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Job Interview Questions You Should Ask During Your Nursing Job Interview

Job interview questions you might like to ask during your nursing job interview are questions that show the employer your interest in nursing practice and in the working conditions at their facility.

It is almost certain that the interviewer will say to you:

"Do you have any questions you would like to ask?"

During your nurisng job interviewe the answers you give to the employer's questions are important, but the types of questions you ask are equally as important.

If you ask questions that show your interest in a quality practice environment the employer will know that you are a professional and that you have knowledge of nursing practice and the nursing profession in Canada.

Don't forget that everything you say and do in your interactions with your prospective employer are evidence of whether or not you are the nurse they want to hire.

Some questions you might ask are:

  • "What types of shifts are available?"

  • "What are the opportunities for ongoing education and professional development?"

  • "Under what structure is leadership provided to the floor nurses?"

  • "What is the typical nurse patient/ratio?"

  • "What is the nursing staff mix?"

  • "Are there any licensed practical nurses working on the units?

  • What is the length of orientation provided to new nurses?

Questions You Do Not Need to Ask

There is no need to discuss salary expectations. You may read other sources about how to discuss salary expectations, but for nursing jobs in Canada salary is set through the labor union collective agreement. It is perfectly acceptable to ask if the facility is "unionized". If the answer is yes there is no need to ask about wages.

Your placement on the labor union pay scale will be determined after the hiring decision is made. Employers must pay the wages specified in the collective agreement and must follow the union rules for determining your placement on the pay scale. These rules may vary from province to province.

If you do not receive the wages for the step on the pay scale you think is appropriate for your level of experience and responsibility then you will have the support of the nursing labor union to work that out with the employer once you start working.


canadian symbol Go from this article on Job Interview Questions to Job Interview Tips for Nursing Jobs in Canada.

You won't get an interview without a good nursing resume.


Current Nursing Shortage

Some provincial health authorities have decreased the number of nursing positions because of funding shortfalls. These are some of the political nuances of nursing in Canada.

The various career sections on health authority websites still show a wide variety of positions, but many of them are not entry level.

This is most likely a temporary situation and all predictions still forcast a nursing shortage for the future.

I will be monitoring this situation over the longer term.

A Canadian visitor says:

Bev:

I have read the pages on your site, and just thought you should know, that so far your website has been the most valuable information tool I have found. It is really hard to find the right information. I have just enrolled in a diploma program, RPN, and then I would like to follow through and get my degree.

Thank you again for your time, and for the great site, I am certainly going to pass it along.

Stephanie


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This website is a private commercial enterprise and is owned and operated by Beverly Hansen OMalley.

It is not in any way affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by the government of Canada or any nursing regulatory organization in Canada.

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