Registered Nurse / CNA Screening Interview Template

What is your current licensure or certification status? Please confirm your license type (RN, LPN, CNA), the issuing state, and expiration date.

What this assesses: Verifies active licensure before anything else, since an expired or lapsed credential disqualifies a candidate regardless of skill. Strong answers state the exact license type, issuing state, and expiration date without hesitation, and mention compact or multi-state privileges if they hold them. Be cautious with vague answers ("I think it's still current"), a license stuck in renewal limbo, or a candidate who cannot name the issuing state.

What clinical settings have you worked in (hospital, long-term care, home health, outpatient)? Which do you prefer and why?

What this assesses: Establishes experience breadth and matches the candidate to the right setting. A CNA who has only done home health may struggle on a busy long-term care floor, and a hospital RN may not want the pace of an outpatient clinic. Strong answers name specific settings, patient populations, and a clear preference with a reason; weak answers cannot distinguish the environments or claim to be equally happy anywhere, which usually means thin real exposure.

Do you have experience in any specialty areas such as ICU, ER, med-surg, pediatrics, or behavioral health? Describe your experience level in each.

What this assesses: Identifies specialty qualifications that gate eligibility for specific assignments. For an RN, listen for concrete unit experience (ICU, ER, med-surg) with rough patient ratios or acuity; for a CNA, listen for populations like dementia, post-surgical, or rehab. Strong answers quantify time in each area. Treat a long list of specialties with no supporting detail as a prompt to probe, not a qualification.

Are your BLS, ACLS, or other required certifications current? Do you have any additional certifications such as PALS, NRP, or wound care?

What this assesses: Confirms the certifications most facilities require before a candidate can start. Strong answers know exactly which cards they hold and the expiration dates, and flag any that are close to lapsing so you can plan around it. A candidate who is unsure whether their BLS is current, or assumes the facility will cover recertification, will create a delay between offer and first shift.

Have you ever had any disciplinary actions, malpractice claims, or issues with your nursing license? Are there any gaps in your employment history we should discuss?

What this assesses: Screens for compliance risk and gives the candidate a chance to explain before a background check does it for them. The goal is not to disqualify on any gap. Strong answers address a license issue or employment gap directly and without defensiveness. Be cautious with evasiveness, a story that shifts as you press on it, or a candidate who minimizes a disciplinary action, since healthcare placements live and die on clean credentialing.

Describe how you handle a situation where a patient or family member is upset about their care. What is your approach?

What this assesses: Evaluates communication and de-escalation, which matter as much as clinical skill in patient-facing roles. Strong answers describe listening first, acknowledging the concern, and a specific step they took to resolve it, ideally with a real example. Weak answers jump straight to defending the care decision, escalate to a supervisor reflexively, or speak only in generalities about staying calm with no actual situation behind it.

What is your availability? Are you open to day, night, or rotating shifts? Would you consider travel, per-diem, or contract assignments?

What this assesses: Determines scheduling fit, the single most common reason a qualified candidate falls through. Strong answers give clear, specific availability and name the shifts they will and will not work up front. Open-ended flexibility ("whatever you need") often collapses once a real schedule lands, so confirm hard constraints like childcare, a second job, or no nights here rather than after the offer goes out.

What electronic health record systems have you used (Epic, Cerner, Meditech, etc.)? How comfortable are you learning a new EHR system quickly?

What this assesses: Assesses how quickly the candidate can be productive on your systems. Strong answers name the specific EHRs they have used (Epic, Cerner, Meditech, or PointClickCare in long-term care) and describe picking up a new one without much hand-holding. Weigh this by role: a CNA with no EHR exposure is rarely a dealbreaker, but an RN or LPN who has never charted electronically will need real ramp time.