Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life.
How To Prepare Yourself For Nursing Admission Interview
Going for a nursing admission interview is one of the most dreaded tasks for a lot of people since it is mostly their first time attending an interview.
While it is perceived as difficult, preparing adequately can give you an upper hand.
Nursing admission interviews just like any other interview have certain requirements. You must know the appropriate dressing, things you have to carry along, and the possible questions asked.
The Dressing
Nursing is one of the professions that is mostly concerned with dressing and physical appearance. Going for an admission interview is no exception. Your dressing must reflect that of the profession. Your clothing should be neat, clean, and properly ironed. Always try to keep it simple and classic. The goal is to look professional.
Dress like you was going for a business interview: solid color dress (avoid fancy colors), conservative suit, use moderate jewelry as possible, no strong perfume, keep hairstyle neat and professional (avoid multicolored hair), use light make-up and moderate shoes.
Things to carry
When going for a nursing admission interview, one must carry the following items as very important and required. The requirement is mostly stated in the invitation for the interview:
- Proof of Application.
- Photocopy of result slip.
- Passport Pictures.
- Proof of Interview Invite.
- Birth Certificate.
- Interview Fee.
- Any other item that may be stated in the interview invite.
Types of questions to expect
Background Questions: This usually starts with: “Tell us about yourself”. The interviewer mostly wants to know about you. Give a brief description of yourself including your personality but not too personal details, your strengths. Pay attention to your educational history and especially the course you did in Senior High School. Briefly mention hobbies that demonstrate intellectual and/or community engagement such as reading, music, sports, and volunteering. Based on the answer you give, many questions may arise from that, so be sure you know what you are saying. Interviewers may also ask how the course you studied relates to nursing. So, if you studied General Art, General Science, or Agricultural Science, how are you going to apply it in nursing?
Current Affairs and Politics: The interview cannot be complete without questions relating to current events and happenings. Questions are asked about current health events and happenings such as in 2020 we experienced COVID-19 and meningitis outbreak. Other current events that may not be related to nursing or health may be asked. It is also important that one must know the political figures in their community.
This includes The Municipal/District Chief Executive, the Member of Parliament, and the Regional Minister. You should also not forget to know the name of the Health Minister.
Some specific questions that may be asked:
Why do you want to be a nurse? This is one of the most asked questions in nursing interviews. When answering this question, try to be as real as possible. Avoid using “I want to help people!” since it has been used by so many interviewees over the years.
What would you do if a patient or family member threatened you? In nursing, the patient’s needs are always first, and you are the professional and as such you should possess the quality to deescalate the situation. Your answer should therefore portray these qualities.
What qualities do you think a good nurse should possess? Qualities of a good nurse include empathy, respect, good communication skills, problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and more. Your answer should have these.
Do you have any questions for us? This is sometimes the last question asked. You can ask any reasonable question about the nursing program that you find interesting. If you have no questions, that is also ok.
Other questions include:
- What are some of your hobbies or passions?
- If you see a classmate stealing, what would you do?
- A nurse at a clinical practicum site is acting unethically. What would you do?
- What are your personal strengths?
- What are your personal weaknesses?
- What would your previous bosses or classmates say about you?
- Why do you want to be admitted into our nursing school?
- What would you do if you find yourself struggling in a nursing course?
- What is your proudest achievement to date?
- What kind of experiences have you had with nurses in the past?
- Are you satisfied with how this system works in our country?
- How important do you think communication skills are for a nurse?
The above is not exhaustive, the questions may differ and therefore this serves as a guide. Just remember every interview is unique, you may get a few questions or a lot.
It all depends on how you communicate. One of the main purposes of an interview in nursing is to find out how articulate you are because communication in nursing is very essential.