Registered Nurse, Operating Room - Variable Shifts
Posted Sep 29, 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 your operating room experience. Have you worked as a circulator, scrub, or both?
What they are checking: Whether they have real perioperative skills and know which roles they can safely fill.
This role has variable shifts and may include call and floating. How do you handle that kind of schedule?
What they are checking: Whether they are truly flexible about the hours an OR needs covered.
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a surgeon. How did you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they stay professional and keep the patient first in tense OR moments.
How do you help a scared patient feel safe right before anesthesia?
What they are checking: Whether they offer calm, personal care in the brief time before surgery.
What would you do
The count is off at the end of a case and the surgeon wants to close. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they hold firm on count policy and request imaging even under pressure.
You notice a break in sterile technique during a case. How do you speak up?
What they are checking: Whether they speak up immediately and clearly regardless of who broke the field.
About the work
Walk me through what you do as a circulator from the moment the patient enters the room.
What they are checking: Whether they cover identification, consent, positioning, the time-out, counts and documentation.
How do you position a patient safely for a long procedure?
What they are checking: Whether they know how to prevent nerve injuries and pressure injuries during surgery.
How do you prepare for and respond to malignant hyperthermia?
What they are checking: Whether they recognize the signs and know dantrolene and the emergency response.
How do you make sure specimens are handled and labeled correctly?
What they are checking: Whether they treat specimen handling with care, since errors can affect diagnosis.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Mercyhealth.