Georgia Parents: Home Nurse Interview Questions for GAPP Approval
The single most important thing to confirm in any home nurse interview is documented competency with your child’s exact devices and a clear willingness to follow the physician’s written Plan of Care. Beyond that, cover emergency and power outage readiness, medication and equipment handling, background checks and credentials, communication and scheduling continuity, and Medicaid or GAPP paperwork readiness. Insist on demonstrated skill, not just a verbal claim, before assigning any unsupervised shift.
TL;DR:
Candidates must demonstrate specific experience with your child’s exact devices and show familiarity with emergency procedures, power backup, and troubleshooting.
Verification of credentials and references should include direct license confirmation, recent certifications, and detailed clinical references focused on pediatric device handling.
Expect candidates to review and practice your child’s emergency plan regularly, understand power outage protocols, and carry a two-week supply of medications and supplies.
Preference is given to nurses with long-term continuity, proven reliability, and willingness to undergo supervised trials before unsupervised shifts.
Agencies providing the nurse should track retention rates, facilitate credential verification, and assist with necessary paperwork like GAPP for Medicaid coverage.
Table of Contents
Sample interview questions organized by topic
A structured interview beats a casual conversation every time, especially when your child depends on a tracheostomy, ventilator, or G-tube. Break your questions into categories so nothing slips through, and bring a written list to both the phone screen and the in-person visit.
Start with clinical competence. Ask the candidate to name the exact devices they have worked with (brand and model, if they know it), describe a recent case involving a tracheostomy or ventilator, and explain how often they perform suctioning or tube changes. A nurse who answers in specifics, not generalities, is further along than one who simply says “I’ve done that before.”
Move next to the Plan of Care. Ask how they read and follow a physician-written POC, and what they do when something in the home does not match the paperwork exactly. The Pediatrics study on medical device workarounds found that families routinely create workarounds for medical equipment at home, so a nurse who rigidly insists the hospital method is the only correct one may need extra orientation before working independently in your house.
Cover medication and equipment management with questions about supply tracking, refrigeration needs, refill timing, and how they troubleshoot a ventilator alarm or a clogged feeding tube. For background and credentials, ask directly about license status, CPR, PALS or NRP training, immunization records, a recent TB screen, and whether they are willing to undergo additional background checks beyond what the agency already ran.
Round out the interview with fit and scheduling questions:
Describe a time you trained a family on a new piece of equipment.
How do you communicate with a nonverbal or minimally verbal child?
What is your available schedule, and how much notice do you need for time off?
If you are sick or unavailable, how does your agency typically cover the shift?
Each answer gives you a data point. Together, they tell you whether this person can actually do the job your child needs.
How to evaluate the answers you get
A confident answer is not the same as a correct one. The strongest candidates back up their claims with specifics: dates, settings, device models, and documentation like a signed competency checklist or an orientation form from a prior employer. Vague phrases such as “I’m very experienced” or “I’ve worked with kids like that” without detail are a signal to dig deeper, not to move on.
Reliability matters as much as skill. Look for:
Continuity with prior families, meaning the nurse stayed with a case for months or years rather than rotating frequently.
Willingness to provide clinical references, not just character references.
Comfort with a supervised orientation period before taking unsupervised shifts.
A clear, calm explanation of emergency steps rather than a shrug or a generic answer.
A simple rubric helps you compare candidates fairly once the interviews are over. Rate each person from 1 to 5 on four categories: device-specific competence, POC understanding, communication and fit, and reliability signals (references, continuity history, scheduling flexibility). A candidate scoring below 3 on device competence or reliability should not move forward, regardless of how strong the other categories look.
Pro Tip: Score each candidate immediately after the interview, while details are fresh, rather than waiting until you have seen everyone.
Red flags and the verification steps that catch them
Some answers should stop the process outright. Decline a candidate who refuses to show certifications or a license number, who gives inconsistent details about prior pediatric cases, who cannot describe basic emergency steps for your child’s equipment, or who gives evasive answers about availability and notice periods.
Verification turns a good interview into a safe hire. Before any unsupervised shift:
Confirm license status directly with the state nursing board rather than relying on the candidate’s word.
Call at least two clinical references and ask specifically about pediatric device experience.
Request copies of CPR, PALS, or NRP certifications and compare dates against expiration.
