Registered Nurse (RN) - Cardiac Surgical Weekend Program Days
Posted Sep 16, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 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.
Behavioral
Tell me about a time you noticed a patient was starting to deteriorate before it became obvious to everyone else. What did you do?
clinical vigilance and willingness to escalate early, which is critical on a unit feeding into CVICU
Tell me about a time you had to manage several patients at once and one situation suddenly became urgent. How did you decide what to do first?
triage and time management skills for a 48-bed moderate acuity unit
This unit works closely with the CVICU. Describe a time you had to hand off a patient or coordinate care with another unit or team.
cross-team communication and handoff discipline, which matters for the CVICU relationship
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician or provider about a patient's care plan. What did you do?
advocacy skills and ability to speak up respectfully within a team hierarchy
Tell me about a time a patient or family member was unhappy with their care. How did you respond?
patient experience orientation, given the unit's emphasis on satisfaction scores
Technical
Walk me through how you'd assess a patient who just came back from the OR after cardiac surgery, in the first hour on the unit.
whether the candidate has a structured, safe post-op assessment framework appropriate to cardiac surgical patients
What do you know about caring for a heart transplant or VAD patient, even if you haven't had hands-on experience yet?
baseline awareness of the specialized phase-two population and honesty about current knowledge gaps
What does evidence-based practice mean to you in your day-to-day nursing, and can you give an example of using it?
whether the candidate actually applies research and protocols rather than just relying on habit
If you're new to cardiac surgical nursing, what is your plan for getting comfortable with things like chest tubes, pacing wires, or hemodynamic monitoring?
self-awareness and a realistic learning approach for new grads or nurses transitioning into cardiac specialty
Situational
One of your cardiac surgical patients has a heart rate climbing, blood pressure dropping, and looks pale and diaphoretic. What are you doing in the next five minutes?
ability to prioritize and act under time pressure with a plausible post-cardiac-surgery complication like bleeding or arrhythmia
How would you explain to a patient's family what to expect in the days after open heart surgery?
communication skill and ability to translate clinical information for anxious families
A patient becomes confused, pulls at lines, and starts to get combative overnight. How do you handle it in the moment?
comfort with de-escalation and safe physical intervention as described in the job's physical requirements
This role is a weekend program with 12-hour shifts, Saturday and Sunday required plus a weekday shift, and half of holidays. What draws you to that schedule specifically?
genuine fit with the demanding schedule versus applying without understanding the commitment
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