The staff nurse employment interview: predicting performance outcomes. Part II.

The Employment Standards Act of Ontario and Labour Relations policy in health care organizations require that employment decisions be based on the comparative level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience of job applicants. Reliable and valid employment interviews guide employers in that process. A semistructured staff nurse employment interview tool was developed and tested for reliability and validity (content and predictive) on a medical unit in an acute-care hospital setting. Of 25 interview questions evaluated as having content validity based on comparison with the job analysis and Standards of Practice, five (holistic care, assessments of patient's ability to cope, teaching, collaboration, and problem-solving) were identified as having statistically significant relationships with performance outcomes evaluated one year after the initial interview. Total interview test scores were predictive of overall competency in job performance. Those questions evaluated as content valid and as attaining predictive validity were used as the basis for the development of a structured staff nurse employment interview questionnaire.