7 Essential Scrub Nurse Interview Questions to Ask

A scrub nurse is a specialized operating room nurse that assists the surgeon during a procedure. Scrub nurses play an important role in maintaining the sterile field and ensuring patient safety throughout the procedure. This specialty requires great attention to detail and patience, so it’s important to ask the right scrub nurse interview questions when hiring for this role.

To help you find the best nurse for your surgical team, we’ll outline seven key questions to ask when interviewing candidates. We’ll also list answers you should listen out for that would highlight a candidate’s strengths and skills.

Pairing these questions with a well-written scrub nurse job description will help you attract qualified candidates to your vacant position. If you’re curious about the best way to advertise your position, explore local scrub nurse jobs to see what qualities other organizations in your area are looking for in their nurse candidates.

Use the following candidate evaluation form to keep track of each scrub nurse’s interview responses.

Scrub Nurse Interview Questions

Scrub nurses require a very specific set of skills and knowledge to be successful team members in the operating room. Here are seven questions that will help you evaluate these essential qualifications and traits in your candidates.

1. What inspired you to become a scrub nurse?

Scrub nursing is vastly different from other clinical specialties, so candidates often have an individualized reason for pursuing it. This question is a great opener, since it invites the candidate to share more about their personal motivations for becoming a scrub nurse. It may be a red flag if a candidate primarily focuses on potential earnings without any regard to what the role entails.

What to listen for:

• Shows a genuine interest in surgical nursing
• Has a thorough understanding of scrub nurse job requirements

Potential follow-up questions:

• How has your previous clinical experience prepared you for this role?
• What strengths will you bring to our clinical team?

2. What steps do you take to maintain a sterile field throughout a procedure?

One of the primary responsibilities of a scrub nurse is to ensure that the surgical field remains sterile. Candidates pursuing a scrub position should have a solid understanding of this and be prepared to follow established protocols on infection prevention.

What to listen for:

• Understands how to prepare and maintain a sterile field
• Explains how various tools and instruments should be handled during surgical procedures

Potential follow-up questions:

• How would you prepare a sterile field for a patient with a latex allergy?
• Do you feel confident executing a time-out safety briefing?

3. How do you prepare and keep track of instruments throughout a procedure?

Scrub nurses are also responsible for preparing instruments before procedures and counting them at the end of procedures to ensure nothing gets lost inside a patient. This question will give you an idea of how familiar a candidate is with instrument handling and their process for ensuring that the team has everything they need from start to finish. Answers can also reveal how well a scrub nurse works on a team.

What to listen for:

• Communicates closely with other members of the operating room team
• Isn’t afraid to speak up if they notice an issue with surgical counts

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever made a mistake on the job? Describe the situation and what you did to preserve patient safety.
• What would you do if a surgeon prescribed betadine skin preparation solution to be used on a patient with an iodine allergy?

4. What would you do if you noticed the surgeon was breaking the sterile field?

The scrub nurse is often the one keeping an eye on everything within the sterile field — including their team members. Sometimes, the surgeon may break the sterile field without realizing and it’s important for candidates to feel comfortable intervening appropriately.

Strong answers to scrub nurse interview questions like this will demonstrate that a candidate is not afraid to notify team members when they are breaking protocol. Candidates should understand that patient safety comes first and be ready to professionally and respectfully address team members when necessary.

What to listen for:

• Prioritizes patient safety over professional pride
• Communicates concerns in a clear, professional tone

Potential follow-up questions:

• What steps would you take to calm an anxious patient?
• How would you prepare for a procedure you weren’t familiar with?

5. How would you work to support the circulating nurse?

The circulating and the scrub nurse have complementary roles in the operating room, so it’s essential for them to know how to work together. The circulating nurse oversees everything outside of the sterile field to ensure the scrub nurse doesn’t have to. As such, the circulating nurse relies on the scrub nurse to communicate all their needs throughout the procedure.

This question assesses how well a candidate understands both their role and the circulating nurse’s role. Strong answers will indicate that a candidate has a clear sense of their responsibilities in context to others and is able to effectively communicate with the team.

What to listen for:

• Understands role differences between scrub and circulating nurses
• Supports and encourages team members to provide the best care possible

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever worked on a high-performing team? What made the team so great?
• Would you be interested in precepting new graduate nurses?

6. Explain your process for disposing of hazardous materials in the operating room.

In order to maintain the sterile field, scrub nurses must also understand how to dispose of hazardous materials, such as contaminated gauze, sharps, and scalpels. This question allows you to assess a candidate’s understanding of proper protocols and processes for disposing different types of waste.

What to listen for:

• Understands the processes surrounding medical waste disposal
• Explains how to dispose of waste materials and how they should be handled during and after a procedure

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would you do if a chemotherapeutic agent spilled during a procedure?
• Which personal protective equipment (PPE) would you use for a patient with active tuberculosis?

7. What steps would you take to prepare yourself for long hours in the operating room?

Scrub nurses often have to spend long hours standing in the same spot, since they cannot break the sterile field without scrubbing back into the operating room again. Thus, it’s important that scrub nurse interview questions (and answers) also touch on a candidate’s attitude toward working on longer procedures.

An important part of scrub nursing is being able to mentally and physically handle the demands of the job. Listen for answers that indicate a candidate has the patience and strength to work in an operating room setting.

What to listen for:

• Understands that adequate rest and self-care is needed to prepare for each procedure
• Demonstrates resilience, even while working in challenging conditions

Potential follow-up questions:

• Sometimes, surgical procedures don’t go according to plan. How do you find peace after a challenging shift?
• Have you ever had a disagreement with a coworker during a lengthy procedure? What did you do to resolve the issue?

Looking for Quality Candidates to Interview? We’ll Help You Find Them

Asking the right scrub nurse interview questions is one thing, but it’s important to first attract nursing professionals who are qualified and interested in applying. Not sure where to start? IntelyCare’s job board can help you reach a nationwide network of nurses who are ready to take the next step in their careers.