Registered Nurse (RN) – CRU
Posted Oct 1, 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's condition got worse and you had to call a rapid response. What did you notice first?
What they are checking: Whether they can recognize early signs of decline and act with urgency rather than waiting.
How do you build trust with a unit's charge nurse and staff when you're only there for one shift?
What they are checking: Whether they can join an unfamiliar team smoothly and ask for help when they need it.
This is a Level 1 trauma center. How do you handle the pace and acuity of patients here compared with places you've worked before?
What they are checking: Whether they can handle the higher acuity and volume that comes with a Level 1 trauma center.
Tell me about a time you used evidence-based practice to change how you cared for a patient.
What they are checking: Whether they actually use current evidence in decisions, as the posting asks, instead of only habit.
What would you do
This float pool covers observation, med-tele, critical care stepdown and behavioral health. How do you get oriented quickly on a unit you don't work on often?
What they are checking: Whether they have a real routine for getting safe fast on unfamiliar units, the core skill of float nursing.
How do you approach caring for a patient on the behavioral health unit who is becoming agitated?
What they are checking: Whether they know de-escalation and safety basics, since behavioral health is one of the floated units.
You're floated to a unit and given an assignment you don't feel safe taking. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they can speak up about safety through the right channels without refusing care outright.
It's 3 a.m., you have a confused patient trying to get out of bed and a new admission arriving. How do you manage both?
What they are checking: Whether they can protect patient safety while handling competing demands on a busy night.
About the work
On a stepdown assignment with three or four patients, how do you decide who to see first at the start of a night shift?
What they are checking: Whether they prioritize by acuity and risk, which matters more on stepdown units with less-stable patients.
Walk me through what you'd do if a telemetry patient's rhythm changed to something new overnight.
What they are checking: Whether they can assess, act and escalate on telemetry changes without waiting for someone else.
How do you hand off a patient at the end of a 12-hour night shift so nothing gets missed?
What they are checking: Whether they give structured, complete handoffs, since float nurses often hand off to staff who do not know them.
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As published by Advocate Health.