if so, how did you handle it?

Ethics are an important part of any workplace, but particularly so in the healthcare field. This is a strong question for gauging the moral compass of the NP. How did they safeguard their patient while resolving these conflicts?

Hiring the Right Nurse Practitioner

National Recruiters has a team skilled in all the variances required to source and place knowledge workers like nurse practitioners. Our experienced team is standing by with the resources you need to handle your caseload. Contact our healthcare recruiters today!