Registered Nurse - Behavioral Health
Posted Oct 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time you built trust with a patient who didn't want to talk to you.
What they are checking: Whether they can connect with guarded or paranoid patients, which is the base of psychiatric nursing.
Tell me about a time a patient said something that upset you. How did you respond?
What they are checking: Whether they can stay professional and not take hostile behavior personally.
What would you do
A patient is getting more agitated and starts threatening staff. Walk me through how you respond.
What they are checking: Whether they use de-escalation first and see restraints or seclusion only as a last resort.
This is a night shift role at 32 hours a week. What changes about behavioral health nursing at night?
What they are checking: Whether they understand night safety checks and that patients may be most anxious or unsafe overnight.
A patient refuses their medications. How do you handle that?
What they are checking: Whether they respect patient rights, understand legal limits and document and report correctly.
A patient with a mental illness also has a physical problem, like chest pain. How do you make sure it isn't dismissed?
What they are checking: Whether they take physical complaints seriously instead of blaming everything on the psychiatric diagnosis.
About the work
Walk me through how you assess a new patient on admission to a behavioral health unit.
What they are checking: Whether they assess mental status, safety risk and physical health together within the required time.
A patient tells you they want to die. What do you do next?
What they are checking: Whether they ask directly about a plan, keep the patient safe and notify the provider right away.
How do you watch for medication side effects in psychiatric patients, like with antipsychotics or lithium?
What they are checking: Whether they know common dangerous side effects and when to alert the physician.
How do you keep the unit environment safe, like checking for items that could be used for self-harm?
What they are checking: Whether they take environmental safety checks seriously as a key part of preventing harm.
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As published by SSM Health.