Sara began her education at the University of Southampton studying Adult and Pediatric Nursing. She qualified in 2016 and started her Master’s degree in 2019 specialising in Advanced Clinical Practice.
What did you like about this career path? I particularly enjoyed the variety of working with children and adults.
What does an Advanced Clinical Practitioner do? We have the ability to diagnose and treat a wide range of patients as well as prescribe the correct medication. We take the patient’s medical history, assess current symptoms and make a management plan based on that. Importantly, we also take into consideration any psychological and mental health matters.
What do you enjoy most about being an Advanced Clinical Practitioner? With this role, you get to know your patients, their background and more about them a lot. I also enjoy learning more about different conditions, treatments and diagnoses.
Where do you see your career progressing? Once I’ve completed my Master’s, I’d like to go back into working in A&E doing the same role. There’s much more scope in that kind of role to do so much more and of course more demanding. I would relish the challenge!
How important is uniform in your role? In my role as an ACP, we’re often doing lots of body assessments. This involves bending over and doing plenty of physical movements to diagnose and treat patients. I always look for uniform that is lightweight and comfortable to wear for work.
What do you like about W123 scrubs I love the W123 scrubs because they are so lightweight and the colours are lovely too.
I’m always getting compliments on what I’m wearing, often getting asked “Where are they from?”. There are loads of pockets too which is really handy to store all my bits and pieces.
Sara wears our lovely WonderWink W123 Stylized V-neck Top and the Flat Front Cargo Trousers in grape. We stock 5 colours in this style for immediate despatch however we have over 18 colours available for special order.
NURSE PRACTITIONER INTERVIEW TIPS
Interview Questions for possible Advanced Critical Care Practitioners
The Department of Health said that the advanced practitioner role was made up of 28 elements grouped into four themes;
The practitioner will, therefore, need knowledge of;
Advanced nurse practitioners must be aware that if they take on a role previously done by a doctor it should be done to the same or better standard
The international Council of nursing defines an advanced practitioner as ‘a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for advanced practice’.
So some of the questions that occur to me are:
What are the driving forces behind this new role?
They need to be aware of why the role is being developed, the European working Time directive, and modernising medical careers should be something they can reflect upon. Hopefully, they will comment on the junior doctors spending less time in the intensive care unit during their training and consequently the role of the critical care practitioner helps provide some consistency.
Jr doctors may complain that you will take away from their learning activities-how would you respond?
The best answer to this complaint from junior doctors is that yes, initially they will take away from their learning opportunities, however in the longer run, they will be there to help provide those learning opportunities. As the practitioner becomes competent themselves they can help in the teaching of the juniors when the registrar is otherwise engaged for example. They will also eventually be part of the formal teaching program for the junior doctors. So whilst they may take away from some learning opportunities this is only in the short term.
Why is Masters level education considered to be necessary for an advanced practitioner?
The candidates need to understand that they are expected to become diagnostic in their approach and also to understand how to be more critical in their own approach as well as developing the roles of others. This is something that is highly encouraged during Masters level education, and in their written work they will next be expected to be critical of current research and the methods that are being used. In the longer term they will be teaching at Masters level and hopefully producing pieces of research which will influence future practice. This process can only take place if they can show an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the current evidence base.
How will they cope with role uncertainty?
As this is a new role within your trust both they and their colleagues may initially be unsure as to what they are there for. They will fall between the cracks of medicine and nursing/whatever profession they come from and as a consequence, their role may be a little unclear initially. Have they given this some thought? Having spoken with any other practitioners currently working at this level to find out what their role entails and how they fit into their team? A positive answer to this question I think demonstrates that they have given it a lot of thought.
Becoming a practitioner with all the academic work involved is made even harder by being unsure of why you are there in the first place.
How will they establish a supportive team for when it becomes hard?
They need to be able to bond with their new trainee colleagues as quickly as possible. One of the most valuable resources support wise will be those people who are going through the same pains as themselves. It is highly likely they will be attending the same study days together, writing the same assignments and attending the same OSCEs.
Are they aware of the other practitioners out there working hard to create a community? Do they know the role of the National Association of Advanced Critical Care Practitioners? Do they know the role of FICM?
What do they think they can offer to the rest of the team? What difference will the advanced critical care practitioner make?
Here I would expect them to talk about;
One final question I have asked that many interviews and whose answers often surprise and disappointment me is ‘imagine we want you to learn a subject, but we cannot provide you with any time at work or any financial resources to access courses. What can you do to make this learning possible‘?
