Due to the high pressure which is synonymous with the nursing profession, an impressive interview can suggest that you can maintain composure in times of stress. Linked to the many qualities nurses need to possess, interviews for nursing courses can take one or more of various formats.
It is common for universities to stage group interviews as part of the process, as this serves to highlight which candidates possess communication and teamwork skills which are integral to success on the course and the subsequent career. With the urgency that comes with working in a hospital environment, being able to delegate and take orders, whilst ensuring everyone is on the same wavelength, is an important quality to ensure candidates have. As such, a successful group interview reflects an ability to listen, assert oneself, and speak confidently in the company of peers. Although you should assert yourself with regular, relevant contributions, just as you would in a one-on-one interview, you must ensure that you don’t completely dominate proceedings, as the interviewers are also testing your interpersonal skills, and how well you listen. Therefore, you should ensure that when other candidates are giving their answers, your attention doesn’t wane.
Group interview
In a similar vain to group interviews, there is the possibility that you will be required to undertake a group activity or discussion. They will likely place you in a scenario, and as a group you have to gauge how you would react. Whatever the scenario is (it may not directly relate to nursing), assessors will be looking for those who can take on board the opinions of others, whilst also offering their own. An outgoing and diplomatic approach to this is desirable.
Individual interviews may be conducted, either instead of, or in addition to the aforementioned formats. As well as questions relating to your personality and your application to their university, you will also be asked questions which are more specific to nursing. These can range from your relevant work experience, your understanding of specific branches, and where your aspirations lie in accordance to these, why you want to become a nurse, and what you perceive a modern nurses’ role to be. The questions are then likely to take a more scenario-based form, testing your ability to respond to situations which are commonplace in the profession. These help the interviewer to get a feel for how you would respond to sensitive situations, such as how you would deal with an aggressive patient, what you would do if a patient revealed potentially harmful information to you in confidence, and how you would react to the death of a patient under your care. When answering these questions, you should display empathy and sensitivity, along with awareness that in such a high-pressure environment, composure is paramount to ensuring patients’ wellbeing.
Keeping up-to-date with relevant issues in the media is also essential, as you may be asked for your views on a current hot-topic. Paying particular mind to stories involving the NHS can help to prepare answers which display a contextual awareness.
As well as interviews and group tasks, a written test is also likely to feature. This serves the purpose of testing another facet of your communication skills, whilst giving you another opportunity to display an understanding of nursing.