Resource Registered Nurse - ICU Float Pool
Posted Sep 28, 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
As an ICU float, you might be at St. Luke's one night and West Allis the next. How do you get oriented fast on a unit you've only been to once?
What they are checking: Whether they have a repeatable routine for learning a unit's layout, people and escalation path in the first hour.
Tell me about your ICU experience. What patient populations and drips are you most comfortable with, and where would you want support?
What they are checking: Whether they know the limits of their competence, which matters most for a nurse who floats between units.
Tell me about a time you recognized a patient was declining before the numbers made it obvious. What did you notice and what did you do?
What they are checking: Whether they trust and act on early clinical judgment rather than waiting for a crisis.
These are 12-hour night shifts with four weekend shifts in each scheduling period. How do you take care of yourself to stay sharp on nights?
What they are checking: Whether they have a realistic plan for fatigue, which affects patient safety on night shift.
Tell me about a time you had to escalate a concern to a provider who didn't agree with you at first.
What they are checking: Whether they use a clear escalation structure and persist appropriately when a patient's safety is at stake.
What would you do
You're floated to a unit and given an assignment that includes a patient type you've never cared for, like a fresh CRRT patient. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they speak up about competency gaps safely instead of accepting an assignment they can't handle.
The unit staff seem to give the float nurse the toughest assignment. How would you handle that?
What they are checking: Whether they can raise fairness concerns professionally without damaging relationships with the teams they support.
How would you build trust with a charge nurse who has never worked with you before?
What they are checking: Whether they understand that a float nurse earns credibility quickly through communication and reliability.
About the work
You get report on a patient on norepinephrine and vasopressin whose MAP keeps drifting below 65. Walk me through your thinking.
What they are checking: Whether they can assess and act on a deteriorating shock patient with sound hemodynamic reasoning.
Walk me through how you'd run the first few minutes of a code on an intubated patient before the team arrives, using your ACLS training.
What they are checking: Whether they can lead the opening of a resuscitation calmly, since float nurses may be the first at the bedside.
How do you handle different policies or equipment between hospitals, like different pump libraries or charting workflows?
What they are checking: Whether they check local policy instead of assuming every site works like the last one.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Advocate Health.