Being a nursing assistant is a demanding job in a high-stress environment requiring long hours of constant activity and the ability to focus on other people’s needs. It helps to know what draws a candidate to the field to see if they are well-suited for the role. Is there a personal experience caring for a loved one or is a family-member a nurse? Have they volunteered or worked to serve others before?

What to look for in an answer:

• Personal connection to nursing or health care
• Sense of service and the desire to help others
• Compassionate heart and demeanor

It helps to know whether a candidate truly understands the job for which they are applying, especially when that job involves the health and safety or others. An applicant should be aware that the job of a nursing assistant requires direct patient care, tending to the patient’s environment and fulfilling required health care needs like taking and recording vital body statistics.

What to look for in an answer:

• Willingness to clean up after a patient
• Technical nursing skills, like the ability to distribute medications, take vitals and dress wounds
• Time-management, organization and multi-tasking abilities

Patient abuse is a serious concern that a nursing assistant must always be cognizant of, both in their own behavior and in the treatment of patients by others. In addition to maintaining the highest standards of treatment in their own patient care, a candidate must be willing to report incidents of patient abuse to superiors, even if that abuse is only suspected or an accusation.

What to look for in an answer:

• Proactive response to observations of abuse
• Willingness to report accusations and observations to superiors and, if necessary, authorities
• Commitment to one’s own highest standards of treatment and care

It’s extremely important patients feel they can maintain their dignity while under care. One key way to provide this is by doing everything possible to respect each patient’s privacy in his or her room. Health care is already, necessarily, invasive enough. A nursing assistant should be friendly and respectful the moment they enter the patient’s room.

What to look for in an answer:

• Keen observation skills
• Ability to be empathetic to others’ emotions
• A sense of patience and humility

It’s important for you to know your nursing assistants can deal with conflict in a calm, responsible and patient-centered manner. Key to any resolution of this conflict is communication. The candidate must feel confident discussing the patient’s concerns with him or her directly and attempting to identify a solution together. Ideally, the CNA also uses this as an opportunity to educate and inform the patient about a nursing assistant’s role.

What to look for in an answer:

• A compassionate, patient-centered approach to conflict resolution
• Ability to remain calm and clear-headed in a crisis
• Ability to listen and articulate well

Nursing assistants commonly interact with patients who have progressive memory diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia, which could result in confusing interactions and conversations. Nursing assistants need to be realistic about how their responses could impact a patient's well-being. This question lets the interviewer see if the candidate is empathetic and thoughtful when considering interactions with patients. It also allows candidates to demonstrate their knowledge about a common condition they might encounter when working with patients in their care.

A good answer should demonstrate:

• Empathy and kindness
• Knowledge of best practices for memory care
• Self-awareness

One example of a good response could be: