What a registered nurse does
New Zealand's careers service says registered nurses assess, treat and support patients in hospitals, rest homes and other care settings. The UK's National Careers Service nurse profile lists tasks such as:
- assessing whether patients need urgent attention
- drawing up care plans
- checking temperature, blood pressure and pulse
- giving some medicines, treating wounds and setting up drips
- monitoring progress and updating records
- advising patients and families on care at home
The US profile for registered nurses adds directing or supervising other nursing staff. It also lists changing treatment plans as patients respond.
Registration comes first
You must be registered or licensed to work as a nurse. The rules vary by country, and in the US by state. Check your regulator's own page:
- Australia: nurses must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and meet its registration standards to practise.
- UK: the Nursing and Midwifery Council's register shows who can practise as a nurse in the UK. It uses a Test of Competence for applicants from overseas.
- US: a licence is how boards of nursing grant permission to practise. Each state's board publishes its own requirements.
- New Zealand: the Nursing Council says every nurse practising in New Zealand must be registered. They must also hold an annual practising certificate.
Bring your registration number. Never claim a registration, endorsement or scope of practice you don't hold. In Australia, anyone can check a nurse's status on the public register.
Skills employers look for
The National Careers Service lists skills that an interview can test, including:
- a desire to help people, with sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to work well with others
- being thorough and paying attention to detail
- staying calm in stressful situations and working well under pressure
- being able to accept criticism
- excellent spoken communication
New Zealand's profile adds being safety conscious and able to solve problems. O*NET lists empathy, stress tolerance and integrity among the work styles for the job.
Questions about values
In England, the NHS Constitution sets out six values:
- working together for patients
- respect and dignity
- commitment to quality of care
- compassion
- improving lives
- everyone counts
The National Careers Service says nurses are expected to understand how the NHS values apply to their work. NHS Employers says values-based recruitment can use role play and written answers to scenarios.
Outside the NHS, read the employer's own values. Prepare a true story that shows each one.
The interviews you may face
Each employer runs its own process. You may face some of these:
- A values interview, with questions like the ones above, sometimes with a role play.
- Scenario questions about a patient whose condition changes, a busy shift or a safety concern.
- Clinical questions about care you have given in your area of practice.
- A short written or maths task, such as working out a medicine dose.
- A panel interview with a nurse manager and others. Our guide to panel interview answers explains the format.
Expect background checks before you start. The UK profile lists enhanced background checks, and New Zealand's lists a police check. Our guide to references and police checks explains the final stage.
Questions that test each skill
These are themes, with sample wording. Real questions vary by employer.
- Clinical judgement: "A patient's observations get worse. What do you do first?"
- Patient safety: "Tell me about a time you raised a concern about care."
- Compassion: "Describe a time you supported a distressed patient or family."
- Teamwork: "Tell me about a disagreement with a colleague on a shift."
- Pressure: "How do you decide what comes first on a busy shift?"
- Learning: "Tell me about feedback that changed how you work."
Answer "tell me about a time" questions with STAR: the situation, your task, the actions you took and the result. For a scenario, say what you would check first, who you would tell and how you would record it. Try some practice scenario questions out loud.
What to prepare
- Check your registration is current, and note your number.
- Read the job ad and the ward or service description. Note the patient group.
- Learn the employer's values, and match a true story to each one.
- Prepare six to eight STAR stories from shifts or placements.
- Include a patient who got worse, a safety concern and a time under pressure.
- Keep patients private. Never use names or details that could identify someone.
- Prepare questions about the ward, such as how new staff are supported.
An example answer about a patient who got worse
Here is a made-up answer for a made-up person. Use it to see the shape of a strong answer, then tell your own true story.
Made-up example
Grace, a newly registered nurse on a surgical ward
Question
Situation
Task
Action
- I rechecked her observations and found her blood pressure had dropped and her heart rate had risen.
- I worked out her early warning score, which had gone from 2 to 6.
- I called the doctor and gave a short, clear handover: what I'd found, her history and what I needed.
- I stayed with her, started fluids as prescribed and rechecked her every 15 minutes.
- I told the nurse in charge and wrote everything up in her notes.
Result
Grace shows judgement, a clear handover and careful records. Every action is hers, and the result has numbers.
Questions
Can I use examples from student placements?
Yes, especially if you're newly qualified. Say where the example is from, and focus on what you did yourself.
Do I need to be registered before the interview?
Check the job ad and ask the employer. Rules differ by country, so check your regulator too. Never say you are registered until you are.
How do I answer a scenario question?
Say what you would check first and what you would do. Then say who you would tell and how you would record it. Keep patient safety at the centre.
What does a registered nurse earn?
Pay depends on the country, the level and the setting. In the US, O*NET lists a 2025 median wage of $97,550 a year for registered nurses. Check your own country's official pay figures.
Sources
Written by Seal the Offer from these pages, last checked on . Rules change, so check the employer's own page and the job ad before you apply.
- Registered nurse · Tahatū, Tertiary Education Commission (NZ)
- Nurse · National Careers Service (England)
- Registered Nurses · O*NET OnLine, US Department of Labor
- Registration & endorsement · Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
- Joining, staying on or leaving the Register · Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK)
- Joining the register · Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK)
- Licensure · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (US)
- Practising as a nurse · Nursing Council of New Zealand
- The NHS Constitution for England · Department of Health and Social Care (UK)
- Values-based recruitment · NHS Employers