JobsAdvocate Health

Charge Registered Nurse (RN) - Surgical Care Pavilion

Advocate Health · Downers Grove, IL

Posted Sep 16, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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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 had to hold a peer accountable for something like a safety shortcut or a missed step, without going straight to management.

comfort with peer coaching and conflict, since this role leans on lateral accountability rather than formal authority

Tell me about a time you had to report a concern about a team member's performance or behavior up to management. How did you decide it needed to go up rather than being handled peer to peer?

judgment about escalation thresholds and whether they protect the team or avoid hard conversations

Describe a time you had to coordinate with another department, like Bed Coordination or a Perianesthesia unit, to move a patient when things were tight.

cross-department collaboration skill, since this role sits at the intersection of several units

Tell me about a time a physician disagreed with a call you made about patient flow or staffing. How did you handle it?

confidence and communication style when pushing back against someone with more formal authority

Tell me about a piece of feedback you gave a newer nurse that was hard to deliver. How did you approach it?

whether coaching style builds trust rather than just correcting behavior

Technical

How do you keep track of staffing changes through the shift, and what's your process for updating something like Advocateworks and getting the next shift the right information?

basic fluency with the actual scheduling system and habits around handoff accuracy

Tell me about a near-miss or safety event you had to report. Walk me through what happened and how you documented it.

familiarity with RDE-style reporting and honesty about surfacing problems rather than burying them

What's your process for opening or closing the unit and making sure supplies and equipment are ready for the next case load?

operational discipline and whether they treat checklists as real tools, not paperwork

What does a good handoff between charge nurses look like to you, and what's gone wrong in a handoff you've been part of?

attention to continuity of care details that charge nurses are specifically responsible for

Situational

Walk me through a shift where you had to assign nurses and techs to patient care activities based on case census and acuity. How did you decide who went where?

whether the candidate can actually think through staffing logic in real time, not just recite that they 'delegate'

A family is upset because their loved one's surgery has been delayed twice today. What do you actually say and do in the first five minutes?

service recovery skills and whether they can de-escalate without overpromising

Describe a day where the OR case schedule, available beds, and staffing didn't line up. What did you do first?

prioritization under competing constraints, a core operational demand of this specific unit

If you noticed the unit was consistently running over budgeted hours because of how staffing was being assigned, what would you look at first?

whether they connect day-to-day charge decisions to unit productivity and budget, not just clinical coverage

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 37732 Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital - Surgical Care Pavilion Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Actual 17.95 to an actual of 18.10. This is a replacement job for Michelle who is going down to registry effective 9/20/2026 Pay Range: $41.10 - $61.65 Major Responsibilities: Nurse/Patient Relationship and Human Relations with Team Members 1)Role model’s professional behaviors, adaptive and collaborative communication style through partnership with other professional within and outside the department. 2)Assigns registered nurses and ancillary personnel to patient care activities; provides for appropriate delegation of patient care tasks 3)Provides for peer accountability through peer coaching for problem solving and measures that promote quality, safety and service through peer coaching 4)Provides for Service Recovery of patient/family concerns and complaints. Manages patient delays. Utilizes chain of command when necessary. 5)Promotes the recognition of staff accomplishments. Manages Up staff to unit management. Leadership Responsibilities 4)Demonstrates positive attitude and professional behaviors as a representative of Surgical Promotes team synergy and staff confidence in the leadership role. 5)Reports unit issues and concerns in a timely manner to Surgical Services Management. These include but are not limited to: team behaviors, associate performance, process and safety issues. 6)Role model’s leadership behaviors and the Advocate Behaviors of Excellence. 7)Provides leadership as an effective change agent through professional accountability while holding others accountable to meeting unit practice, quality, safety, and service standards. 8)Collaborates and establishes partnerships with physician’s other department leaders to ensure quality patient care and seamless transitions of care. 9)Performs other leadership duties as assigned. 1)Assists in the assessment of staff performance through peer review. 2)Addresses unit/staff issues and concerns and promotes problem solving. 3)Assists in conflict resolution through communication of concerns to management. Unit Operational Responsibilities 7)Anticipates day to day staffing needs through review of surgical case census, patient acuity, and status of available hospital beds. Collaborates staffing with management daily and as needed. 8)Updates staffing changes in Advocateworks. Prints weekly staffing sheets and reviews staffing needs with management. 9)Coordinates support services to promote the environment of care. Utilizes daily unit checklists to open and close the department. 10)• Coordinates with Supply Chain and Logistics to ensure the resource management of supplies and equipment. 1)Directs patient throughput and workflows to promote a safe unit environment and patient satisfaction 2)Assists unit management with the management of unit productivity and unit staffing to meet budgetary targets while ensuring safe patient care 3)Collaborates staffing with other Perianesthesia Departments 4)Coordinates unit staffing to promote staff involvement in committee, task force, and educational opportunities. 5)In collaboration with Bed Coordination assists in the coordination of patients to the Surgical Hold Unit. Serves as a resource to the Surgical Hold staff. 6)Ensures the reporting of safety events or near miss events in the unit through completion of Remote Data Entry (RDE) safety reporting online form. Provides clinical care as outlined in the Registered Nurse Job Description 1)Provides clinical care as outlined in the Registered Nurse Job Description Professional Development 4)Accountable for own professional development through attendance or completion of learning activities that promote leadership and patient care activities. 1)Participates in departmental activities that improve patient care and unit operations. 2)Earns a minimum of 10 contact hours per year. 3)Demonstrates clinical leadership through involvement in unit or organization committee/task forces that improve patient care, quality, safety or service. Licensure: Nurse, Registered (RN) Education/Experience Required: • Graduate from an accredited school of nursing •ADN acceptable with agreement to enroll in BSN completion program in two years to be completed in five years. • 2 years RN experience •1 Year Charge Nurse Experience Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Good communication skills • Good computer skills • Good time management and organizational skills • Familiarity with patient care equipment • Current RN License in state of practice • Current CPR • Certifications/education required for the nursing specialty - See Certification Addendum Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: Ability to work weekends, holidays, and different shifts in order to accommodate staffing Certain positions may need to take call Ability to transport objects, patients, and equipment Ability to respond quickly to patient needs and work at fast pace Work environment includes probability of exposure to adverse, hazardous, or unpleasant conditions while caring for the sick Ability to assist in evacuation of patients in the event of a fire or other disaster Routinely works with potentially infectious specimens and patients Ability to respond to patients in a timely manner and access all areas of the unit LIFTING REQUIREMENTS Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance. For patient lifts of over 35 pounds, or when patient is unable to assist with the lift, patient handling equipment is expected to be used, with at least one other associate, when available. Unique patient lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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