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Career Planning

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Preparing for Your Interview

Questions to Ask Specific Roles

Your interview day will likely be a combination of individual one on one interviews as well as panel interviews.

Ideally you will be meeting with medical leadership, practice partners, nursing leadership, front line staff, sub-specialists, administration, and human resources personnel, each of whom can offer a valuable perspective.  

Your interview day will likely be a combination of individual one on one interviews as well as panel interviews.

Ideally you will be meeting with medical leadership, practice partners, nursing leadership, front line staff, sub-specialists, administration, and human resources personnel, each of whom can offer a valuable perspective.  

Therefore, you should tailor your questions to the various interviewers based on position, title and clinical role or experience. 

Questions for Specific Roles

Here are a few sample question sets to consider for specific roles you will likely encounter during your onsite interview as well as a list of questions you should ask everyone.

      • How long have you been in this leadership position?
      • Do you still see patients?
      • If so, what is your clinical schedule like?
      • How often do you meet with the providers as a group? In 1:1 sessions?
      • If a job here was offered and accepted, how would you and I meet regularly?
      • How would you prefer I communicate challenges or issues with you, if encountered?
      • How can I receive feedback from you?
      • How do you prefer that group members address any disagreements with you, if encountered?
      • Are leaders compensated fairly for administrative duties?
      • Are providers who are interested in future leadership offered any formal physician leadership or practice management training?
      • What are the most important values of the program?
      • What do you think are the program’s strengths/weaknesses?
      • Why did you decide to work here?
      • What is the call rotation like?
      • What staff do you have to support call nights?
      • What are the calls and admission volume like during night call?
      • Is there any variation in quality of staff across the different hospitals?
      • Do you find the ability to cover the various hospitals easy or difficult?
      • What is the sign-out process like?
      • Do you feel like you get the information needed?
      • How is continuity of care managed?
      • Do pediatricians or family medicine docs admit their own patients in the NICU?
      • If so, how does cross-coverage or requested consults work?
      • What is it like to work with the EMR?
      • How is the patient information or plan of care charted?
      • Do you use problem and medication lists, flow sheets or other reminder forms?
      • Are you able to follow the other clinical staff notes well?
      • What are the weaknesses of your current charting system?
      • Are there inefficiencies to deal with in the charting or administrative aspects of care?
      • How would you describe your level of independence?
      • What is the performance feedback process like?
      • Do you receive feedback or education on billing and coding?
      • How would you describe the nursing staff? NNPs?
      • What is your relationship like with the staff?
      • How well do you work with the practice leader?
      • Is the practice leader responsive to group requests for changes?
      • Are you satisfied with the current compensation package?
      • Do organizational decisions ever impact your ability to care for patients?
      • Do you feel the organization supports the NICU and the group’s patient care needs?
      • What is it like to work with the EMR from the nursing perspective?
      • How is the patient information or plan of care charted?
      • Would you describe the patient charts as well organized?
      • What are the weaknesses of your current charting system?
      • Are there inefficiencies to deal with in the charting or administrative aspects of care?
      • Is the computer system easy to learn? Easy to use?
      • How often does the computer system have problems?
      • Is it difficult to get equipment replaced or to get new equipment when needed?
      • How would you describe the nurses’ relationship with providers? NNPs?
      • Do you feel that physicians quickly and effectively address concerns when needed?
      • How would you describe the organizational support for the NICU and patient care?
      • What type of clinical education do you do regularly?
      • Do you go to any conferences?
      • What kind of quality improvement projects are you involved in?
      • What is the rounding like during the day/night shifts?
      • Does nursing staff have the support they need during night shifts?
      • Are there staffing issues or nursing shortages?
      • How many nursing jobs do you have open requisitions for right now?
      • What is it like to work with the EMR?
      • How is the patient information or plan of care charted?
      • Would you describe the patient charts as well organized?
      • What are the weaknesses of your current charting system?
      • Are there inefficiencies to deal with in the charting or administrative aspects of care?
      • Is the computer system easy to learn? Easy to use?
      • How often does the computer system have problems?
      • Is it difficult to get equipment replaced or to get new equipment when needed?
      • How would you describe the therapist’s relationship with providers? NNPs?
      • Do you feel that physicians quickly and effectively address concerns when needed?
      • How would you describe the organizational support for the NICU and patient care?
      • What type of clinical education do you do regularly?
      • Do you go to any conferences?
      • What kind of quality improvement projects are you involved in?
      • What is the rounding like during the day/night shifts?
      • Do you have the support you need during night shifts?
      • Are there staffing issues or staff shortages?
      • How many therapist or ancillary staff jobs do you have open requisitions for right now?
      • How long have you worked here?
      • What do you like best about working for this organization?
      • What do you like the least?
      • What do you do for fun?
      • What are the strengths of the group here?
      • What are some challenges the group faces here?
      • What would you like to see changed?
      • Are there any things you have wanted to change for a long time?
      • How would you describe the general culture in the NICU?
      • Do you see high levels of collaboration across interdisciplinary teams?
      • What are typical sources of conflict across various teams?
      • How much turnover has occurred during the past 12 months?
      • Why have people left?
      • Have you ever considered leaving?
      • Do you think the group strikes a balance between their work and personal lives?
      • What activities or hobbies does the group enjoy outside of work?
      • What do you like about the local community?