In the summer of 2020—in addition to being faced with a pandemic—our Nursing Professional Development (NPD) department was dealing with several NPD practitioner vacancies. When interviewing for these positions, the department used an interview feedback sheet to rate the candidates in several areas on a 1–5 scale. There was neither structure to conducting the interviews nor standard interview questions. In contrast, standardized interview questions and templates were used for other roles, including nurse residents, staff nurses, and nurse managers, but the existing templates did not incorporate key aspects of the NPD practitioner role.

Two experienced NPD practitioners partnered to improve the interview process. They looked at the position description for the role and determined what competencies needed to be assessed in the interview. The NPD practitioners used the Nursing Professional Development Scope & Standards of Practice and the NPD Practice Model to identify key components of the role. The goal was to create a structured interview template so that all applicants would be asked the same questions specific to their roles. Standardizing this process would create a fair and objective opportunity when comparing candidates.

The tool created (shown below) is separated into eight categories upon which the candidate is rated. There are additional areas for free text to summarize the candidate’s strengths and areas of improvement. Each category has at least one required question that should be asked of all candidates, along with several other optional questions that can be asked depending on the candidate’s resume and previous answers, or the interviewer’s preference. There is a space to take notes for each category, and a simple rating scale with descriptors. Most of the questions included are behavioral-based questions, beginning with “Tell us about a time when….” or “Give an example of…”

The department began using the new interview tool in December 2020 and has since used the tool six times in a panel-like format. In addition to redesigning the interview feedback tool, a component was added to the interview asking each candidate to demonstrate teaching a 10-minute session about any topic. This demonstration allowed the NPD practitioners to see their teaching style and engagement strategies. One NPD practitioner identified that this was very helpful to see how well the candidates prepared, how they spoke in front of the group, and whether they incorporated activities for engagement.

Using this consistent tool allows the department director to see each NPD practitioner’s specific feedback with the ability to average scores to compare candidates. The director reflected on her experience using the new tool and felt it was straightforward when evaluating the overall quality of the candidate using the scale of “Do not recommend,” “Potential,” and “Recommend.” She also felt it was very easy to see where areas of strengths and improvement were for each candidate. The tool allowed the department to determine if candidates have the skill set to fulfill role expectations. It also provided the director a more objective way to compare candidates. 

We recommend other NPD departments looking to standardize their interview process begin by determining if a standard tool is already being utilized at their organization. If allowed, the department should incorporate questions specific to the NPD practitioner role in order to assess the quality of the candidate in fulfilling those responsibilities.

If you are interested in learning more about the standard interview tool used by the NPD department at UW Health, please contact Megan Webber at megan.webber@mercyhealth.com.