Tips and Tricks on Nursing School Interview Questions

Many job seekers and students claim that nursing school interview questions make them terribly nervous and frightened. Although we have a lot of current tips on how to keep calm, few of them relate to the nursing school entering tests. Thus, our experts are ready to provide you with the top 7 tips on how to prepare for your interview emotionally, physically, and mentally. All pieces of advice are based on personal newcomer nurses', applicants' and examiners' experience. Therefore, we can view different perspectives of the whole process. Be sure - these tips will definitely do the trick.

1. Interview perception

Most of us consider the interview as some kind of a trap, which nurse school interviewers have prepared for us. It is wrong. Usually, such face-to-face meetings, small talks, and other conversations aim to get acquainted with you as a person and a professional. It means you should be yourself whatever happens. Follow your heart and mind; it will make you more confident and relaxed. Remember that the first impression does matter.

2. What are your strengths?

It may happen that your Grade point average (GPA) is not as high as you would like it to be. In this case, the interview is the best way to demonstrate that you are actually much better than your GPA. Depending on the person, it can be a great opportunity to better your score and challenge yourself. Whatever, you have to present your strong sides.

3. Details on school and program

We highly recommend you to figure out some essential points and facts about the particular school and program. It will help you to be on the same page with your interviewers.

4. Recent nursing news

Examiners often like to have a small talk on the latest research results, the authoritative scientific magazine article on current people's health diseases and illnesses, etc. Knowing such things will prove that you are highly interested in nursing and it is a part of your life.

5. Training

Try to guess a few possible questions examiners may ask you. For instance, the most popular one: Why do you want to become a nurse? Many of us usually even do not expect such a simple question, and unfortunately, few of us have a proper and clear answer. Try to define the reasons why you want to be a nurse and how it can affect your and patients' life.

6. Following-up questions

A huge percent of job seekers and students are really scared of following up questions since it may be hard to give a proper answer immediately. However, it is better to think a bit longer than to lie. Forget about lying. Only real facts and experience can help you to pass the interview successfully.

7. Professionalism

We encourage you to act as a professional. It means you should be confident (firm handshake and eye contact) and follow the interview rules on dress code (if necessary). Also, follow some more simple rules, which will help you to be calm and concentrated.

• Do not be late. It is a sign of lousy manners. Arriving a few minutes before will allow you to find a parking spot or get a cup of coffee. Also, it usually takes some time to find the office and a particular floor or room. Of course, if something happened and you cannot arrive on time, you have to call and let them know about your unexpected circumstances.
• Be polite with all office and school members.
• Switch off your devices.
• Do not try to make examiners feel sorry for you because of high taxes or a big family (avoid taking children or other family members to the interview). It might be too awkward and weird.
• Be yourself. Although there are a set of particular rules on how you should act during your interview - still you have to be genuine, not fake. We believe that the most effective way to pass the interview successfully is to follow your heart and feelings. Be open-minded and flexible.
• Do not forget to thank everybody whom you have met this day.

Common School Nursing Interview Questions

Job seekers and students are wrong when they prepare answers only for some specific questions and do not draw attention to the common school nursing interview questions. Therefore, we encourage you to look at the most popular nursing interview questions right now.

1. Can you briefly describe your goals and aims?
2. What do you plan to do in 5 years?
3. Why and how did you decide to become a nurse? What drives you?
4. How can you improve this area? Do you have any ideas, which you want to implement?
5. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
6. Why do you suit this position more than others?
7. Are you a stress-resistant person? Give some examples.
8. A good and bad nurse: what is the difference?
9. How does a perfect nurse look like?

These simple questions may cause you a lot of problems if you have to answer them immediately. Therefore, we highly encourage you to think about similar questions and be ready to answer them clearly and effectively.

Classification of the Interview Questions for Nursing School

Interview questions for nursing school may be also different and depend on many aspects. First of all, it depends on the personal interviewer's features, number of examiners, and information they have in the application form about each respondent before the interview. However, usually, nurse schools have a common set of particular questions, which they use to recruit new people. We may divide them into the following five groups:

1. So-called open questions.
2. Soft and hard skills questions.
3. Questions on personal features.
4. Questions on a particular issue related to the vacancy.
5. General questions on global nursing issues.

