RN Emergency Department
Posted Sep 29, 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
This role mixes 4 a.m. and midday shifts, every third weekend and holidays, plus one on-call shift a pay period. How does that fit your life?
What they are checking: Whether they can honestly commit to early starts, weekends, holidays and on-call shifts, because an emergency department depends on reliable schedule coverage.
Tell me about a time you handled an aggressive patient or visitor.
What they are checking: Whether they can de-escalate aggression while keeping themselves and others safe, because violence is a real risk in emergency departments.
Tell me about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.
What they are checking: Whether they own mistakes honestly and learn from them, because a safe ER culture depends on nurses who report and reflect rather than hide.
How do you take care of yourself after a hard case?
What they are checking: Whether they have healthy ways to recover after hard cases, because emergency nursing is emotionally heavy and burnout drives people out of the field.
What would you do
The waiting room is full and a new patient looks very sick. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they prioritize by acuity rather than arrival order, because a sick patient in a full waiting room can deteriorate unnoticed.
How do you manage a patient in a mental health crisis while waiting for placement?
What they are checking: Safety and compassion for psychiatric patients boarding in the ER.
How do you keep track of multiple patients and pending orders during a busy shift?
What they are checking: Whether they have a system for tracking patients and pending orders, because missed labs or meds in a busy ER delay care and diagnosis.
About the work
Walk me through how you triage a patient who arrives with stroke symptoms.
What they are checking: Whether they recognize stroke symptoms quickly and activate the protocol, because every minute of delay costs brain tissue and limits treatment options.
How do you care for a trauma patient in the first few minutes?
What they are checking: Whether they know the primary survey and their role on a trauma team, because the first minutes of trauma care are tightly choreographed.
How do you care for a sick child in the ER?
What they are checking: Whether they are comfortable caring for sick children in a mixed ER, because pediatric assessment and dosing differ from adults in important ways.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Sanford Health.