Surgical Technologist (ST)
Posted Sep 15, 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 caught a break in sterile technique during a procedure. What did you see, and what did you do about it?
What they are checking: willingness to speak up and correct contamination risk even when it disrupts the flow of the OR
Tell me about a time you had to work as second assistant instead of just scrubbing. What did that look like and how did it change what was expected of you?
What they are checking: real experience functioning beyond the standard scrub tech role, since this posting explicitly requires it
Tell me about a surgeon you worked with who was hard to anticipate or communicate with. How did you adjust to keep the case moving smoothly?
What they are checking: interpersonal adaptability with demanding physicians in a high-stakes environment
Describe a time you had to move quickly between very different cases in the same shift, like switching from an ortho case to a GYN case. How did you keep yourself organized and avoid mistakes?
What they are checking: mental flexibility and organization when the day doesn't follow a predictable rhythm
Tell me about a moment when you and the circulating nurse or another team member disagreed about how something should be done in the room. How did you handle it in the moment?
What they are checking: conflict resolution under pressure while keeping patient care as the priority
What would you do
Say you're mid-case and you notice a piece of equipment isn't working right, like a camera tower or a fracture table. What do you do without stopping patient care?
What they are checking: ability to troubleshoot and escalate equipment issues calmly without derailing the surgical team
You're on call and get pulled in at 2 a.m. for an urgent case you weren't expecting. How do you get yourself and the room ready fast without cutting corners on sterility?
What they are checking: performance under time pressure during off-hours call without sacrificing safety
This role includes weeknight call, one weekend in six, and holiday call. How do you think about balancing that kind of schedule, and what's made it work or not work for you before?
What they are checking: realistic expectations and personal capacity for the specific call burden of this job
If you noticed damaged equipment right before a case was about to start, what would you say, and to whom, so it gets fixed without delaying the surgery more than necessary?
What they are checking: clear communication and judgment about escalation paths under time pressure
About the work
Walk me through how you set up a room for a case you don't do very often. What's your process from the moment you get the case cart to the moment you're ready for the surgeon?
What they are checking: whether the candidate has a repeatable, safe setup routine rather than relying on memory for familiar cases only
This site covers ortho, ENT, plastics, general, GYN, neuro/spine, and robotics. Which of these are you most comfortable scrubbing into right now, and where would you need the most ramp-up time?
What they are checking: honest self-assessment of specialty range against the breadth this job actually demands
How do you keep a specialty cart stocked and ready? Walk me through how you'd notice something is missing, expired, or damaged before it becomes a problem in a case.
What they are checking: proactive inventory habits versus reactive scrambling during a procedure
Walk me through how you'd position and prep a pediatric patient versus a geriatric patient for the same type of procedure. What changes?
What they are checking: awareness that this hospital treats the full age spectrum and that technique isn't one-size-fits-all
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Advocate Health.