RN, Registered Nurse | Surgery/Operating Room
Posted Sep 17, 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
You care for patients from neonates to adults. How would your approach change for a scared child versus an adult?
What they are checking: Whether they can adjust care and communication to very different patients.
How do you advocate for a patient who's asleep and can't speak for themselves?
What they are checking: Whether they see themselves as the patient's voice in the room and act on it.
Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a surgeon or other team member. How did it end?
What they are checking: Whether they can handle tension in a high-stress room while keeping the patient's safety first.
What would you do
How do you run a surgical time-out, and what would you do if someone tried to skip it?
What they are checking: Whether they will hold the line on safety checks even when the surgeon or team is in a hurry.
During a case, you notice a break in sterile technique that no one else seems to see. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they will speak up right away to protect the patient from infection.
As a Level II trauma center, emergency cases can come in quickly. How do you get a room ready for an emergency case?
What they are checking: Whether they can move quickly and stay organized when there's no time to plan.
About the work
Walk me through how you'd prepare as a circulating nurse before a case starts.
What they are checking: Whether they know the steps from checking the room and consent to verifying the patient and procedure.
The final count is off by one sponge. What happens next?
What they are checking: Whether they know the count procedure and won't let the case close until it's resolved.
Tell me about any experience or interest you have in robotic-assisted or minimally invasive surgery.
What they are checking: Whether they are ready to learn the equipment and setup used in this department's advanced cases.
OR RNs here may also scrub. What's your experience scrubbing, and how do you feel about learning it?
What they are checking: Whether they are open to scrubbing and understand what it requires.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Bellin Gundersen.