Registered Nurse (RN) - ICU
Posted Sep 15, 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
Walk me through a time you had a patient crashing in front of you. What did you see first, and what did you do first?
whether the candidate can prioritize and act under pressure without waiting for direction
Tell me about a patient you took care of who was on a ventilator or had multiple drips running. How did you organize your assessments and your time that shift?
real experience managing complex, multi-system ICU patients versus generic answers
Describe a time you disagreed with a physician or intensivist about a patient's plan of care. What did you do?
comfort speaking up and advocating for a patient within a team that includes an on-site intensivist
Tell me about a time you had to restrain or verbally de-escalate a confused or agitated patient. What did you try first?
judgment and safety awareness around de-escalation before restraint use
Tell me about a shift where you felt out of your depth. What did you do and who did you go to?
self-awareness and willingness to ask for help rather than cover gaps
What draws you to critical care specifically, and what's been hard about it in your experience so far?
genuine motivation for ICU work versus applying broadly for any RN role
Technical
A patient's blood pressure is dropping and they're on three vasoactive drips. Walk me through what you check and what you do next.
clinical reasoning and titration knowledge specific to hemodynamic instability
Tell me about your experience with ACLS in a real code situation, not just in the class.
whether certification knowledge translates into functioning calmly during an actual code
How do you approach a septic patient who's just been admitted and is starting to look unstable?
familiarity with sepsis bundles and early recognition given sepsis is a named patient population here
Situational
Say you have a post-op cardiovascular surgery patient and their chest tube output suddenly increases. What are you watching for and who do you call?
recognition of surgical complications and appropriate escalation given the unit's cardiovascular surgery population
This unit runs on self-scheduling within a six week block, with weekend and holiday rotations built in. How do you think about fairness when you're picking your shifts alongside your coworkers?
whether the candidate will be a good citizen in a self-scheduling system rather than someone who games it
You're assigned two patients, and one suddenly needs a 150-pound assisted transfer while your other patient's monitor starts alarming. What do you do?
ability to triage competing physical and clinical demands in real time
How do you keep yourself and a new nurse or CNA on the same page during a fast-changing patient situation?
communication skills in a team-based unit that pairs RNs with CNAs and health unit coordinators
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As published by Advocate Health.
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