Confirm that background checks have been run, and ask what they covered. Our guidance on background checks walks through what a thorough check should include, and resources like CareBuilders at Home’s overview of caregiver checks and a caregiver background check checklist outline what families can request.
Require a supervised skills demonstration in your home before signing off on independent shifts.
Keep notes on each step in your child’s care file, including dates, who you spoke with, and what was confirmed. That file becomes useful if questions come up later or if you switch agencies.
A practical interview checklist and scripts you can copy
Treat the hiring process as three stages: phone screen, home visit, and supervised trial.
Phone screen (15 to 20 minutes):
Confirm active license and ask them to spell their full name and license number for your own records.
Ask which specific devices they have worked with and how recently.
Confirm general schedule availability and willingness to provide references.
Ask whether they have cared for a child with a similar diagnosis before.
First home visit: Walk the candidate through your home and equipment setup, then ask them to describe, step by step, how they would perform two routine tasks, such as a tube feeding or a suction pass. Watch how they talk to your child, not just how they answer you.
Skills demo items to observe directly:
Trach suctioning technique and sterile procedure.
Ventilator alarm response and troubleshooting.
G-tube feed setup and flushing.
Pro Tip: Run the skills demo in your child’s actual bedroom or usual care space, not a staged area, since real-world setups rarely match a textbook layout exactly.
After each stage, jot down a few lines: what impressed you, what concerned you, and whether you would feel comfortable leaving your child alone with this person. Comparing notes side by side makes the final decision far less stressful.
Emergency protocols to confirm before day one
Nearly 1 in 5 children has a special healthcare need, which is exactly why emergency readiness cannot be an afterthought in a nursing interview. Ask whether the candidate reviews and practices your child’s emergency care plan, and whether they know the contents and location of your go-bag.
Confirm practical power-loss steps too:
Battery backup duration for the ventilator or feeding pump, and what happens when it runs low.
Familiarity with car adapters or a generator if your household has one.
Who they contact first in a device failure: you, EMS, or the equipment supplier.
The CDC’s emergency kit checklist for children with special healthcare needs recommends a two-week supply of medicine and supplies plus copies of prescriptions, a standard worth asking every candidate if they have helped maintain.
Why continuity matters more than parents expect
The first 30 days with a new nurse are rarely smooth. Families spend real time training a caregiver on the small, specific routines a textbook never covers, so expect a transition period and plan for supervised shifts early on.
Ask any agency supplying nurses for their shift-fill and retention figures. These numbers indicate how often nurses stay with the same family rather than frequently rotating, which matters greatly once trust is built.
— Opulent
How Opulent Private Care supports your hiring process
Some agencies assist families with GAPP paperwork, match nurses based on clinical fit and family compatibility, and track shift-fill and retention figures to help parents judge reliability before committing. Some placements follow a rule requiring agreement from family, nurse, and agency before care starts.
If you are evaluating candidates or need help navigating GAPP authorization, visit the GAPP program page to see how a matched, supervised placement works.
This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified doctor. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.
FAQ
What questions should I ask a home nurse about my child’s device?
Ask for the exact device model they have handled, how recently they performed the relevant skill, and for a walk-through of the steps in your child’s actual room. A Pediatrics study on device workarounds found that hospital experience alone does not guarantee comfort with a home setup, so a hands-on demonstration matters more than a resume line.
How do I verify a home nurse’s credentials and background?
Confirm license status directly with the state nursing board, request copies of CPR or PALS certification, and call clinical references rather than only character references. Our background check guidance outlines the specific checks families should run before assigning unsupervised shifts.
What should I ask about emergency and power outage procedures?
Ask whether the nurse reviews your child’s emergency care plan, knows the go-bag location, and understands battery backup limits for life-sustaining equipment. The CDC’s emergency kit checklist recommends a two-week supply of medical supplies as a baseline every caregiver should help maintain.
How does GAPP paperwork factor into hiring a home nurse?
GAPP authorization determines which nursing hours Medicaid will cover, so ask candidates or agencies how they handle documentation and billing readiness. Opulent’s GAPP nursing guide explains eligibility and the application timeline for Georgia families.
How do I know if a nurse will stay long term?
Ask agencies directly for their shift-fill and retention figures, since those numbers reflect how often nurses stay with the same family rather than rotating out.
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