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Registered Nurse - Medical Surgical

SSM Health · WI · Part time

Posted Oct 1, 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

Tell me about a time you caught a change in a patient's condition that others had missed.

What they are checking: Whether their assessments are sharp enough to notice small trends, and whether they act on what they notice.

Tell me about a time a family member was upset with the care their loved one was getting. What did you do?

What they are checking: Whether they can stay calm, listen, and fix what's fixable without getting defensive or making promises they can't keep.

Our schedule is 12-hour shifts with every third weekend on a set six-week rotation. How does that fit your life, and how do you stay sharp late in a long shift?

What they are checking: Whether they've thought honestly about the schedule and have habits that keep them safe when they're tired.

Tell me about a time you made a mistake or had a near miss at work. What happened next?

What they are checking: Whether they report errors openly and learn from them, which is the base of a safe unit culture.

What would you do

You have five patients on a med-surg floor at the start of a 12-hour shift. Walk me through how you decide who you see first.

What they are checking: Whether they prioritize by acuity and risk rather than by room order or whoever calls first.

A patient refuses their scheduled insulin and says they feel fine. How do you handle that?

What they are checking: Whether they respect patient autonomy while still educating, documenting and notifying the provider about the safety risk.

We're a small 13-bed unit connected to a three-bed ICU. What do you think changes about nursing in a small community hospital compared to a big one?

What they are checking: Whether they understand they'll have fewer specialists nearby and need to be resourceful and self-reliant.

You're about to give a medication and something about the order doesn't look right to you. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they will stop and verify with the prescriber or pharmacist rather than give a dose they doubt.

About the work

One of your post-op patients has a heart rate creeping up and a blood pressure drifting down over two sets of vitals. What are you thinking and what do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they recognize early signs of bleeding or sepsis and escalate before the patient crashes.

We have a CNA on every shift. How do you decide what to delegate to them and what you keep for yourself?

What they are checking: Whether they understand the RN's scope for assessment and teaching, and still follow up on what they hand off.

Walk me through how you prepare a patient for discharge after a hip replacement or abdominal surgery.

What they are checking: Whether discharge teaching starts early and covers meds, warning signs and follow-up in words the patient actually understands.

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The full job description

As published by SSM Health.

It's more than a career, it's a calling WI-SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison Worker Type: Regular Job Highlights: Join a team where your work matters—every moment, every patient, every community. At SSM Health, you'll be empowered to grow, supported to thrive, and inspired to make a lasting impact. In this role, you will provide hands-on support in a fast-paced care environment where every shift makes a direct impact on patients and families. Your attention to detail, compassion, and ability to work closely with clinical teams will help create a safer, smoother care experience. If you enjoy interacting with patients and want to grow in a collaborative care setting, this role is perfect for you. Department: Medical Surgical Schedule: Part-Time, 24 hours per week, Rotating Shifts, Every 3rd Weekend Rotation Apply today. SSM Health – We bring out the incredible in you, everyday. Job Summary: Provides direct nursing care in accordance with established policies, procedures and protocols of the healthcare organization. Job Responsibilities and Requirements: PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES • Uses standards of medical-surgical nursing practice to increase the quality of care and quality of life for the patient, family, and significant other(s) by systematically evaluating the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice. • Establishes effective relationships and serves as an advocate with the patient, family, and significant other(s) to facilitate the development of the care plan unique to the patient’s care needs. • Uses the nursing process to develop and implement the plan of care, collect assessment data for each patient, determine appropriate nursing diagnoses, identify expected patient outcomes, determine the plan of care, implement interventions, and evaluate patient outcomes. • Develops assessment and management strategies based on a consideration of the physical, functional, cultural, social, economic, developmental, spiritual, vocational, and leisure dimensions of human responses to actual and potential health problems. • Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of actual or potential illness and each patient’s physical, functional, cultural, social, economic, developmental, spiritual, vocational, and leisure status. • Utilizes leadership skills by coordinating and collaborating with the patient, family, significant other(s), communities, and members of the inter-professional team in assessing needs, setting goals, planning interventions, providing care, and evaluating outcomes. • Utilizes effective communication to participate with the patient, family, significant other(s), and other health care providers in collaborative decision making that reflects the understanding that care should be culturally sensitive, ethical, legal, holistic, informed, compassionate, and humane, and within the boundaries of available economic resources. • Educates the patient, family, and significant other(s) about measures that promote, maintain, and restore health or promote comfort. • Fosters a healthy work environment within the practice setting and profession by serving as a mentor and role model for nursing colleagues, students, and others. • Applies the existing body of evidence-based practice and scientific knowledge in health care to medical-surgical nursing practice, ensuring that nursing care is delivered based on patient’s age-specific needs and clinical needs as described in the department's Scope of Service. • Works in a constant state of alertness and safe manner. • May perform point of care testing according to policies and procedures. • Performs other duties as assigned. EDUCATION • Graduate of accredited school of nursing or education equivalency for licensing EXPERIENCE • No experience required PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Constant use of speech to share information through oral communication. • Constant standing and walking. • Frequent lifting/carrying and pushing/pulling objects weighing 0-25 lbs. • Frequent sitting, reaching and keyboard use/data entry. • Frequent use of vision and depth perception for distances near (20 inches or less) and far (20 feet or more) and to identify and distinguish colors. • Frequent use of smell to detect/recognize odors. • Frequent use of hearing to receive oral communication, distinguish body sounds and/or hear alarms, malfunctioning machinery, etc. • Occasional lifting/carrying and pushing/pulling objects weighing 25-50 lbs. • Occasional lifting/moving of patients. • Occasional bending, stooping, kneeling, squatting, twisting, gripping and repetitive foot/leg and hand/arm movements. • Occasional driving. • Rare crawling and running. REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL LICENSE AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS State of Work Location: Illinois • Basic Life Support HealthCare Provider (BLS HCP) - American Heart Association (AHA) • And • Registered Professional Nurse (RN) - Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) State of Work Location: Missouri • Basic Life Support HealthCare Provider (BLS HCP) - American Heart Association (AHA) • And • Registered Nurse (RN) - Missouri Division of Professional Registration • Or • Registered Nurse (RN) Issued by Compact State State of Work Location: Oklahoma • Basic Life Support HealthCare Provider (BLS HCP) - American Heart Association (AHA) • And • Registered Nurse (RN) Issued by Compact State • Or • Registered Nurse (RN) - Oklahoma Board of Nursing (OBN) State of Work Location: Wisconsin • Basic Life Support HealthCare Provider (BLS HCP) - American Heart Association (AHA) • And • Registered Nurse (RN) Issued by Compact State • Or • Registered Nurse (RN) - Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Work Shift: Rotating Shift (United States of America) Job Type: Employee Department: 1001000007 Medical/Surgical (3SW) Scheduled Weekly Hours: 24 SSM Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. SSM Health provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Click here to learn more.

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