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Registered Nurse, Obstetrics - Sign-on Bonus Available!

Mercyhealth · Freeport, IL · $34.45–$60.87 an hour · Full time

Posted Sep 11, 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

This Freeport obstetrics role welcomes both experienced OB nurses and new graduates. Where are you in that range, and what support would help you most?

What they are checking: Whether they know their level honestly and can say what they need to grow safely.

Why obstetrics, and why night shift?

What they are checking: Whether they want this specialty and schedule, which predicts how long they will stay.

Tell me about a time you learned a difficult new skill. How did you get comfortable with it?

What they are checking: Whether they learn by asking questions and practicing rather than hiding uncertainty.

How do you stay alert and safe on three 12-hour night shifts a week?

What they are checking: Whether they have real strategies for sleep and fatigue on nights.

Describe a time you made a mistake or nearly did. What did you do?

What they are checking: Whether they report errors honestly and learn from them, which is vital with mothers and babies.

What would you do

A laboring patient's tracing suddenly shows a prolonged deceleration. What would you do first?

What they are checking: Whether they know to reposition, give fluids and oxygen as ordered, and call for help immediately.

After delivery, a mother is bleeding more than expected. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they recognize postpartum hemorrhage and act quickly with massage and escalation.

A patient and her partner disagree about pain management during labor. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they keep the patient's choice central while staying respectful to the family.

How do you care for a mother whose baby needs to go to a higher level of care?

What they are checking: Whether they support the mother emotionally and keep her informed during a scary moment.

About the work

Walk me through what you know about reading a fetal heart rate tracing.

What they are checking: Whether they understand baseline, variability, accelerations and decelerations at their level of experience.

How would you teach a new mother about caring for her newborn before discharge?

What they are checking: Whether they cover feeding, safe sleep, jaundice and warning signs clearly.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Mercyhealth from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Mercyhealth.

OVERVIEW Seeking experienced OB RNs as well as newly licensed RNs interested in building their careers in obstetric nursing. Ideal candidates are compassionate, dependable, and committed to providing safe, high-quality care to mothers and newborns, with training and support available for new RNs. SCHEDULE: Three, 12-hour shifts per week SHIFT: Nights Sign-on bonus available! ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES • Utilizes the nursing process and collaborates with interdisciplinary team members in caring for patients. • Administers prescribed medications and treatments in accordance with approved nursing techniques, policies and procedures, standards of care, and State laws practice act. • Documents according to standards of care. • Performs assessments, planning, intervention, and evaluation of care. • Develops, initiates, and executes a patient plan of care according to the individualized needs of the patient, as prescribed by Physician and or clinic policy including patient and family instruction. • Participates in department or unit performance improvement activities, may include shared governance. • Utilizes clinical expertise and guidance to other units’ departments in support of the patient’s longitudinal plan of care. • Utilizes critical thinking regarding patient safety and patient experience and appropriately escalates to the appropriate chain of command. • Participates in the professional nursing continuum process, unit practice activities and decisions and peer review process. EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE • Graduate of an accredited nursing program. • ADN required upon hire, BSN preferred. • May require specific years of applicable experience to qualify (per department guidelines) CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE • Licensed as an RN in state of practice • Approved CPR/BLS certification required within 90 days • Other certification(s) per unit requirements. For example : ACLS, PALS, PEARS, and NRP PAY RANGE: $34.45 - $60.87 Mercyhealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer . All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Mercyhealth offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package including: • Medical, Dental, Vision • Life & Disability Insurance • FSA/HSA Options • Generous, accruing paid time off • Paid Parental and caregiver leave • Career advancement and educational opportunities • Tuition and certification reimbursement • Certification Reimbursement • Well-being Programs • Employee Discounts • On-Demand Pay • Financial Education • Annual recognition/awards events • Partner appreciation days • Family entertainment/attractions discount • Community service/improvement opportunities Click here for more details regarding Mercyhealth Careers Benefit Information. At Mercyhealth, we don’t simply hire people, we empower employee-partners who are passionate about making lives better. As an integrated health system, we deliver exceptional, coordinated across seven hospitals, 85 primary and specialty clinics, and a team of over 7,500 professionals serving northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Mercyhealth has been nationally recognized for our commitment to our people and culture, including: • #1 in the nation on AARP's Best Employers for Workers Over 50 • One of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers • A Top 50 Company and Top 10 Nonprofit for Executive Women

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