Registered Nurse (RN) PACU
Posted Sep 17, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 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.
About your past
Tell me about a time you caught early signs of a patient deteriorating right after surgery. What did you notice and what did you do?
What they are checking: pattern recognition and speed of escalation in a high-acuity, fast-turnover unit
Tell me about your recent experience in critical care, the ED, or PACU. What kind of patients did you manage and how sick were they?
What they are checking: verifying the required recent acute-care background, since new grads aren't being considered
Describe a time you had to manage more than one recovering patient at once with competing needs. How did you prioritize?
What they are checking: multitasking ability in a unit where turnover and volume are constant
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a surgeon or anesthesiologist about whether a patient was ready to move on. What happened?
What they are checking: advocacy skills and ability to communicate clinical concerns across the care team
Tell me about a shift where things did not go as planned, maybe a delay, a code, or an unexpected transfer. How did you and your team adapt?
What they are checking: resilience and teamwork in the unpredictable flow of a surgical recovery unit
What would you do
A patient comes out of anesthesia with an oxygen saturation that keeps dropping despite supplemental oxygen. What's your next move?
What they are checking: clinical judgment and ACLS-level reasoning under time pressure
You have a pediatric patient waking up from anesthesia who is combative and pulling at lines. How do you handle that?
What they are checking: comfort with pediatric emergence delirium and use of PALS-level skills
You're on call and get pulled in for an unplanned case outside your normal hours. How do you handle that kind of schedule demand?
What they are checking: willingness and reliability around the shared call responsibility built into this role
How do you keep a patient's family informed and calm while you're focused on close monitoring right after surgery?
What they are checking: communication skill under pressure and patient experience orientation
About the work
Walk me through how you assess a patient in the first few minutes after they arrive in PACU from the OR.
What they are checking: whether the candidate has a systematic, safety-first approach to initial post-anesthesia assessment
How do you decide when a patient meets criteria to move to the next phase of care, whether that's an inpatient unit or discharge home?
What they are checking: understanding of PACU discharge criteria and readiness scoring
What's your approach to pain and nausea management right after surgery, and how do you balance that with keeping a patient alert enough to assess?
What they are checking: clinical knowledge of post-anesthesia pharmacology and side-effect tradeoffs
A patient starts showing signs of malignant hyperthermia in recovery. Talk me through what you'd do.
What they are checking: depth of knowledge on rare but high-stakes post-anesthesia emergencies
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As published by Advocate Health.