Interview Prep, Tips, and Questions for Nurse Practitioners

Your interview with a health care recruiter is scheduled. You’ve set reminders. In your head you’ve prepared answers to all possible questions that you might be asked.

But as a nurse practitioner have you prepared a list of questions that you want to ask your potential employer?

Kim Lewis, ApolloMD’s Vice President of Clinical Recruiting, encourages candidates applying to ApolloMD or other health care employers to prepare a list of questions so that both parties – recruiter and applicant alike– make the most of their time together during the interview process.

Gathering as much information as possible during the interview is the best way to make sure any potential new career as a nurse practitioner is the right fit for you, Lewis says. Showing interest by asking questions of the recruiter also demonstrates that you’ve taken the initiative to understand as much as possible about your next move and the companies you are interested in.

By asking pertinent questions, you’re gaining informed insights into the work you’ll be doing for any new employer. And if you’re interviewing with more than one recruitment service or health care provider, the information you gather can help you contrast and compare opportunities to find the best fit.

Ask, Listen, Compare, Evaluate

“For us to be effective in our roles as ApolloMD recruiters, we have to listen to the people we’re talking to and interviewing, not sell them on an opportunity,” Lewis explains. “If we’re doing our job right, we’re developing relationships with health care professionals that will last for years, whether they come to work with us or not.”

Lewis joined ApolloMD after working as a recruiter for specialists in hospital medicine, emergency medicine and anesthesiology. He encourages back-and-forth communication — and directed questions from applicants — so that both parties have the information and insights they need to make enlightened decisions.

Key among his suggested questions include basic information about the specific role and the health care organization that’s hiring.

Here are some questions for nurse practitioners to ask at an interview:

• What types of positions and settings are available?
• What types of internal support are available, especially during the critical first year on the job? What about long-term support for current employees, such as continuing education, mental health services, etc.?
• How much autonomy will this position offer? What is the scope of practice?
• Will I be working mostly on my own or with my assigned team, or will I have the opportunity to work side-by-side with physicians and other professionals who can serve as mentors and deepen my knowledge/skills?
• For employees in this specific position, what does typical work-life balance look like?
• What is the ownership structure of your company? How are corporate decisions made? Is the company growing. If so, is the company’s growth thoughtful and pragmatic?
• Does this position have built-in growth opportunities, including ongoing education and avenues to move into leadership positions or other health care groups/specialties?
• What is the company’s pay/compensation structure, and what factors influence compensation and opportunities for continued growth and higher earnings?
• Does your company offer unique benefits or perks that other medical practice firms do not? If it offers a 401(k) plan, does the company match contributions?
• In my particular role, which types of patients will I typically see?
• Does your company cover malpractice insurance?

A Career-enhancing perk: Education

At ApolloMD, one of the unique benefits is the APC (advanced practice clinician) Advancement Program, created by Jennifer Goldbach, APC, Vice President, Advanced Practice. The year-long program supports the onboarding of  nurse practitioners and continuing education for current team members.

Employees have access to monthly educational programs to learn/reinforce medical skills and to dive deeper into medical specialties they want to explore in more detail, both to improve their proficiency as health care providers or to expand career growth and opportunities.

“People have interviewed with our competitors and chosen us because of this program,” Goldbach says. “Even if we don’t hire that person immediately, that candidate is likely to remember us and call us at some point in the future and say, ‘What do you think about this?’”

Lewis agrees that the onboarding and educational advancement program is an inviting perk for potential recruits, many of whom are both curious about, interested in, and surprised at the free offering.

“For many applicants, that’s an ‘aha’ moment, and we feel like it’s a big feather in our cap,” he says.

Finding the best fit is critical for both recruiter and potential employee, Lewis notes.

“We spend a lot of time making sure applicants will fit into the ApolloMD system and a specific practice group, based on their training, skills, and interests,” he says. “We work closely with all of our groups and all of our clinical leads. We know what they’re looking for in potential candidates and how they’re going to make decisions. We’re a team, and everyone has to work as a team.”

Interested in applying for an open position at ApolloMD? Begin your search now.