Registered Nurse Interview Questions (Canada)

What to expect

RN interviews in Canada (NOC 31301) are scenario-heavy. Expect patient-safety scenarios (deteriorating patient, medication error, family conflict), questions about charge experience, and at least one CNO-scope-of-practice question.

See the matching NOC 31301 guide, the resume example, and the cover letter example.

Behavioural questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why do you want to work here?
3. Tell me about a time you handled a difficult coworker.
4. Describe a time you had to meet a tight deadline.
5. Tell me about a mistake you made at work and what you learned.
6. Walk me through a time you had to learn something new quickly.
7. Describe a situation where you had to push back on a stakeholder.

Registered Nurse-specific questions

1. Walk me through your assessment of a deteriorating post-op patient.
2. How would you respond to a near-miss medication error?
3. Tell me about a difficult family interaction and how you handled it.
4. How do you prioritise when you have 6 patients and one crashes?
5. Describe your experience precepting students.
6. What's your understanding of CNO scope of practice for delegating to PSWs?
7. Tell me about a quality-improvement project you contributed to.

Culture-fit questions

1. Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
2. What's your salary expectation?
3. Why are you leaving your current role?
4. How do you handle feedback?
5. What's your preferred working style — independent or team-based?
6. Do you have questions for us?

STAR-method sample answer

Question: Tell me about a time you escalated a patient concern.

Situation. On a night shift, my post-op patient's MAP began trending down with rising lactate.

Task. Escalate appropriately, document, and protect the patient overnight.

Action. I completed a focused SBAR handover to the on-call resident, requested an immediate ABG and lactate, started a fluid bolus per standing orders, and notified the charge nurse.

Result. The resident upgraded the patient to step-down within 90 minutes, and the patient stabilised by morning. The case was reviewed in our M&M as a model escalation.

Smart questions to ask back

1. What does success look like in the first 90 days?
2. Who would I be working with day-to-day, and how is the team structured?
3. What's the biggest challenge facing this team right now?
4. How is performance measured and reviewed?
5. What do you enjoy most about working here?

Related guides

• STAR interview method
• Common interview questions Canada
• When to follow up after applying