Nursing school applicants are generally required to go through an interview as part of the application process. Your interview for nursing school will give the admissions committee a chance to understand who you are as a person by learning more about your values. They want to make sure that you have the right attitude, personality and work ethic to be a great nurse.
Many different types of interviews have similar opening questions. Essentially, the interviewer wants to know who you are and why you are here. When answering the questions, try to be specific without rambling. Consider your motivations and think of ways to relate your background to nursing school. Finally, whether you are interviewing for nursing school or a job, always remember to research the program and organization beforehand, to show you are really interested.
You have explained a little bit about your background to the interviewer, but now they want to know more. These questions are designed to get into the nitty gritty of your character. Be honest about your values, strengths, weaknesses, and goals. It is far more enjoyable to the interviewer to talk to a real person, so don’t be afraid to let your real personality shine. When you can, try to connect things back to how your character is well-suited for nursing school and a career is a nurse.
Everyone knows nursing school is quite difficult. The interviewer will want to know what your academic career has been like so far. In addition, they will want to know if you have any job experience. Jobs where you worked with a team, worked to serve people, or worked in the healthcare field are especially relevant.
All jobs involve working with a team, but for nurses, good communication can literally be the difference between life and death. With these questions, the interviewer is looking to see if you know how to work with a team and handle conflict, two things you deal with abundantly as a nurse.
All college students will be familiar with these types of questions. Where do you want to work? What are you going to do after graduation? The interviewer wants to know where you’re headed. Students who haven’t thought about these questions come across as short sighted and uninterested in a nursing career. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to specialize in or where you want to live, it’s good to think about these questions. If you truly don’t know, give a couple of options you are considering and explain why you are drawn to both.
Jay Willis joined Mometrix as Vice President of Sales in 2009, and has developed several key strategic relationships that have enhanced the distribution of Mometrix products. With nearly 20 years of sales experience in the publishing industry, his dedication to providing the highest quality experience for customers, coupled with his sales and marketing expertise, has resulted in significant growth of the Institutional Sales division. Learn more View all posts by Jay Willis
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Nursing School Interview | Questions + Answers Tips
Nursing Interview Question #7: Quote Interpretation
“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul, and body of our patients, their families, and ourselves.” (Maya Angelou) What does this quote mean to you?
Discussion:
Quote-based questions like this are quite common. It is important to note that the point of such a question isn’t to see if you know what the author “really” meant when saying it. It’s not a test of how well-read you are, so don’t panic if you’re faced with something or someone you’ve never read. Rather, questions like this are intended to see what kinds of free associations you make, what comes to mind when prompted with the words of others. Sometimes, the quotes will be related to your future profession, but they also may not be. This is just a way of seeing what values and qualities you can articulate when presented with moving or impactful words.
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What do you consider the most important characteristic for a nurse to possess?
This question reveals a lot about an applicant’s approach to nursing by highlighting what they deem to be most important. You can approach the question from an interpersonal level or a medical level—whichever is more true to your beliefs. Justify your answer and make note of the importance of the other branch of skills.
Example: “Although it is obviously important for a nurse to possess the technical knowledge required for their job, I feel that the most important characteristic to have is the ability to connect with others. While you can study and learn new information and techniques in areas where your knowledge is lacking, the ability to make genuine connections through your caring nature must be inherent in you, and I believe that all of the best medical professionals possess that natural ability.”
Tell me about the moment you knew you wanted to be a nurse.
Choosing a career path is an important life choice and an interviewer will want to know what led you to choose nursing. You should discuss the event which led you to pursue nursing, why it had such a big influence on your life and what about it specifically inspired you to want to be a nurse.
Example: “When I was in middle school my younger brother had an accident at school and broke his arm. He was very young at the time and was clearly very upset and in a lot of pain. When we got to the hospital, the first nurse that came in to see us was so wonderful with my brother. She calmed him down and let him know that everything was going to be OK. Once I saw how much of a positive influence you can have on the lives of others as a nurse, I knew it was something I wanted to do with my life.”
