Interview Tips

Although interviews for UTC's class of 2013 took place this past Thursday and Friday, I have had several people in the past ask for advice on the interview process. This post is my personal experience only and may not be all-inclusive. First, a list of the personality traits of a good SRNA:

1. Don't be too quiet (you will be labeled as "passive" or "apathetic")
2. Don't be too loud (you will be labeled as "pompous" or "too aggressive")
3. You must be just the right amount of obsessive-compulsive
4. You must be adaptable to change
5. You must have tough skin
6. You need to be able to master organization and time-management skills

I realize many of the above qualities are contradictory, but so has been my experience in anesthesia school. As the saying goes, "you can't make everybody happy" and never has there been a more approppriate place/time. It took me 18 months to figure this out.

UTC/Erlanger interviews have historically been conducted in front of a panel including the following people: the head of the anesthesiology department at Erlanger, chief CRNA, assistant chief CRNA, UTC's nurse anesthesia program director, and both assistant directors.

Interviews typically start with "Tell me a little about yourself". This is a great time to talk about your career/educational experience, when you first learned about nurse anesthesia, why you want to be a nurse anethetist and maybe throw in some hobbies/interests. (I would keep the personal stuff to a minimum though).

It would be a good idea to have a patient to present as sometimes they might ask "Tell me about a typical patient you took care of in the unit you worked in". Or be prepared to answer "Tell me about a conflict you experienced at work and how you resolved it".

The most important piece of advice I can give regarding UTC's interview process is: DO NOT bring up a subject that you cannot elaborate on or discuss in detail (ie, clotting cascade, DIC, etc). Once you start discussing a clinical issue, you will usually be led down the rabbit hole until they know you don't know the answer to their question. It is OK to say "I don't know". It is even better to say "I don't know, that is something I would have to look up." The panel wants to know you aren't going to BS your way through a problem or refuse to admit you need help. This is also a tactic to see how well you perform under stress.

UTC's interviews are 99% clinically based while UAB's interviews are 99% personal questions. (At least this was my experience). Hope this helps! Feel free to elaborate in the comment section if you have anything to add.