Registered Nurse - Pediatrics, Oncology and General Med/Surg
Posted Sep 14, 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
Walk me through a shift where you had a mix of pediatric, oncology, and general med/surg patients at the same time. How did you decide who to see first?
What they are checking: whether the candidate can prioritize across very different patient acuities and needs rather than treating every patient the same way
Tell me about a time you had to give a child or a child's parents difficult news or prepare them for a scary procedure.
What they are checking: comfort and skill with family-centered communication, since pediatric patients require involving parents as active participants in care
Tell me about a time a patient's condition changed quickly and you had to call a rapid response or get a physician involved fast.
What they are checking: clinical judgment and speed of recognizing deterioration, a core med/surg safety skill
Describe a time you had to comfort a family dealing with a poor cancer prognosis or end-of-life decisions.
What they are checking: emotional resilience and skill delivering compassionate care in oncology settings
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician's plan of care for a patient. What did you do?
What they are checking: willingness to advocate for patient safety while maintaining professional collaboration
Tell me about a time you made a medication error or almost did, and what you did about it.
What they are checking: honesty, accountability, and understanding of safe medication practices and reporting culture
What would you do
Say a patient's oncology labs come back showing a dangerously low white count during your shift. What do you do?
What they are checking: understanding of neutropenic precautions and escalation protocols for oncology-specific complications
If you're working the 1445 to 2315 shift and you're getting handoff on eight patients with very different needs, what do you focus on to make sure nothing gets missed overnight?
What they are checking: organizational skill and thoroughness during shift handoff on a diverse patient load
This position works every third weekend and rotates holidays on a part-time schedule. How do you think that will work for you, and how have you handled that kind of schedule before?
What they are checking: realistic commitment to the schedule and evidence of past reliability with rotating weekend and holiday coverage
About the work
What extra precautions do you take when you're administering chemotherapy or handling a patient who just received it?
What they are checking: knowledge of chemo safety protocols, hazardous drug handling, and spill/exposure procedures
How do you adjust your assessment and communication style when you go from a pediatric patient to an elderly med/surg patient in the same shift?
What they are checking: flexibility in applying age-appropriate assessment techniques across a mixed unit
How do you decide what tasks you can safely hand off to a nursing assistant or tech during a busy shift, especially with oncology or pediatric patients?
What they are checking: understanding of scope of practice and safe delegation on a mixed acuity unit
What's your approach to keeping a pediatric patient calm and cooperative during a painful procedure, like a blood draw or IV start?
What they are checking: practical pediatric technique and comfort working with children under stress
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As published by Advocate Health.