Registered Nurse (RN) Operating Room
Posted Sep 2, 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 caught a break in sterile technique during a procedure. What did you do in the moment?
willingness to speak up and stop the line even under pressure from the surgical team
Tell me about a surgeon you've worked with who has a difficult communication style. How did you handle it?
ability to maintain patient safety and professionalism under interpersonal friction with physicians
Tell me about a time a case went sideways unexpectedly, like a sudden hemorrhage or equipment failure. What did you do first?
composure and clinical decision-making under acute stress
Tell me about a time you had to advocate for a patient when you disagreed with a plan of care in the OR.
patient advocacy instincts and confidence to raise concerns to a surgeon
How do you handle it when a family member or patient is anxious right before you take them back for surgery?
bedside communication skills and compassion under time pressure
Technical
Walk me through how you set up your room for a case you've never circulated before.
whether the candidate has a repeatable prep process rather than relying on memory or luck
How do you run counts with the scrub tech, and what do you do if the count doesn't reconcile at the end of a case?
knowledge of a core patient safety protocol and discipline in following it exactly, not shortcuts
What's your process for a surgical time-out, and have you ever had to stop one?
commitment to protocol over deference to hierarchy in the room
How do you approach positioning and skin prep for a patient with a complex history, like obesity or a pressure injury risk?
clinical judgment applying evidence-based practice to reduce patient harm
What's your experience level with different surgical specialties, like ortho, general, or neuro cases?
fit between candidate's actual OR exposure and the variety of cases this Level I trauma center runs
Situational
Say it's 3 a.m., you're on call, and a trauma comes in needing an emergent case while you're already circulating another room. What do you do?
prioritization and communication skills during overnight, low-staffing crunches typical of this shift
You're the only experienced circulator in the room with a newer scrub tech during a night shift emergency. How do you manage that?
leadership and mentoring instinct when staffing is thin
How do you stay sharp working overnight shifts, especially with call requirements stacked on top of your regular schedule?
realistic self-awareness about fatigue management and reliability for a demanding schedule
If you noticed a pattern of near-misses with a particular piece of equipment, what would you do about it?
initiative around systems-level safety reporting rather than just individual vigilance
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As published by Advocate Health.
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