Charge Registered Nurse - Stepdown / Critical Care
Posted Sep 14, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 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.
About your past
Tell me about a time a patient on your unit started to decline. How did you organize the team?
What they are checking: Whether they lead calmly in a rapid response and know when to escalate to critical care or the provider.
Tell me about a conflict between two staff members that you had to help settle.
What they are checking: Whether they can handle peer conflict fairly while still working alongside both people as a coworker.
Tell me about a time you had to report a safety concern to leadership.
What they are checking: Whether they follow through on safety issues instead of letting them slide to keep the peace.
How do you keep yourself and your team going on a long, hard 7p to 7a shift?
What they are checking: Whether they think about morale and fatigue as part of leading, not only tasks and numbers.
What would you do
The ED wants to send up a patient and you have one bed but your staffing is tight. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they can manage patient flow and safety, speak up about staffing and work with the house supervisor.
A nurse on your shift is falling behind and missing med times. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they support struggling staff in real time while protecting patients, without shaming anyone.
A family is angry and wants to talk to the person in charge. How do you handle that conversation?
What they are checking: Whether they can listen, calm things down and solve real problems without throwing staff under the bus.
About the work
Walk me through how you make assignments at the start of a night shift on a stepdown unit.
What they are checking: Whether they balance acuity, skill mix and continuity so no nurse is overloaded and sick patients get experienced eyes.
What are the early warning signs you teach newer nurses to watch for in stepdown patients?
What they are checking: Whether they can spot subtle changes, like trends in vitals or mental status, before a patient crashes.
How do you manage titratable drips, like a heparin or nitro drip, and how do you check other nurses' work on them?
What they are checking: Whether they know high-alert medication safety and double-check practices that charge nurses must enforce.
What does a good handoff between shifts look like to you as a charge nurse?
What they are checking: Whether they run structured handoffs that pass along risks and pending items, since gaps cause harm.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by SSM Health.