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ER nurse interview questions, and what a good answer sounds like

An ER interview is less about your résumé and more about how you think when several things go wrong at once. Expect scenario questions from the nurse manager and at least one staff nurse who wants to know if you'll be safe to work next to. Below are the questions that come up, what they're really checking, and how to shape an answer that sounds like someone who's done the work.

11 questions7 minute read

Part 1

1.A stroke alert comes in by ambulance. What happens in the first few minutes after they hit the door?

Why they ask

Stroke care is a timed pathway, and they want to know you'll move the patient through it without waiting to be told.

How to answer

  • Get a last known well time from EMS or family right away, since it drives every decision
  • Check a finger stick glucose to rule out a mimic, get vitals and a quick neuro check
  • Move the patient straight to CT with the provider, and get IV access and labs drawn on the way
  • Mention the NIH Stroke Scale if you're certified, and knowing the tPA or tenecteplase checklist your hospital uses
  • Keep the family close, because they're often the only source of the timeline

2.You're holding an admitted ICU patient in the ER because there's no bed upstairs. How does your care change?

Why they ask

Boarding is a daily reality, and a boarded ICU patient in a hallway is a safety problem they want you to take seriously.

How to answer

  • Treat them as an ICU patient: ICU-level vitals, drips titrated to the orders, and reassessments on the ICU schedule
  • Talk to the charge nurse about your load so you aren't also carrying a full pod
  • Get the admitting team's orders in and started instead of leaving ER orders running
  • Escalate early if they're getting worse, and document that you did

3.A mother brings in a limp toddler. How do you make sure your meds and fluids are right?

Why they ask

Pediatric patients are less common in many ERs, and a dosing error on a child is one of the worst things that can happen there.

How to answer

  • Get a weight in kilograms, or use a Broselow tape if you can't weigh the child
  • Use your hospital's pediatric dosing references and have a second nurse double check high-risk meds
  • Know the signs a child is decompensating, like tachycardia and delayed cap refill, before the blood pressure drops
  • Mention PALS and any pediatric experience honestly
4.Someone yells for help and a patient in the next room is in cardiac arrest. What role do you take?

Why they ask

Codes happen often in the ER, and they want someone who knows the roles and doesn't freeze or crowd the room.

How to answer

  • Name the roles: compressions, airway, meds, recorder, and whoever's leading
  • Say which you're comfortable in and which you're still learning
  • Talk about closed loop communication: repeat the order back, confirm when it's done
  • Mention rotating compressors and keeping the time on rhythm checks
5.A patient with chest pain says they're leaving against medical advice. What do you do?

Why they ask

AMA situations test whether you respect patient rights while protecting the patient and the hospital.

How to answer

  • Stay calm and ask what's driving it: a wait, a sick kid at home, cost, fear
  • Get the provider in to explain the risk in plain words
  • Check whether the patient can make the decision, and don't let an unsafe patient drive away
  • Offer the discharge instructions anyway and tell them they can come back at any time
  • Document the conversation and the risks explained

Part 2

6.A patient comes in saying they want to kill themselves. What do you do before a psychiatric evaluation?

Why they ask

Behavioral health patients can wait a long time in the ER, and room safety is on the nurse.

How to answer

  • Follow your screening tool and get the provider aware right away
  • Sweep the room for cords, sharps and anything that can be used to hurt themselves
  • Change them into hospital clothes, secure belongings, and set up a sitter or line of sight
  • Talk to them like a person, not a risk, and keep medical issues like an overdose in view
7.You notice bruises on an elderly patient that don't match the story from the family. What's your next step?

Why they ask

ER nurses are often the first to spot abuse, and they want to know you'll act on it the right way.

How to answer

  • Document exactly what you see, where it is and what was said, without adding opinions
  • Try to talk to the patient alone
  • Tell the provider and bring in social work
  • Follow your mandated reporting duties, which vary by state, and your hospital's policy
8.How do you delegate to ER techs when you're busy?

Why they ask

You'll lean on techs for EKGs, splints and vitals, and they want to know you'll use them well and safely.

How to answer

  • Know what techs can do at your hospital and what stays with the RN
  • Give clear, specific asks: which room, what task, when you need to hear back
  • Check that it got done instead of assuming
  • Pitch in on their tasks when you've got a gap, because it goes both ways
9.How do you keep your charting current on a shift where you never sit down?

Why they ask

ER charts get reviewed for quality measures and lawsuits, and late charting is a common weak spot.

How to answer

  • Chart the timed things as they happen: triage, meds, reassessments, a sepsis bolus
  • Use the workstation in the room or a scanner so you don't batch it at the end
  • Mention the system you know, like Epic or Cerner, if you've used it
  • Late entries are marked as late, never back-timed to look better
10.Tell me about a time you disagreed with another nurse or a provider about a patient.

Why they ask

The ER is a tight team, and they want to know you can disagree without a fight or a silent grudge.

How to answer

  • Pick a real case where patient safety was involved
  • Say what you saw, how you raised it, and whether you used a tool like SBAR
  • Explain how it ended, including if you were wrong
  • Show what you'd do the same or differently

Part 3

11.Why do you want to work nights in our ER?

Why they ask

Many openings are night or rotating shifts, and turnover is expensive for them.

How to answer

  • Be honest about your schedule and how you handle sleep
  • Say what you know about their ER: trauma level, patient mix, the community it serves
  • Connect it to the kind of nurse you want to become

Questions to ask them

Ask at least two. It shows you're picking them too.

  • How long is orientation, and will I have the same preceptor for most of it?
  • How often are admitted patients boarding in the ER, and who takes care of them?
  • What's the ratio when I'm in the main pod versus triage?
  • What does the hospital do about violence against staff, like security in the department?
  • How do nurses here get into charge, trauma or education roles?

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