JobsAdvocate Health

Registered Nurse (RN) Clinical Lead Neuro ICU

Advocate Health · Oak Lawn, IL

Posted Aug 24, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 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.

Behavioral

Walk me through a shift in the Neuro ICU where you had to balance direct patient care with directing the rest of the team. How did you decide where your attention went first?

whether the candidate can actually operate in the dual role of bedside clinician and charge-level coordinator, not just one or the other

Tell me about a time you noticed a neuro patient was starting to deteriorate before it was obvious to anyone else. What did you see and what did you do?

depth of neuro-specific clinical judgment, since early recognition of change is the core skill in this specialty

Tell me about a time you had to give a peer or a more junior nurse feedback about their practice. How did you approach it and how did they respond?

willingness and skill to coach and correct staff, since this role includes performance input without full formal authority

Tell me about a time a family member or patient filed a complaint, or was close to it. How did you handle the follow-up?

service recovery skills and comfort acting as the communication bridge between families, staff, and physicians

Tell me about a new practice, protocol, or piece of equipment you helped bring into your unit. What was your role in it?

evidence of contributing to program development, not just following existing procedures

What does a holistic approach to a neuro ICU patient and their family actually look like for you, especially with patients who may not recover full function?

emotional maturity and ability to support families through prognosis uncertainty, which is common in neuro critical care

Technical

A patient with a fresh craniotomy suddenly has a blown pupil and a drop in level of consciousness. What is your immediate sequence of actions and who are you calling?

real command of neuro emergency protocols like herniation response, not just textbook recall

How do you assess and manage intracranial pressure at the bedside, and what tells you it's time to escalate to the physician versus manage it yourself?

clinical scope of practice and judgment about when independent action is appropriate versus when to loop in the team

What's your experience with EMR systems and documentation in a critical care setting, and have you ever caught a documentation error that could have affected patient care?

practical fluency with electronic medical records and attention to detail in high-stakes documentation

Situational

You've got two new grad nurses on shift, a patient coding, and a family in the hallway who's upset about communication. How do you triage your own time in that moment?

prioritization and leadership under simultaneous pressure, which is the daily reality of this charge role

Describe a situation where staffing dropped below what you needed for safe patient care. What did you do?

resourcefulness in staffing adjustments and comfort escalating when patient safety is at stake

How would you handle a disagreement with a physician over the plan of care for a critically unstable neuro patient?

advocacy skills and ability to navigate hierarchy without compromising patient safety

How do you decide when a change in staffing assignments is needed mid-shift, and how do you communicate that decision to the team?

operational judgment around patient flow and workload balancing across the unit

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 34508 Advocate Christ Medical Center - Critical Care: NCCU Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 36 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Lead with Excellence in Neuro Critical Care! Join our dynamic team at Advocate Christ Medical Center as an RN Clinical Leader in the Neuro ICU. This is your opportunity to make a real impact—guiding clinical teams, driving best practices, and ensuring exceptional patient outcomes in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment. Pay Range: $41.10 - $61.65 Major Responsibilities: • Provides work direction to the clinical and support staff with responsibility for the coordination of resources to efficiently support procedures, day-to-day operations and the smooth flow of patients through the department. • Provides support for direct patient care by performing the nursing process to deliver safe, therapeutic, and quality care through assessment of patients, establishment and implementation of the nursing care plan, and evaluation of clinical outcomes when necessary. Promotes an environment conducive to the delivery of safe, efficient and quality patient care, which may include performing patient rounding on a daily basis. • Coordinates the needs of the patient care team by initiating service complaint follow-up when necessary and promoting communication among patients, families, hospital departments and medical staff to optimize the interdependence of team members. • Acts as a resource to employees, which includes training/orienting, providing day-to-day work direction, and giving input on performance. Assigns, monitors, and reviews progress and accuracy of work, directs efforts and provides guidance on more complex issues in collaboration with the unit leadership. • Assists with human resource responsibilities, which may include: interviewing and selection of new employees, resolution of employee concerns, and employee moral or other duties as assigned in collaboration with unit leadership. • Monitors employee assignments and works on assignments for the unit. Evaluates staffing levels and makes adjustments as necessary to maintain productivity level established for assigned area(s). • Monitors the quality of care provided. Assists in ensuring policies and procedures are followed in compliance with the medical center, the Nursing department, and regulatory and peer review agencies. • Provides input to budget and ensures adequate supplies and equipment and inventory are available for both the delivery of safe patient care and a safe work environment. • Works with management in developing new and existing programs and services. • Works with vendors for requested products and coordinates in-services for equipment. Participates in product trials, and submits recommendations to management in collaboration with the unit Educator or CNS. • Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age-specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards. Licensure: • Nurse, Registered (RN) Education/Experience Required: • Bachelor's Degree in Nursing or Health Related Field; or Associate Degree and enrolled in BSN program within 2 years of hire and complete BSN degree within 5 years Typically requires 3 years of experience in clinical nursing within an acute care setting. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Demonstrates a holistic approach to nursing practice committed to meeting the needs of the patient and family. Clinical and technical knowledge in area(s) of specialty. Ability to apply evidence-based interventions and nursing skills/technology to correlate to the patient’s response to an individualized plan of care. Ability to recognize situational changes that require unplanned interventions. Proficient computer skills including keyboarding, navigation within a windows operating system, use of electronic mail and electronic medical records systems. Excellent communication, listening and interpersonal skills. Demonstrates human relation skills with the ability to develop rapport and maintain positive, professional relationships with a variety of patients, staff and physicians. Demonstrated ability to effectively make critical, independent decisions and the ability to think ahead, anticipate learning needs and take preventive actions. Excellent organization, prioritization and problem solving skills. Demonstrates time management skills with an ability to multi-task and prioritize with frequent interruptions. Skilled at coaching and developing employees to achieve the quality and service standards of the unit and medical center. • Registered Nurse license issued by the state in which the team member practices, and Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers certification issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) needs to be obtained within 6 months unless department leader has determined it is not required. Certification Addendum: • Team members will maintain annual educational requirements for hospital based certifications (e.g. DNV, CARF or others) Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • Must be able to sit, stand, walk, lift, squat, bend, reach above shoulders, and twist frequently throughout the workday. Must be able to: lift up to 50 lbs. from floor to waist. lift up to 20 lbs. over the head. carry up to 40 lbs. a reasonable distance. Must be able to: push/pull with 30 lbs. of force. perform a sliding transfer of 150 lbs. with a second person present. Position requires use of foot pedals on carts or machines. May be exposed to chemical and hazardous waste as well as blood and body fluids and communicable disease. Therefore, protective clothing and equipment must be worn as necessary. Must have functional speech, vision, hearing, and touch with ability to use fine hand manipulation skills for IV insertion and other procedures/functions. Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. • This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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