Registered Nurse (RN) - Med Surg Ortho
Posted Sep 7, 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 had a patient whose condition started to decline and you had to decide how quickly to act. What did you do?
whether the candidate can recognize subtle clinical deterioration and escalate appropriately
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician or provider about a patient's plan of care. How did you handle it?
communication skills and willingness to advocate for a patient within a hierarchical team
Describe a shift where you felt stretched thin. How did you keep track of everything and make sure nothing got missed?
organizational skill and self-awareness under a heavy, varied caseload
How do you build rapport with patients who are with you for several days recovering from surgery, especially when they're frustrated or in pain?
bedside manner and consistency of care over a multi-day stay
Tell me about a time you had to teach or support a new nurse or student on your unit.
fit with a unit that runs a residency program and expects experienced nurses to mentor
What made you interested in working with this mix of ortho, urology, bariatric, and general surgical patients rather than a more specialized unit?
genuine motivation for a varied med-surg environment versus a narrower specialty
Technical
What do you watch for in the first 24 hours after a hip or knee replacement, and what would make you call the surgeon right away?
specific orthopedic post-op knowledge like neurovascular checks, DVT/PE signs, and wound assessment
How do you assess and manage pain in a post-surgical patient, especially when their pain reports don't match what you're seeing?
clinical judgment in pain management and comfort with non-verbal or inconsistent pain cues
What's your approach to safe patient handling and mobility, especially with patients who need a two-person assisted transfer or are recovering from major surgery?
awareness of physical safety protocols given the lifting and transfer demands described in the job
What signs make you suspicious of a surgical site infection or wound complication, and what would you do about it?
wound assessment knowledge relevant to the surgical population on this unit
Situational
Walk me through how you would prioritize your assignment if you had six patients, including a fresh total knee replacement, a post-op bariatric patient, and someone on telemetry with new chest pain.
ability to triage across a mixed medical, surgical, and telemetry patient load, which is the core of this unit
A patient who just had bariatric surgery is anxious and asking a lot of questions about their recovery and diet. How do you approach educating them?
patient education skills and ability to communicate clearly with people under stress
If a telemetry patient's monitor shows a new arrhythmia while you're in the middle of another task, what do you do first?
ability to prioritize competing demands and respond correctly to a cardiac change
How do you make sure you're following hospital protocols and documentation standards when you're moving fast between patients?
attention to compliance and charting accuracy under time pressure
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As published by Advocate Health.
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