Operating Room Nurse Interview Questions

What are common Operating Room Nurse Interview Questions? Today we’ll be going over some common interview questions for OR nurses, and what you need to ace your interview.

Also check out How to Get a Job in the ICU as a New Grad Nurse!

Along with good interview questions to practice and go over, we’ll also be talking about some interview skills. How to prepare for a nursing interview? What is the STAR interview method? And, other common questions from newer nurses.

While it can be scary interviewing for a new job position, it is important to remember a few common tips.

• Practice makes perfect.
• They want to hire you, make them want it more.
• Pretend like you are talking to a friend.
• Just have a talking conversation.

What Experience Do You Need to Be an Operating Room Nurse?

Typically a lot of surgery centers or hospitals might require 1 year of medical-surgical nursing experience prior to coming to the operating room. However, there are many hospitals that do not require any previous experience and will hire new grad nurses.

While it can be useful to have experience from school (either as a shadowing experience or clinical rotation) it isn’t necessary. Most hospitals will have a fairly comprehensive training program lasting from 6-12 months. This training program will go over surgical instruments, processing, circulating responsibilities and other required learning for the operating room. It can be thought of as almost a mini-degree or certification because there is so much to learn.

What is the STAR Interview Method?

The STAR Interview Method is a common technique you can use to prepare for behavioral and situation interview questions. It stands for: situation, task, action and result (source). The STAR Method’s goal is to help you create an easy-to-follow story with a clear conflict and resolution. You can read more about how it works here.

The STAR Method is great for nurse interview questions due to it’s clear storytelling ability. Additionally, you are able to directly convert a situation or conflict into a resolution with an obvious path.

Operating Room Nurse Interview Questions & Tips

What Are the Roles for an Operating Room Nurse?

This was an actual question I had been asked in a phone interview. The hiring department wanted to know if I knew what both roles of the nurse were, and what was expected in each role. You can read more about what roles operating room nurses have in our article.

What is Your Previous Experience with Surgery or Operating Rooms?

A typical question you should expect from any hiring manager would be related to your previous experience. They might not necessarily be looking for actual experience, but more seeing if you can handle the day-to-day life in a procedural setting.

Obviously, you will be dealing with a lot of blood, body fluids and open surgical sites, so you have to have the stomach for it. There are a lot of people that cannot deal with that everyday and the managers will definitely try to feel that out.

Why Do You Want to Be an Operating Room Nurse?

A common question for managers to ask would be “why do you want to work in this area or service?“. They want to know just why you pick the operating room over more typical nursing floors or any other areas of work. If you have a powerful story or impactful moment that swayed your decision, you should bring it up in the interview.

Do You Like Working in a Team?

The operating room is filled with a massive emphasis on teamwork. You will be working with anesthesia, the surgical team, and other members of various specialties. It is vital that you are not only willing to work on a team, but work well on a team.

How Do You Work With & Deal With Certain Personalities?

Similar to working on a team, the operating room has a lot of different personalities. You can see some individuals potential loose their temper or get rather upset. It is important to not only the manager, but for yourself to evaluate how you handle these situations. And, additionally, important to reflect on previous experiences. Remember that if you have a bad day, you typically won’t be able to get out of that room for a while, so it can eat away at some people.

Nurse Interview Practice Questions