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Research Nurse I - Surgery
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 time you collected or processed specimens under a strict protocol. How did you make sure it was done right?
What they are checking: Whether they follow timing, labeling and handling steps exactly, since one error can ruin the data.
How is your role as a research nurse different from your role as a clinical nurse caring for the same patient?
What they are checking: Whether they understand they serve the protocol and the patient, and can keep both roles clear.
Tell me about a time you had to teach staff or a family about something unfamiliar. How did you make it stick?
What they are checking: Whether they can explain protocols to staff and families in simple terms, which the role requires.
What would you do
A study patient calls with a new symptom a week after surgery. How do you decide if it's an adverse event that needs to be reported?
What they are checking: Whether they know adverse event reporting rules and treat patient safety ahead of study timelines.
You notice the protocol's visit schedule doesn't fit how the surgery clinic actually runs. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they spot problems in protocol implementation and raise them to investigators as the posting asks.
A patient wants to drop out of the study halfway through. How do you handle that?
What they are checking: Whether they respect a patient's right to withdraw without pressure while documenting it properly.
If you're running several studies at once with overlapping visits, how do you keep track of who's due for what?
What they are checking: Whether they have a real system for tracking visits so no protocol window is missed.
What would you do if you realized you'd drawn a study lab at the wrong time point?
What they are checking: Whether they report deviations honestly and right away instead of hiding them.
About the work
Walk me through how you would consent a surgical patient into a clinical trial the day before their operation.
What they are checking: Whether they understand informed consent as a real conversation, not a signature, especially when patients are stressed.
How do you decide if a patient meets a study's inclusion and exclusion criteria, and what do you do when it's borderline?
What they are checking: Whether they check eligibility carefully and ask the investigator rather than stretching criteria to enroll.
How do you keep study documentation audit-ready?
What they are checking: Whether they understand source documents and good clinical practice well enough to pass a monitor visit.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Medical College of Wisconsin.