Certified Nursing Assistant CNA - Medical Surgical Oncology - West Allis
Posted Sep 17, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
Behavioral
Tell me about a time you noticed something off with a patient, maybe a change in breathing or a look on their face, and you weren't the nurse. What did you do?
whether the candidate reports observations promptly rather than assuming it's not their job
Tell me about a patient or family member who was upset or scared, maybe about a diagnosis or a procedure. How did you handle being in the room with them?
emotional composure and communication skill in a cancer care setting where fear is common
Describe a time you had to move or reposition a patient who couldn't help much, maybe someone larger or in a lot of pain. How did you keep both of you safe?
practical experience with physical demands and proper technique, not just willingness
This is a night shift, seven p.m. to seven thirty a.m., three shifts a week with every third weekend. What's made a schedule like that work for you before, or what's your plan for making it work?
realistic buy-in to the actual shift pattern rather than a scripted yes
Tell me about a time you had to tell the RN something wasn't right even though you weren't totally sure it mattered. How did that go?
willingness to escalate concerns rather than staying quiet out of uncertainty
Technical
What does purposeful rounding actually mean to you, and what do you check for when you go into a room?
whether they understand the standard beyond just checking the box, since it's called out specifically in the job
Oncology patients can be more medically fragile and immunocompromised than a typical med-surg patient. What extra precautions or awareness would you bring into their room?
awareness of infection control and fragility specific to an oncology population
How do you go about collecting a specimen and making sure it's labeled correctly for the right patient?
attention to detail on identification and labeling protocols to prevent errors
Have you documented in an electronic medical record before? Walk me through how you'd record something like vitals or intake and output.
basic EMR comfort and accuracy in documentation habits
What does good hand hygiene and isolation precaution practice look like to you on a unit where some patients are immunocompromised?
working knowledge of infection prevention basics specific to a cancer unit
Situational
You have three patients who all need help at the same time near the end of your shift on this med-surg oncology unit. Walk me through how you decide who you go to first.
prioritization skills and comfort with a heavy, competing workload
Say you're doing a transfer with another team member and the patient starts to slip or their legs give out. What do you do in that moment?
safety instincts and body mechanics knowledge during high-risk lifts and transfers
You notice a patient's skin looks reddened over a pressure point during your rounds. What do you do next?
skin integrity awareness and follow-through on reporting to the RN
If you walked into a room to do vitals and found a patient who had just passed away, what would you do first?
composure and knowledge of proper post mortem procedure and chain of communication
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As published by Advocate Health.
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