Registered Nurse (RN) - PACU
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 a patient's airway or breathing became a problem while they were waking up from anesthesia. What did you do?
hands-on experience managing airway emergencies and staying calm under pressure
Tell me about a time you caught a mistake or a near-miss before it reached the patient.
attention to detail and willingness to speak up in a high-risk environment
Tell me about a family member or patient who was anxious or difficult before surgery. How did you get them settled?
communication skills and ability to build trust quickly with strangers under stress
Describe a shift where you had a full bay of recovering patients and not enough hands. How did you keep everyone safe?
workload management and teamwork with CNAs and LPNs during high census
Technical
Walk me through how you assess a patient right when they arrive in PACU from the OR.
whether the candidate has a structured, safety-first handoff and initial assessment process
How do you decide when a patient meets discharge criteria and is safe to move to the next phase of care?
knowledge of PACU discharge scoring systems like Aldrete and clinical judgment beyond a checklist
What is your approach to managing a patient's post-op pain when they have a history of opioid tolerance or substance use?
clinical nuance around pain management and multimodal approaches
What's your experience with PALS or caring for pediatric patients coming out of anesthesia, and are you comfortable getting that certification within six months if you don't already have it?
honesty about current certification gaps and willingness to meet requirements on a timeline
Situational
Say you have a patient who is unexpectedly hypotensive and another patient in the bay is spiking pain to a 9 out of 10 at the same time. How do you handle both?
prioritization skills and comfort managing more than one acute situation at once
How do you communicate with the surgeon or anesthesia provider when something isn't going the way you expected in recovery?
comfort escalating concerns and closed-loop communication with physicians
This unit runs preop through PACU through discharge, and you might float between the East and Main locations. How do you adjust when you're pulled into a phase of care you weren't expecting to work that day?
flexibility and ability to function across the full perianesthesia continuum
You're on call overnight and get a callback. Walk me through what you do from the moment your phone rings to getting to the unit.
reliability and understanding of the 30-minute call response expectation
What would you do if you noticed a colleague was cutting corners on a safety check, like verifying anesthesia orders or monitoring vitals?
integrity and willingness to hold peers accountable for patient safety
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Advocate Health from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.
Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Advocate Health.
More registered nurse pacu roles
Related jobs
Registered Nurse (RN) - PACU
Posted Aug 31 · Verified Sep 20
Registered Nurse (RN) - PACU
Posted Sep 14 · Verified Sep 20
Registered Nurse (RN) PACU
Posted Sep 15 · Verified Sep 20
Registered Nurse (RN) PACU
Posted Sep 16 · Verified Sep 20
Physical Therapist (PT) - Acute Care and Emergency
Posted Sep 19 · Verified Sep 20
Medical Assistant (MA)/LPN - OB/GYN
Posted Sep 19 · Verified Sep 20