RN - New Grad Nurse Resident
Posted Sep 15, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 4, 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
The Nurse Residency Program supports nurses through their first year. What do you most want to get out of it?
What they are checking: Whether they know where they need to grow and will use the program actively.
Tell me about a time in clinicals when you noticed a patient getting worse.
What they are checking: Whether they can recognize change in a patient and know to escalate, the key early skill for new nurses.
Tell me about a time you made a mistake in clinicals and what you did.
What they are checking: Whether they report mistakes openly, which matters more than being perfect.
You need a Minnesota nursing license before you start. How are you preparing for NCLEX?
What they are checking: Whether they have a real plan to pass the exam and meet the license deadline.
How do you take care of yourself during a hard first year of nursing?
What they are checking: Whether they have healthy ways to manage stress, which affects retention of new nurses.
Shifts may include days and nights and some 12-hour shifts. How do you feel about that schedule?
What they are checking: Whether they are flexible about the schedule the residency positions require.
What would you do
You have four patients and two need something at the same time. How do you decide who comes first?
What they are checking: Whether they can use airway, breathing and circulation priorities to make safe choices.
A more experienced nurse tells you to do something a way you were taught is unsafe. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they can speak up respectfully and check policy instead of just going along.
A patient's family member is upset and demanding answers you don't have. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they stay calm, show empathy and bring in the charge nurse or provider.
About the work
How do you double-check yourself before giving a high-risk medication like insulin or heparin?
What they are checking: Whether they follow independent double-checks and the rights of medication administration.
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As published by Essentia Health.