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Clinical Coordinator - CVT Stepdown Unit Full-time Nights

Northwestern Medicine · Chicago, IL · Full time · Health Care Provider

Posted Sep 23, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 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.

About your past

You're coordinating and also carrying patients. Tell me about a shift where both pulled at you hard. What did you let go of and what did you protect?

What they are checking: How they triage their own attention when the charge role and the bedside role compete at once.

Tell me about a time you had to correct a staff nurse's practice in the middle of a shift.

What they are checking: Whether they can give direct, respectful feedback in real time without waiting for a manager or avoiding it.

Describe a time a family member was upset about care on your unit during the night. How did you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they can calm a frightened family, explain plainly, and solve the real problem underneath the anger.

Tell me about a unit committee or new initiative you championed. How did you get skeptical coworkers on board?

What they are checking: Whether they can lead change among peers through example and persuasion rather than authority alone.

What would you do

Walk me through how you build the night assignment on a CVT stepdown unit when you have fresh post-op hearts, a couple of drips, and two nurses you haven't worked with before.

What they are checking: Whether they match acuity to nurse skill instead of just splitting patients evenly by count.

The house supervisor calls at 2 a.m. wanting you to take an ICU transfer, and you're already short a nurse. How do you handle that conversation?

What they are checking: Whether they can push back with facts on safety while still helping the hospital move patients.

You notice two nurses on your shift barely speaking to each other and it's starting to affect handoffs. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they treat team conflict as a patient safety issue and address it instead of hoping it fades.

About the work

A post-CABG patient two hours out of the ICU suddenly has new chest tube output of 200 mL in an hour. What do you do, and what do you tell the nurse who has that patient?

What they are checking: Whether they recognize possible bleeding or tamponade early and act fast while coaching the bedside nurse.

How do you decide which patients on a stepdown unit are ready to move out to make room, and who you call to make that happen overnight?

What they are checking: Their grasp of patient flow and the people who unlock discharges and transfers when the unit is full.

A patient with a new temporary pacemaker starts showing failure to capture on the monitor. Walk me through your response.

What they are checking: Whether they know pacing basics well enough to act safely and support a less experienced nurse.

What do you check in the first thirty minutes of a night shift as coordinator?

What they are checking: Whether they have a real routine for spotting risks early, like staffing gaps, high-risk patients, and pending admissions.

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The full job description

As published by Northwestern Medicine.

The Clinical Coordinator reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. An experienced Registered Nurse, who in addition to providing direct patient care, is accountable for facilitating an interdisciplinary approach to patient care, patient flow, staffing, resource utilization, and problem solving on a given shift. Responsibilities: • Facilitates unit operations on a shift basis according to policy, procedure, and regulatory requirements. • Coordinates unit based staffing assignments on a shift basis to achieve high quality and cost effective care. • Directs patient care provided by staff nurses and support personnel for a specific shift. • Champions new initiatives and helps in unit/departmental or hospital wide committees/task forces. • Communicates directly with patients and significant others about nursing care. • Implements appropriate action plans to provide safe, quality, and efficient care. • Assures safety and security of patients, significant others, and staff. • Provides direct patient care. Performs ongoing assessment of assigned patients and their significant others’ biopsychosocial and learning needs. • Implements appropriate actions to respond to needs of patients and their significant others. • Monitors and documents the patient’s response to therapeutic interventions and progress toward outcomes. • Assures that quality improvement activities are completed for the assigned shift. • Assesses and intervenes in critical situations involving patients, staff, and visitors and consults with manager or administrator for guidance as needed. • Ensures that the environment is clean, attractive, safe and free from hazards for patients, staff and visitors in accordance with regulatory requirements. • Analyzes patterns of daily activities and recommends operational/program changes as needed. • Anticipates staffing needs for subsequent shifts and makes necessary arrangements for coverage. • Facilitates effective interdepartmental communication of incidents with appropriate personnel (manager, administrator, medical staff, etc.). Identifies and communicates key issues and trends to managers and makes recommendations for improvement on an ongoing basis. • Provides input to manager on budgetary issues, particularly staffing and cost containment strategies. • Establishes relationships across departments to optimize patient care. • Assesses and communicates staff development needs to manager. • Orients staff to Clinical Coordinator and Charge role. • Serves as a resource for staff. Required: • Baccalaureate degree from an accredited school of nursing. (Minimum two years clinical experience in area of clinical specialty). • Registered Nurse in the state of Illinois • Two or more years in clinical specialty • (NMH only) Holds Magnet recognized certification or obtains within 1 year (specialty certification in clinical area is preferred) • CPR – Basic Life Support Preferred: • (NMHC, excluding NMH) Holds specialty clinical area certification Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Background Check Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information NorthwesternMedicine Career Page https://jobs.nm.org/benefits Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings. If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception : New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

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