Preparing For Your Nursing Program Interview

Despite a national nursing shortage, admission to nursing programs continues to be competitive, as applicants outnumber the available spots. An American Association of Colleges of Nursing report found that more than 75,000 qualified nursing school applicants were denied admission for the 2018-19 school year.

Some schools conduct interviews to facilitate selection from the candidates who pass the initial application screening. Interviewing also allows potential students to determine a program’s fit for their needs.

Nursing school interview questions offer applicants an opportunity to demonstrate their suitability for the program and profession. Rather than using the time to eliminate prospective students, schools aim to evaluate each student’s communication and interpersonal skills and to see how they handle stress.

Nursing interviews may take place in person or on the phone, but, increasingly, schools conduct virtual interviews using Zoom, Skype, or a similar online platform. Common nursing school questions explore an applicant’s motivations for wanting to become a nurse and their reasons for choosing the program in question. Interviewers also assess potential student’s professional goals, strengths and weaknesses, academic background, and knowledge of current issues in nursing.

Most people experience anxiety or nervousness before an important interview, but we hope the following tips and advice from nursing professionals can help you feel confident and prepared for the process. Keep in mind that an invitation to interview often indicates a school’s interest in you as a candidate.

Nursing program interviews follow different formats depending on the school, so applicants should do research on the number of people they’ll be speaking with and the backgrounds of those interviewing them.

Interviewers might be admissions counselors, faculty, or other members of the program community. Interviews might be conducted in panels, one-on-one, or in small groups, and take place over multiple sessions.

Nursing school applicants should prepare to answer a variety of question types about themselves and the profession. “Typically,” says Sullivan, “the questions are a mix of personality, behavioral, and situational.”

Dr. Anna-Lise Krippaehne, a board-certified family nurse practitioner, points out that the interview process provides candidates an opportunity: “It is really powerful to tell your story about how you came to be there that day, applying for this nursing program.”

In addition to professional motivations, personality questions might explore how a candidate’s friends would describe them or which of their personality traits they would change and why. Behavioral questions look for examples of how applicants handled past situations or might handle hypothetical situations.

“The interviewer wants to ensure that you are a well-rounded person, and that you will not only succeed in the program but that you will thrive,” explains Sullivan. “They are looking for resilience.”

Situational questions often deal with ethical dilemmas that arise in the field, such as “what is your opinion on euthanasia?” or “should you tell a patient they only have a year to live?”

Interviewers might ask about a candidate’s knowledge of current affairs and issues in nursing and medicine in general.

“Health equity and disparities, social determinants of health, cultural competency, evidence-based practice, preventive care, and health promotion are hot topics and interviewees should be familiar with these terms and their significance,” advises Krippaehne.

Krippaehne also suggests you “be prepared to answer questions about how you will support yourself (financially, mentally, support systems) and whether you plan to work through the program.”

For more examples of potential nursing school questions, utilize these interview resources from University of Houston, Gwynedd Mercy University, and Western Governors University.

In addition to the types of questions to anticipate, nursing school applicants should understand the kinds of answers that interviewers consider indicative of qualified candidates.

“Interviewers are looking for thoughtful answers, supported with examples,” says Krippaehne. “Especially for behavioral questions, they are looking for a specific situation which demonstrates how you handled a situation.” Krippaehne continues: “I think the STAR method, (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is helpful to guide a quality answer.”

Candidates should use examples from their own experiences to highlight the traits and characteristics that make them unique. Sullivan says, “Most interviewers want to see a prospective student who is attentive to details, patient, flexible, capable of compassion, who can be a team player, and who has great communication skills.”

Sullivan also advises applicants to reflect on their reasons for becoming a nurse, as most programs consider a prospective student’s motivations for entering the profession. “They want to hear what makes you special and why you will keep pushing when nursing school gets tough,” she says.

Interviewers often ask where applicants see themselves in five or ten years. Formulating a career plan means having a ready answer to likely questions and demonstrates that candidates have given serious thought to their future. Research various specialty areas and approaches to care and practice to guide your plan.

“It may be helpful for candidates to highlight an area of interest, such as access to contraceptives and family planning or critical care,” suggests Krippaehne. “Candidates should be ready to relate how they will address preventive care, health promotion, and evidence-based practice and take a holistic approach as a student and in their future practice.”

Putting thought into your career plan helps highlight your interest in the profession. “Even though you can research more about the program and the potential interview questions in advance, try to be yourself during the interview,” emphasizes Sullivan. “If you truly are passionate about nursing and the principles of nursing, it will come through.”

According to Krippaehne, undergraduate program interviews tend to focus on an applicant’s assets, backgrounds, values, and motivations for becoming a nurse.

“With a graduate program, the scope will more likely be based on their clinical or nursing experience specifically, although candidates may have experience in different occupations that could be relevant as well,” says Krippaehne. “Nurses spend a great deal of time in direct patient care and need to know how to handle disgruntled patients and families.”

Graduate-level candidates should also prepare to discuss the challenges of our complex health system, Krippaehne suggests.

Your interests as a nursing professional are considered for both types of programs, but hold more sway for graduate programs. “It’s important to keep in mind that programs are often looking for the best fit, especially in graduate programs where you may be performing research as well,” says Sullivan.

Graduate interviews might look different for candidates without experience in the field. “For those applying to a graduate program without prior nursing experience, interviews will be geared toward their previous professional background and what makes them prepared for this new path and the associated academic rigor,” Krippaehne explains.