9 common paediatric nursing interview questions and answers

For many, nursing is a vocation. Before any interview, think about how you can showcase your passion and dedication.

Whether your personal history inspired you to work with children or you discovered a natural affinity during your training, give thought as to why the role is important to you. If there was a specific moment when your ambition to become a paediatric nurse clicked, remember to share it in your interview – your enthusiasm will always be a great selling point.

Before an interview, reflect on the qualities you possess that make you a great paediatric nurse. These may include compassion, patience and being a good communicator. Make note of scenarios from your previous roles that demonstrate these qualities and think about how the attributes will be beneficial within the role that you are interviewing for.

If you’re then asked about your qualities in an interview, you’ll have all the information you need to answer right at your fingertips, allowing you to respond in a strong and compelling way.

Within a paediatric nurse interview, you will often be given an example scenario to talk through how you would respond if it was to arise. This allows employers to get a good idea of how you’d manage situations that could potentially occur in the role.

When answering these types of questions, select instances from your previous jobs that show how you have effectively managed similar situations before.

For example, when answering the question above, you could talk about a time you handled a refusal compassionately, where you sought to understand and calm the worries of the young person. It would then be valuable to discuss how you worked with the family/guardians so they could support the young person in feeling comfortable with the proposed course of medical treatments.

Communication is perhaps one of the most important skills for a paediatric nurse to possess.

Within any paediatric nursing role, not only are you required to share and discuss important health information clearly and objectively with adult family members but also with children and young people with different levels of understanding of their medical circumstances.

When answering paediatric nurse interview questions, be sure to showcase your strong verbal and non-verbal communication skills. If you are asked the question above, consider how you would undertake this process step by step. You may explain how you would build a rapport with the client, use informative language, avoid jargon and be compassionate when delivering sensitive information. And as we’ve mentioned before, think about how you’ve done this in the past and give examples of how your strong communication skills have been valuable in your previous roles.

Managing conflict is an important part of any role and can be heightened in a clinical setting. When preparing for questions about conflict management, make note of scenarios that show how you’ve successfully handled stressful situations previously, what actions you took to address the challenges and the outcomes that supported conflict resolution.

These types of questions allow you to demonstrate your passion for paediatric nursing in general as well as for the role you are applying for.

Understanding what we do at TCS is the first step towards a successful interview. Conducting thorough research on your potential employer can be very beneficial, but always be authentic in your praise. Also, be specific as to why a role interests you on a personal level.

You will have gained valuable lessons during your time in your current role. When preparing for questions like this, reflect on these lessons and think about what you hope to gain in your next opportunity.

Whenever mentioning past employers in interviews, avoid portraying them in a negative light, even if the truth is less flattering. Be honest but try and view the situation with a positive lens.

These types of questions help employers to assess your self-awareness, your personality and how you might be received by the wider team.

Before an interview, spend some time brainstorming your strengths and reflect on any praise you’ve received from superiors and colleagues in the past. That way, when asked about your characteristics in an interview, you can not only showcase them but also provide evidence as validation.

You will often be asked about challenging situations you have dealt with in the past or may have to deal with in the role you are applying for. These interview questions are often asked as employers want to understand how you would manage challenges and what action you would take to ease and remedy them.

Before an interview, think about what you find challenging and what makes you resilient in the face of those challenges. For example, you might acknowledge how paediatric nursing can be a highly emotive environment. You may then share how you manage associated pressures through practising self-care.