Children's Mercy Hospital Director of Nursing Interview

Interview Details – This was about the 5th position I had interviewed for after leaving the company and returning 6 years later. It was very frustrating to not get interviews for positions that weren't in management or administration; because that is what I did previously, there was an assumption that they knew better than I did what job would suit me best.

I first interviewed with HR and then was scheduled to interview with all the "stakeholders" in the department; I had a series of about 6 interviews over a period of 6 - 7 hours. I knew some of the people conducting the interviews from previously; others I had never met. There were people on the interview schedule that really did not have any business being asked to give their opinion on whether I was right for the job. I interviewed with a group of nurse who would be reporting to me should I get the position. They were not well prepared for the interview and for the most part wanted to know if I would be an advocate for nursing. Physicians are also notoriously poor interviewers and asked very few meaningful questions. I was warned by my boss that if I accepted the position, I would be "cleaning up a mess." A mess was an understatement! I live in Kansas City, so the interview did not involve travel, etc.

As a hiring manager, I can speak briefly to the process for out of town applicants. Providers, whether they are APRNs or physicians, are flown in all expenses paid including air fare, hotel right across from the hospital, meals and transportation to and from the hospital. The interview day (for APRNs) or days (for MDs) are full-days with interviews with multiple individuals and usually one group interview. You are usually taken out to dinner at one of the top restaurants in the city. The relocation package for this group is very good, including a tour of the city to see where you might want to live and assistance finding a Realtor, etc .

Questions vary greatly depending on the department you are interviewing with, but there are usually a lot of behavioral questions, as well as questions that attempt to get your experience in dealing with key aspects of your job as well as your clinical skills and knowledge base.

HR does a very thorough job of discussing benefits and providing written information to review afterwards. There is an opportunity to negotiate salary; most other aspects of the benefit package are non-negotiable.

Negotiation Details – Don't be shy in negotiating your salary; you won't have that opportunity again!