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Registered Nurse Wound Center

Mercyhealth · Freeport, IL · $33.78–$58.50 an hour · Per diem

Posted Sep 11, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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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 patient who was not following the care plan, like not offloading or not controlling blood sugar. How did you approach it?

What they are checking: Whether they can address nonadherence with respect and find the real barrier rather than lecturing.

Tell me about a time you noticed a system problem in your clinic and helped fix it.

What they are checking: Whether they act on breakdowns and take part in improvement work rather than just working around them.

What would you do

A wound has not improved in four weeks. What do you look at, and who do you bring in?

What they are checking: Whether they recognize a stalled wound and escalate to the provider for a new plan or workup.

How do you teach a patient and their family to do dressing changes at home so it actually gets done right?

What they are checking: Whether they teach to the person's real level of understanding and check it with teach-back.

A patient gets upset because their wound is taking months to heal and they want to give up. What do you say?

What they are checking: Whether they can keep a discouraged patient engaged with honest, encouraging communication over a long course of care.

About the work

Walk me through how you assess a new wound at the first visit. What do you measure and record?

What they are checking: Whether their wound assessment is thorough and consistent enough to show healing or decline over weeks.

How do you tell the difference between a venous ulcer, an arterial ulcer and a diabetic foot ulcer, and how does that change care?

What they are checking: Whether they understand wound etiology, since the wrong treatment can make some wounds worse.

How do you choose a dressing for a wound that is heavily draining versus one that is dry?

What they are checking: Whether they match dressings to moisture balance and goals instead of using the same product for everyone.

What signs of infection in a chronic wound make you call the provider that same day?

What they are checking: Whether they know subtle infection signs in chronic wounds, which often look different from acute ones.

Describe how you document wound care so another nurse could pick up the case next week without missing anything.

What they are checking: Whether their charting is accurate and complete, which this clinic treats as a core standard of care.

Have you worked with negative pressure wound therapy or compression wraps? Tell me what you watch for.

What they are checking: Whether they can safely manage common advanced therapies and spot complications early.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Mercyhealth.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES • Utilizes the nursing process and critical thinking in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members in caring for patients. • Performs assessments, planning, intervention and evaluation of care • Administers prescribed medications and treatments in accorda nce with approved nursing techniques, policies and procedures, standards of care, and state laws and practice act as required by care setting. • Ensures all documentation is accurate and comprehensive in accordance with the established standards of care for docu mentation at the system and entity levels. • Develops initiates and executes a patient plan of care according to the patient individualized needs, as prescribed by the physician along with hospital policy. Utilizes resources available to teach and support pati ent and family education. Provides education to the appropriate level of understanding. • Participates in department or unit performance improvement activities, which may include shared governance. • Utilizes clinical expertise and guidance to other units and depart ments in support of the patient longitudinal plan of care. Acts to resolve systems breakdowns and engages self and others in providing solutions • Utilizes critical thinking in regards to patient safety and patient experience, manages complex situations an d delegates to other staff appropriately. Escalates to the appropriate chain of command as needed. • Positively influences the professional and organizational environments and shared governance. • Engages in personal development and supports system-entity oppo rtunities for continuous learning and growth including developing or revising evidence-based practice guidelines. • Supports and participates in peer review and peer feedback opportunities. • Participates in the professional nursing continuum • Clinic and Ambula tory RNs will maintain timely flow of patients, in addition to responding to telephone calls and performs telephone triage of patients. • Illinois: 10 hours of continued education as required for IL licensure EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE Graduate of an accredited nursing program. ADN required upon hire, BSN preferred . May require specific years of applicable experience to qualify per department guidelines CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE Licensed as an RN in state of practice Approved CPR or BLS certification required within 90 days Other certification or certifications per unit requirements. For example: ACLS, PALS, PEARS, and NRP OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES May include color blind test per department guidelines LEVEL OF SUPERVISION Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include training employees; planning, assig ning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems . SUPERVISES Supervises nursing support staff as appropriate PAY RANGE: $33.78 - $58.50 Mercyhealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer . All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Mercyhealth offers competitive pay and benefits, including retirement, time off, on-demand pay, access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and more. Click here for more details. At Mercyhealth, we don’t simply hire people, we empower employee-partners who are passionate about making lives better. As an integrated health system, we deliver exceptional, coordinated across seven hospitals, 85 primary and specialty clinics, and a team of over 7,500 professionals serving northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Mercyhealth has been nationally recognized for our commitment to our people and culture, including: • #1 in the nation on AARP's Best Employers for Workers Over 50 • One of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers • A Top 50 Company and Top 10 Nonprofit for Executive Women

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