Certainly from my experience nurses struggle with this question as it never seems to occur to them that there are a whole world of resources out there from either libraries or indeed via the Internet. I am a great proponent of using the Internet to help one learn. To me, this question will give you some insight into whether the potential practitioners are expecting to be merely spoonfed all their learning or whether they are more ambitious and forward thinking and will go and find the information for themselves. Indeed hopefully, one day, they will provide that information for future practitioners to use.
Examine what questions to expect when you apply for a nurse practitioner position. Kathleen Walder, Monster contributor
Nurse practitioner jobs are one of the highest-paying jobs in healthcare, and theyre slated for tremendous growth. Patients are choosing to see NPs because theyre able to get appointments sooner and feel they get more time and personalized attention from NPs than from primary care doctors. Whether you interview for a job as an NP in a hospital, physicians office, or long-term care facility, youll be asked a series of nurse practitioner interview questions that will cover a wide range of topics to assess your effectiveness and commitment to the job.
Prepare for your NP interview by reading through Monsters list of common nurse practitioner interview questions and answers.
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That is weird, maybe it was a test to see how you responded under pressure
Im not sure who you are but my interview with the CIA was very disappointing and upsetting. I felt the interviewer was very biased toward me because everything related back to me being in the military and things that she didnt necessarily like about the military. There were comments made about military individuals having the wrong perception of the job with the CIA. She went on to verify that I knew the job was entry level. I knew when I left the interview I was not going to get hired. The lady made me feel horrible because of my background which is very strong especially my experience and my potential…I thought maybe there was some intimidation..I informed her I knew what I applied for…maybe she thought I was going to try to take her job.. It was interesting…Im not sure military veterans have a chance Less
How to Answer Nurse Practitioner Interview Questions
So, how do you make sure your “hire me” campaign is a success? By knowing how to answer the nurse practitioner interview questions better than your competition, that’s how.
We can hear you now. That’s easier said than done, right? Wrong. Nailing your interview isn’t inherently difficult. It’s only challenging if you don’t prepare in the proper way.
Think of it this way; you dedicated a lot of time, energy, brainpower, and maybe even some tears to becoming a nurse practitioner. Why does that matter? Because it means you aren’t afraid of a little work.
Dust off your research cap. It’s time to dig in.
First, if you want to shine during your nurse practitioner interview, you need to figure out what you’ll need to talk about. How do you do that? By reviewing the job description.
In the job description, you can learn about the skills and qualities the company values. Usually, nurse practitioners need a range of hard skills that focus on healthcare, and those will easily make the must-have list. Plus, you might find hints about soft skills – like communication, collaboration, and empathy – that are crucial in the eyes of the hospital, clinic, or facility.
The goal is to find out about these priorities. If it’s on the must-have list, it counts. If you see the same word or phrase over and over, it counts, too. Those are clues about what the hiring manager considers important. So, you need to be ready to talk about your capabilities in those areas.
But there’s more to the equation. If you really want to stand out, head to the facility’s website and find the mission and values statements. This is another area that’s chocked full of hints about what the hiring manager wants to see, so you want to work these details into your answers, too.
Alright, you know what to talk about, but there’s something you still don’t know; how to talk about them. If you’re asked traditional interview questions, it’s pretty easy to pick an approach. You just have to be straightforward, talking about your related capabilities.
But, if you’re facing behavioral interview questions, things aren’t so cut and dry. Here, you need to create a compelling answer that outlines your capabilities in highly relevant ways.
Luckily, this can be amazingly simple. In fact, we’ve discussed the two main components you need to answer this kind of nurse practitioner interview questions: the STAR method and the Tailoring Method. Together, these approaches let you create highly engaging answers that are incredibly relevant to the position. Not only will your responses be more interesting, but they’ll be better at demonstrating your value, as well.
We also wanted to let you know that we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview. After all, hiring managers will often ask you more generalized interview questions along with their Lowe’s specific questions!
Click below to get your free PDF now:
FAQ
What are the 4 pillars of advanced clinical practice?
How do I prepare for an advanced nurse practitioner interview?
- Remember this is often your first impression, and it matters. …
- Tailor your answer to the role and company. …
- Know your audience. …
- Keep it professional. …
- But speak with passion. …
- Don’t ramble. …
- Practice, practice, practice—but stop short of memorizing. …
- Keep it positive.
What makes you a good fit for this nurse practitioner position?
- Research the site and the people you’re going to meet.
- Don’t underestimate the power of a first impression.
- Remember to ask some questions yourself.
- Update and review your resume.
- Keep your application in mind.
- Check the job description again before going in.
