RN Inpatient - Cardiac/Thoracic - Straight Weekend Position
Posted May 22, 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 is a straight weekend position. How does that schedule work for you long term?
What they are checking: Whether they can commit to weekends without burning out or leaving soon.
Tell me about a time you helped a patient through fear or anxiety after surgery.
What they are checking: Whether they can comfort patients frightened after major surgery, because fear affects recovery and many cardiac patients feel vulnerable afterward.
How do you work with a team you may see less often since you're on weekends?
What they are checking: Whether they stay connected and communicate well with weekday staff, because weekend nurses can feel isolated and handoffs between teams matter.
What would you do
On weekends there may be fewer resources. How do you handle a problem when the usual team isn't there?
What they are checking: Whether they can solve problems independently and know who to reach on weekends, because the usual weekday team and resources may not be there.
How do you get a patient walking early after surgery?
What they are checking: Whether they push for early walking after surgery, because getting patients moving reduces complications like pneumonia and blood clots.
This team manages some of the region's most complex cases. How do you prepare to care for a patient you've never seen before?
What they are checking: Whether they prepare well for unfamiliar complex cases, because this unit handles the region's hardest patients and needs nurses who study up.
About the work
Walk me through how you assess a patient the day after open-heart surgery.
What they are checking: Cardiac surgery postop knowledge, including chest tubes and pacing wires.
Your patient after a lobectomy has an air leak and new shortness of breath. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they recognize warning signs after lung surgery and escalate quickly, because a new air leak with breathlessness can mean a collapsing lung.
How do you manage new atrial fibrillation in a postop cardiac patient?
What they are checking: Whether they recognize and respond correctly to postoperative atrial fibrillation, because it is common after heart surgery and affects stroke and stability risk.
How do you teach a cardiac patient about their medications before discharge?
What they are checking: Whether they teach cardiac medications clearly before discharge, because confusion about heart medicines is a common cause of readmission after surgery.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Sanford Health.