Registered Nurse (RN) - Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit
Posted Sep 8, 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 a change in a patient's condition before it became a crisis. What tipped you off?
What they are checking: assessment skills and clinical vigilance, since this unit relies on catching subtle telemetry or respiratory shifts early
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician or resident about a patient's care plan. How did you handle it?
What they are checking: communication skills in a teaching hospital environment where residents are heavily involved in care decisions
How do you approach educating a patient or family who is anxious or overwhelmed about a ventilator or intermediate care setting?
What they are checking: patient and family communication skills for a population dealing with serious respiratory or cardiac issues
Tell me about a time you had to hand off a complex patient to the next shift. What did you make sure to include?
What they are checking: quality of handoff communication, critical on a unit with high-acuity, diverse patient populations
Describe a time a new nurse or student was struggling on your unit. How did you support them?
What they are checking: mentorship capacity, relevant to a Magnet teaching hospital culture that values growing others
What would you do
Walk me through a shift where you were managing a ventilated patient alongside a couple of telemetry patients. How did you prioritize your time?
What they are checking: whether the candidate can triage competing acuity levels safely on a mixed respiratory/telemetry unit
Describe a night shift where you had a heavier patient load than felt safe. What did you do?
What they are checking: willingness to escalate concerns about staffing or safety rather than silently absorb risk
This unit works rotating weekends, holidays, and 12-hour night shifts. How have you managed your energy and focus on a schedule like that in the past?
What they are checking: realistic self-awareness about sustaining performance on demanding night shift rotations
If you noticed a coworker cutting a corner on infection control or line care around a vented patient, what would you do?
What they are checking: integrity and willingness to intervene on patient safety issues among peers
About the work
Tell me about your hands-on experience with ventilators. What settings and troubleshooting have you actually done at the bedside?
What they are checking: whether the 'vent experience highly desired' preference is real and specific, not just familiarity from clinical rotations
A patient on your unit suddenly desats and their vent alarms are going off. Walk me through exactly what you do in the first two minutes.
What they are checking: clinical reflexes and correct escalation sequence for a respiratory emergency
How do you read and interpret telemetry strips, and can you describe a rhythm change that changed your plan of care for a patient?
What they are checking: depth of cardiac monitoring competency, since the unit covers medical, surgical, and cardiac telemetry patients
How do you stay current on evidence-based practice changes, and can you give an example of applying a new protocol on the floor?
What they are checking: commitment to evidence-based practice as emphasized in the posting, not just compliance
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As published by Advocate Health.