HOW TO INTERVIEW WHEN YOU ARE CHANGING SPECIALTIES

Your best internal candidates are getting screened out for telling the truth. A nurse with four strong years asks to move specialties. You ask why she is leaving her current unit. She answers honestly: the ratios, the schedule that changed three times in a year, the night she had nine patients and no tech. Every word accurate. And somebody writes “running from, not running toward” on the sheet. I spent twenty years on the hiring side and I have watched this cost good nurses jobs they would have been excellent at, while the candidate who said “I’m ready for a new challenge,” which means nothing at all, moved to the next round. Two fixes, both yours to make. Ask the ramp-up question directly instead of waiting for candidates to guess at it: how long until you carry a full assignment, what transfers, what will you need to learn? And stop reading honesty about a previous employer as a character risk. The 2026 NSI report puts average RN time-to-fill at 78 days. You cannot afford to screen out capable people for being candid. This week on Nursing Matters, the five moves that make a specialty change read as a plan. Please take one second and help us build our Youtube Following! I’d be remis if I didn’t admit this hasn’t been a focus, until now! Please like, share, and subscribe on all of our channels. It really helps grow our audience of like-minded Nurses and Nurse Recruiters. Nurse Career Resources: Earn More, Get Hired Faster Today’s article gives you the edge. These resources from The RN Network help you use it, whether you want a bigger paycheck, a better job or a business of your own. * The Inner Circle: On-demand nursing career coaching library, open 24/7. * Scrubs to Signed: The complete job search masterclass built for nurses. * Nurse Business Plans: Step-by-step guides to launch your own nursing business. * Nurse Income Hub: Proven ways nurses earn beyond the bedside. * CE Marketplace: Continuing education for your license renewal in every state. * Career Toolkit & Downloads: Resume templates, negotiation scripts and career guides. * Nurse Salary Database: Know your worth in all 50 states before you negotiate. * Nursing Job Board: Open RN roles across every setting and specialty. * Facility Directory: Research hospitals and employers before you apply. * Nursing Education Directory: Find your next degree, bridge program or certification path. * The Nurse Store: Apparel and gifts for nurses who are proud of what they do. Explore everything at rnnet.org, the career community for nurses since 2009. #NurseRetention #HealthcareHiring #NursingCareers #TalentAcquisition Get full access to The RN Network - The Career Edge Every Nurse Deserves! at thernnetwork.substack.com/subscribe