Hospitals, residential care facilities, and physicians’ offices are the most common work settings for licensed practical nurses, or LPNs. These facilities depend on LPNs to bring care and compassion to patients. You tasks will vary slightly depending on where you work, but no matter where you apply, you’ll face most of the same LPN interview questions before you’re hired.

Whether you’re looking for your first LPN job out of school or are considering a job change, it’s never too early to start preparing for job interviews. One of the keys to acing an interview is knowing what to expect. Monster has put together this guide to the most common LPN job interview questions and answers you can use to come up with your own responses. So get your resume ready, check out current listings for LPN jobs on Monster, and go into those interviews ready to impress.

9 Common LPN Interview Questions

  1. Why Did You Decide to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse?
  2. What Are the Most Important Qualities for an LPN to Have?
  3. What Do You Hope to Achieve in the Next Five Years?
  4. How Well Do You Perform Under Pressure and During Stressful Situations?
  5. Do You See Yourself as More of an Individual or a Team Player?
  6. What Would You Do If You Saw a Co-Worker Do Something That Was Against Hospital Policy?
  7. What Would You Do if You Don’t Agree With Your RN’s Recommendation?
  8. Tell Me About a Time When You Had to Calm an Irritated Patient.
  9. How Do You Handle It When Your Shift Replacement Doesn’t Arrive on Time to Relieve You?

Question 1: Why Did You Decide to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse?

Along with “Tell me about yourself,” this is one of the most common LPN interview questions. It’s a great way for the interviewer to break the ice while learning about what drives you.

  • Answer in a story format.
  • Focus on the importance of care and compassion for patients.
  • Avoid answers that mention money.

How You Could Answer:

“I’ve always been very close with my aunt who is a nurse. I loved hearing stories about what she did at the hospital where she worked. I would pretend my dolls were my patients so I could be their nurse. I volunteered at the local hospital when I was in high school and visited a nursing home several times a year with my church youth group. I enjoyed talking with patients and being able to brighten their day just by giving them some care and attention. When I looked into career choices in high school, I learned about the challenging and important work LPNs do and I realized this was my calling.”

Question 2: What Are the Most Important Qualities for an LPN to Have?

The interviewer uses LPN interview questions like this one to learn how you see the LPN role and what qualities you emphasize in your work.

  • There are many possible answers to LPN interview questions about roles and personality qualities, so pick two or three that you think make an LPN an outstanding nurse and employee.
  • Show that you understand your duties and role as an LPN.

How You Could Answer:

“All nurses need to be compassionate and empathetic to give patients the best care. This involves good communication and listening skills so they understand a patient’s concerns and patients understand what care they are receiving and why. They need to know and follow best practices and be willing to learn from and support their RNs.”

Question 3: What Do You Hope to Achieve in the Next Five Years?

Hiring managers look for employees with ambition. They want to know you have an attainable career goal in mind and a well-thought-out plan for achieving it.

  • If you haven’t thought about this, map out a five-year plan.
  • Be sure to include how the job you’re applying for fits into your plans.

How You Could Answer:

“My goal is to become an RN in the next five years. To do that, I’m taking night and weekend classes to earn my BSN. I’m especially interested in working in the hospital’s geriatric unit after I graduate. This hospital has a great reputation for geriatric care, so this is the ideal choice for me to achieve my goals.”

Question 4: How Well Do You Perform Under Pressure and During Stressful Situations?

LPN interview questions about stress verify that you know the job can be mentally and physically taxing and that you can handle it.

  • Describe your process for dealing with stress.
  • Give an example of a time where you successfully worked through a stressful situation.

How You Could Answer:

“There are plenty of things that can cause stress in a nursing situation. By focusing on the well-being of my patients, I can tune out some of the everyday stressors. A common stressor is when staffing is short because someone has called out and you have to cover more patients than usual. The last time I was in that situation, I made a list of what needed to be done. When something urgent came up, I could handle it, then return to my list to stay on track.”

Question 5: Do You See Yourself as More of an Individual or a Team Player?

