RN Inpatient - PICU
Posted Jun 19, 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
Tell me about a time you supported parents during a frightening moment for their child.
What they are checking: Whether they support frightened parents with compassion, because family-centered care is central in pediatric intensive care and parents remember those moments.
Tell me about a time a pediatric patient died or had a very poor outcome. How did you cope?
What they are checking: Whether they have healthy ways to cope with a child's death or poor outcome, because that grief is part of pediatric critical care.
What draws you to pediatric critical care?
What they are checking: Real passion for the pediatric population, which the posting asks for.
What would you do
This is an eight-bed Level I PICU. How do you work as part of a small, close-knit team?
What they are checking: Whether they are reliable and collaborative in a small team, because an eight-bed unit depends on every nurse pulling their weight every shift.
A parent questions everything you do and wants to see the doctor constantly. How do you respond?
What they are checking: Whether they can build trust with anxious, questioning parents patiently, because a parent who feels heard is more likely to partner in care.
About the work
The PICU cares for newborns through 19-year-olds. How does your assessment change across those ages?
What they are checking: Whether they adjust their assessment for each age from newborn to teen, because normal vital signs and warning signs change across that range.
Walk me through how you double-check a weight-based medication dose for a child.
What they are checking: Medication safety habits in pediatrics, where dosing errors are common and serious.
A child's breathing gets worse during your shift. What do you look for and what do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they recognize early signs of pediatric respiratory decline and escalate fast, because children can compensate well, then crash quickly.
How do you care for a child after trauma or major surgery?
What they are checking: Whether they understand critical care for children after trauma or surgery, because those patients need close monitoring and pediatric-specific knowledge.
How do you keep a child calm and comfortable during procedures?
What they are checking: Whether they manage children's pain and fear during procedures, because good comfort care makes procedures safer and reduces lasting trauma.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Sanford Health.