Registered Nurse (RN) –Operating Room
Posted Sep 13, 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 disagreed with a surgeon or another team member in the OR about how something should be done. How did you handle it?
ability to advocate for patient safety while maintaining a working relationship in a hierarchical environment
Describe a case that didn't go as planned, maybe a complication or an unexpected finding. What was your role in the room once things changed?
composure and clinical judgment when a procedure goes off script
Tell me about a time a patient or their family was anxious right before surgery. What did you say or do?
ability to deliver compassionate care under time pressure, not just technical competence
Tell me about a time you had feedback about how something was run in your unit and you raised it. What happened?
alignment with the organization's stated value of nurses speaking up to shape culture
Technical
Walk me through how you set up and run a case for an open heart or neuro procedure, from the moment you get the schedule to the moment the patient rolls into the room.
whether the candidate can handle high-acuity specialty cases without hand-holding
How do you approach circulating versus scrubbing on a robotic surgery case, and what's different about your prep for those compared to an open procedure?
actual hands-on familiarity with robotic surgery programs, not just awareness they exist
How do you keep track of counts, instruments, and sponges across a long case, especially when there's a shift change or relief coming in mid-procedure?
rigor around a core patient-safety task that has zero margin for error
What does evidence-based practice actually look like for you day to day in the OR, not just as a phrase?
whether the candidate can translate a buzzword into concrete clinical decisions
As a Level I trauma center, you might get a case with little to no warning or history on the patient. How do you prepare a room when you don't have much information?
adaptability and clinical instinct in true trauma conditions versus scheduled cases
Situational
Tell me about a time the surgeon called for something and the count wasn't right, or an instrument wasn't sterile. What did you do in that moment?
commitment to safety protocol even under pressure from a physician
You're on call and get paged for an emergent case with a 30 minute response window. Walk me through what happens from the page to you being scrubbed in.
realistic understanding of call expectations and ability to mobilize quickly
With 15 suites running and specialties from trauma to neuro to open heart, how do you prioritize when you're pulled between rooms or asked to help another team mid-shift?
flexibility and triage instinct in a large, high-volume surgical department
This role has rotating shifts, required call, weekends, and holidays. How have you managed a schedule like that in the past, and what makes it work for you?
realistic fit with the demanding, irregular schedule before it becomes a retention problem
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