Teamwork is critical in healthcare, so this is one of the more important LPN interview questions you’ll be asked. Your interviewer wants to know that you’re comfortable working as part of a team, especially in stressful situations. You should also be able to do your individual tasks independently.

  • Show you understand the importance of teamwork but can also work independently when needed.
  • Make it clear that you know which situations call for teamwork versus individual effort.

How You Could Answer:

“I think teamwork is essential in healthcare because the collaboration of a close team focused on a set of challenges leads to the best patient outcomes. I also like the camaraderie of a team and being able to celebrate successes together. But I also know when the team needs me to work individually on tasks I am assigned. I keep a list of what I need to do each shift so I can be efficient and not have to keep going back to my supervisor to ask what’s next. I can always take the initiative to help a patient with dressing and hygiene without being reminded to do so.”

Question 6: What Would You Do If You Saw a Co-Worker Do Something That Was Against Hospital Policy?

Expect LPN scenario interview questions that determine your integrity and trustworthiness. Interviewers want to make sure you know patient care and safety come first.

  • Respond from the perspective of patient well-being.
  • Show you understand the chain of command and hospital policy.

How You Could Answer:

“Policies in healthcare settings are made to protect the well-being and safety of patients. Nobody can break those rules regardless of their position. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect patients. I would make sure I handled the situation according to hospital policy, going to my RN first to report the infraction, and then following her direction if I needed to take further action.”

Question 7: What Would You Do if You Don’t Agree With Your RN’s Recommendation?

LPN interview questions about your relationship with RNs test your conflict-resolution skills and whether you know how to balance patient care with respect for authority.

  • It’s important that you understand the RN’s instructions before making a judgement.
  • In an emergency, you have to follow your senior professional’s instruction.

How You Could Answer:

“I would ask my RN questions to try to understand the reason for her order. If I still didn’t understand, I would ask a senior professional for additional advice, so I could learn what to do in that situation for the future. Of course, in an emergency, I would need to trust my superior and follow the order without hesitation.”

Question 8: Tell Me About a Time When You Had to Calm an Irritated Patient.

You may face behavioral interview questions that test your interpersonal skills and compassion.

  • Acknowledge irritated patients are common and do not shake you.
  • Show compassion—a patient’s behavior may be affected by pain, fear, or confusion.

How You Could Answer:

“When patients have negative reactions, I’ve found it’s often because they were in extreme pain or emotional distress. It takes compassion and communication to calm that patient.”

“I had an older patient who refused to take medication. She would put it in her mouth and then spit it at whoever was trying to care for her. After I failed at several attempts to get her to swallow her pills, I matter-of-factly asked her why she didn’t want to take her medication. She told me it was the wrong flavor and she only liked chocolate. I did some investigating and found out from her daughter that they always put her medication in a spoonful of chocolate pudding. Problem solved!”

Question 9: How Do You Handle It When Your Shift Replacement Doesn’t Arrive on Time to Relieve You?

LPNs and other medical workers cannot leave a shift unattended. This is one of the LPN interview questions that tests your understanding of rules and policies and assures you have plans in place to take care of personal matters if you can’t leave work.

  • Affirm you know you can’t leave your shift unattended.
  • Detail the plans you have in place for this situation.

How You Could Answer:

“Sometimes things come up that are out of our control. I’ve had to stay later than I was scheduled when a co-worker has had an emergency or someone has gotten stuck in traffic. My family understands this, and we have a plan in place to take care of things until I get home. If it looks like the next nurse won’t be able to make it at all, I’ll let my supervisor know, and they can often find a replacement.”

If you can handle frustrated patients and hospital emergencies, you’re more than ready to tackle these LPN interview questions. What’s next? How about taking a look at the LPN jobs posted on Monster. While you’re there, take a moment to complete your Monster profile. It will put your resume in front of recruiters and employers looking for LPNs just like you. We’ll also send job postings to your inbox so you can take advantage of every opportunity.

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Elizabeth Muenzen Career Advice Writer

Elizabeth Muenzen is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches who empowers job seekers to take control of their career paths using Monster’s comprehensive job search and resume tools.

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