Registered Nurse (RN) - Intensive Care Unit
Posted Sep 14, 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 who was crashing and you had to act fast. What did you notice first, and what did you do?
whether the candidate can recognize deterioration early and respond with a clear, prioritized sequence of actions
Describe a code you were part of. What was your specific role, and how did the team communicate?
ACLS readiness and ability to function within a team during a resuscitation, not just individual skill
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician's plan for a patient. What did you do?
willingness to advocate for a patient through appropriate channels without creating unsafe friction
Tell me about a shift where staffing was tight and acuity was high. How did you keep track of what mattered most?
resilience and organizational skill in a unit that reassesses staffing every four hours
Tell me about a time you had to give a hard update to a patient's family. How did you decide what to say and how to say it?
communication skill and emotional composure when delivering difficult news, which the posting frames as core to patient experience
Technical
Tell me about a patient you cared for who was on multiple vasoactive drips or ventilator support. What was your assessment routine through the shift?
hands-on comfort with hemodynamic monitoring and titrating high-risk medications, not just textbook knowledge
Have you used the NIHSS scale before, or something similar? Walk me through how you'd assess a stroke patient.
actual familiarity with the required certification and whether they understand its clinical purpose, since NIHSS is required within 6 months
How do you approach a 150-pound dependent transfer with a patient who has multiple lines and a ventilator attached?
practical safety awareness for high-acuity patient handling given the physical demands listed
What's your experience with trauma or neuro patients specifically, since this unit covers both alongside cardiac and surgical cases?
breadth of ICU exposure relevant to this particular mixed-population unit
Situational
Say you're covering three ICU patients and one is a fresh post-op cardiac patient, one is a stroke patient waiting on NIHSS reassessment, and the third's family is asking for an update. How do you sequence your time?
prioritization under real workload pressure across trauma, cardiac, and neuro patient types typical of this unit
A patient becomes agitated and starts pulling at lines and trying to get out of bed. Walk me through what you'd do before considering restraints.
judgment around de-escalation and restraint policy, and whether safety interventions are used as a last resort
A family member is at the bedside during a rapid decline and wants to stay in the room. How do you handle that?
ability to balance family presence policies with clinical urgency and communication under stress
If you noticed a coworker cutting corners on an infection control step during a procedure, what would you do in the moment?
commitment to safety standards and willingness to speak up to a peer, reflecting the unit's stated culture of openness
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As published by Advocate Health.
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