ICU RN Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: May 24, 2018

The interview process may be long and tiresome, or short and not too hard to handle.

In either of these situations, it is crucial that you possess the ability to tackle it.

Preparation is the name of the game here. If you are prepared for an interview, nothing can stop you from acing it.

A set of interview questions and answers for the position of a registered nurse in an ICU capacity is provided below for your reference:

 

 

ICU RN Interview Questions and Answers

Why did you opt to work as an RN in intensive care capacity?
Working as a nurse is satisfying on many levels, but working in an intensive care capacity is even more so, as one is looking after patients who are critical. This inherent will to help patients in dire circumstances, and a great ability to do justice to nursing work in an ICU capacity made me decide to find my niche here.

What have been your main duties while working as an ICU RN?
As a nurse in an intensive care capacity, I have been responsible for many duties, including looking after assigned patients’ specific nursing needs, providing them with medication, starting IVs, and monitoring their vitals. Also, I have been responsible for making sure that patients are provided with necessary interventions where emergencies or dire circumstance are concerned.

As a registered nurse within an intensive care capacity, what has been your most significant achievement?
I was temporarily providing intensive care to an infant who had been diagnosed with a heart problem. The pediatric nurse was on call somewhere else. During the monitoring process, I recognized signs of an impending cardiac issue, despite knowing that children’s heartbeat is faster than adults. Timely intervention in terms of CPR managed to save the little girl’s life. I believe that this was my biggest achievement, as I did not know much about pediatric care, but still managed to handle the situation with positive results.

Apart from specific nursing skills, what capabilities must one possess to work as an ICU RN successfully?
I believe that it is essential for nurses working in an ICU capacity to be compassionate, as they are continually dealing with critical patients and situations. Also, it is imperative for them to be organized, and hands-on in handling monitoring and emergencies activities. The ability to educate patients and their families are also critical in this role.

How do you manage not to let yourself get burnt out?
I make sure that I keep myself emotionally detached from the patients assigned to me. This helps significantly in slowing down the burning out process. Also, I take the breaks that I need so that the pressure does not build up.

Where do you see your career heading from here?
I am hoping to train in a surgical capacity soon, and would eventually like to see myself working alongside surgeons.