RN - Outpatient Surgery (Pre/Post)
Posted Sep 28, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 4, 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 job floats to Duluth outpatient surgery when needed and requires both Minnesota and Wisconsin licenses. How do you feel about floating, and where are you on dual licensure?
What they are checking: Whether they are truly willing to float and have a realistic plan for the compact or dual license requirement.
Tell me about a time you noticed something was off with a patient that others had missed.
What they are checking: Whether they trust their assessment and speak up, which is how complications get caught early in a fast outpatient flow.
How do you help a very anxious patient before surgery when you only have a few minutes with them?
What they are checking: Whether they can build trust quickly and calm a patient without slowing the whole day down.
How do you stay organized across five possible start times and a steady stream of admits and discharges?
What they are checking: Whether they have a real system for tracking many short-stay patients so nothing gets dropped at handoff.
What would you do
A patient in post-op is ready for discharge on paper, but they live alone and seem unsteady. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they weigh safe discharge over throughput and know how to raise concerns with the provider and family.
The schedule is running behind and a surgeon wants the next patient brought back, but your pre-op checklist isn't complete. What do you say?
What they are checking: Whether they hold the line on safety checks under pressure while staying respectful with the surgical team.
About the work
Walk me through your pre-op assessment on a same-day surgery patient. What are you looking for that might cancel or delay the case?
What they are checking: Whether they catch the things that stop a case, like NPO violations, anticoagulants, abnormal labs or missing consent, before the patient reaches the OR.
How do you teach discharge instructions to someone who is still groggy from anesthesia?
What they are checking: Whether they involve a responsible adult, use teach-back and keep instructions simple, since the patient may remember little.
In recovery, a patient's oxygen saturation drops into the 80s. What are your first steps?
What they are checking: Whether they respond in a clear, safe order with airway, stimulation and oxygen first, and know when to call for help.
You delegate to other nursing staff based on their licensure. Give me an example of something you would and would not hand off in pre/post.
What they are checking: Whether they know scope of practice limits, because delegating assessment or teaching to unlicensed staff is a real risk.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Essentia Health.