Registered Nurse - Intermediate Care Unit/SICU-Nights
Posted Sep 28, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 5, 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 you called a rapid response. What did you see, and what happened?
What they are checking: Willingness to call early, which is the main safety net on an intermediate unit.
If you're a new graduate, tell me how your CNA experience will help you here. If not, tell me what your last unit taught you about workload.
What they are checking: Whether they can connect prior experience to the pace and tasks of this unit.
Tell me about a time you had to explain a complicated plan of care to a patient who was scared or confused.
What they are checking: Whether they can make clinical information understandable and calm without talking down.
This is a 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. schedule with rotating weekends at Skokie. What makes you want nights?
What they are checking: Whether the night schedule is a deliberate choice they can sustain, not a stopgap.
What would you do
You get a post-op SICU patient on nights who is hypotensive and has a heavy dressing. Walk me through your first moves.
What they are checking: Recognition of possible bleeding and an organized response that fits surgical intermediate care.
You're working with a CNA on nights who is falling behind on turns and I&Os. How do you help without doing their whole job?
What they are checking: Ability to direct and support unlicensed staff while keeping their own patients safe.
About the work
Intermediate care sits between the floor and the ICU. How do you decide a patient is getting too sick for your unit?
What they are checking: Whether they recognize the limits of step-down care and escalate before a patient deteriorates.
What drips are you comfortable managing, and which ones would you want more training on?
What they are checking: Honest skill level on titratable medications common on intermediate and SICU units.
How do you manage pain for a post-surgical patient who also has sleep apnea?
What they are checking: Awareness of opioid risks and monitoring needs in vulnerable surgical patients.
What does a strong night shift handoff to the day nurse look like on this kind of unit?
What they are checking: Whether they pass on trends, pending items and risks so nothing gets dropped at shift change.
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As published by Endeavor Health.