Registered Nurse (RN) - PACU
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
Tell me about a time you caught a patient starting to deteriorate right after surgery, before it became an emergency.
pattern recognition and vigilance with post-anesthesia complications like airway compromise or bleeding
Since call is required for weeknights, weekends, and holidays, tell me about a time you were called in unexpectedly and had to get up to speed fast.
reliability and ability to function safely on short notice with limited ramp-up time
Describe a situation where you disagreed with a surgeon or anesthesiologist about whether a patient was ready for discharge from PACU.
willingness to advocate for patient safety and how they handle conflict with physicians
Tell me about a time you had to communicate a sudden change in a patient's condition to a family member who was anxious and waiting.
communication skill and composure with families during high-stress moments
Technical
Walk me through how you assess a patient the moment they arrive in the PACU from the OR.
whether the candidate follows a systematic, standardized handoff and initial assessment rather than skipping steps under time pressure
What's your approach to managing a patient who isn't waking up as expected from anesthesia?
depth of knowledge on delayed emergence causes and escalation protocol with anesthesia providers
How do you recognize and respond to signs of respiratory depression in a post-op patient?
core PACU competency around airway and breathing complications, the most common source of adverse events in recovery
What are your discharge criteria for moving a patient out of PACU to the floor or home, and what would make you hold someone longer even if the clock says they're ready?
whether clinical judgment overrides checklist thinking on discharge readiness
Walk me through how you'd recognize and respond to malignant hyperthermia in recovery.
knowledge of a rare but life-threatening anesthesia complication and readiness to act fast
Situational
A patient in bay 3 is waking up combative and pulling at lines while you're also managing a fresh post-op with unstable blood pressure in bay 5. What do you do?
prioritization and triage skills under a 2:1 ratio with competing acute needs
How do you manage a patient in severe post-operative pain who also has a history of opioid use?
clinical nuance in pain management balancing comfort and safety, a common real scenario
This is a Level 1 trauma center, so PACU sometimes gets trauma or emergency surgical patients rather than routine elective cases. How do you adjust your approach when the patient's history and stability are less known going in?
adaptability to higher-acuity, less predictable patients typical of a trauma center PACU
With 18 recovery bays and a busy unit, how do you keep track of multiple patients' status and make sure nothing falls through the cracks during a shift change?
organizational systems and handoff communication in a high-volume unit
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As published by Advocate Health.
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