i had three behavioral rounds across two different HCA Healthcare interview processes (i made it to offer the second time). writing this up because the behavioral component at HCA is genuinely different from most tech companies.
the values they actually screen for: hca has a pretty explicit set of values they talk about internally, things like patient-centered care, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement. this sounds like corporate boilerplate but they mean it in the interview, the questions are designed to surface whether you actually think this way or just know the words.
questions i was asked: "tell me about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information and stakes were high" "describe a situation where you had to collaborate with someone whose working style was very different from yours" "tell me about a project where you had to learn a new domain quickly to be effective" "how have you handled a situation where you disagreed with a decision your team or leadership made?" "describe a time you prioritized a user or customer's needs even when it added complexity to your work"
that last one came up in both processes, different interviewers. i think "user needs = patient/clinician needs" is what they're actually mapping to, so good to have a story that bridges that.
what NOT to do: don't be dismissive about the healthcare mission. i had a friend who interviewed there and made a comment like "i don't really know much about healthcare, it's more interesting as a technical challenge" and they washed out in the behavioral round. the interviewers aren't looking for charity workers, but they want to see genuine respect for the context.
format: straight STAR. they say it out loud sometimes. just use the structure.
how much does it matter: a lot, honestly. more than i expected for a tech role. my read is that HCA has been burned by hiring people who were technically strong but culturally rough, and they've calibrated the behavioral round to be a real gate, not a formality.