Let Us Consider Each of These Types a Bit Beeper

• Open questions are pretty similar to the common questions we mentioned above.

The most popular open or common questions are:

1. Can you introduce yourself, please?
2. What drives you to become a nurse and teach in our school?
3. What new ideas do you have on improving nursing?
4. Why should we choose you?

• Soft and hard skills questions

More and more employers want you to be an active person full of both soft and hard skills. That is why interviewers pay so much attention to your daily life, hobbies, domestic chores, friends and even family. This question group includes:

1. Do you have any hobbies? What would you like to be if you could not be a nurse?
2. How can your friends describe you? (three bad and good features)
3. What would you like to change in yourself? Why, why not?

• Questions on personal features

This set of questions aims to look at your personality in-depth and estimate your effectiveness.

1. Can you call yourself a leader? Why, why not? Provide some examples.
2. Have you ever worked under pressure? Does it affect your efficiency?
3. Can you easily go on with strangers? What strategies do you use to meet new people?
4. Questions on particular issues related to the vacancy.

• Questions on a particular issue related to the vacancy

There are also many controversial medical and ethical issues, which interviewers may ask you to clear up your own opinion or point of view about some issues. Such questions show your competence level and represent whether you feel and understand the complexity of the problems in general.

1. Euthanasia: pros and cons?
2. Should we tell how much time left for a patient to live: medical, ethical and law aspects?
3. The issue of organ transplantation: what are the criteria to use when you deal with organ transplantation?

• General questions on global nursing issues

Show your interviewer that you are well familiar with a current health situation in your particular country or others.

1. Top urgent problems to solve?
2. Medicare and Medicaid - difference and applying?
3. Healthcare system changing: ideas, complains, and necessity?

These interview questions for nursing school may help you to draw attention to some particular groups of questions and easily pass the first stage of the interview.

Chosen Interview Questions Examples

Specific interview questions examples are useful to get ready for the real interview and answer them the way you like most. Of course, some of these questions we have considered previously, but still, in this new list, we have some more relevant questions.

Nursing School Interview Questions and Answers Examples

This part aims to provide you with not only the latest and sometimes controversial or tricky questions you may face on your interview, but also represent both nursing school interview questions and answers examples, which you may use for your further meeting.

1. Can you tell us about yourself? What kind of person are you?

I am an open minded and noble person. I had some work experience with children, and now I am focused on nursing. I am not a boaster, but I can say that I am good at time and self-management. That is why I can be responsible for my patients and relatives. I try to find work-life balance and be always energetic and optimistic at work as well as at home.

2. Why are you interested in a nursing career?

Actually, the first nurse I saw at the hospital where my granny was. She was a pretty, young woman who took care of my granny. Then, I had some volunteering at old people's home, and I just said, "I must try something like that because I like it." Obviously, I was a child then, but this feeling still drives me nowadays.

3. Can you work under pressure?

I had some stressful situations when I was a nurse at UP hospital. We had a lot of accidents one day, and we had to work for more than 24 hours. Thus, I realize how exhausting it might be. I believe that I can easily cope with pressure now if it is necessary and it will not affect my patients.

4. Name your future career aims?

I plan to get my degree at medical college, practice and improve my knowledge right here. I am highly interested in becoming a professional nurse and taking care of people. Of course, I want to challenge my hard and soft skills and if it is possible to enter and graduate from the university. So I am really self-motivated and forward-looking.

5. What is your salary expectation?

I am more interested in this vacancy and desirable experience that I can get here, than in some big profit. Of course, I hope it will be fair enough according to my qualification, experience, knowledge and working hours.

6. What are the reasons you left the previous job?

I cannot say anything bad about my team and boss. However, I felt that I had to change something and get some new experience. That is the only reason maybe.

7. Are you a team player?

Of course, it depends a lot on a particular situation. I will not wait for someone if I can help alone. However, I believe it is much better to work in pair since you can exchange your work experience and tips. So, it is not a problem for me to work in a team or alone.

8. What makes you happy and motivates you to become a nurse?

I highly appreciate the opportunity to make a difference in this life through nursing. One thing, which attracts me, is to make someone more blessed and safe. I cannot forget the first time I helped an old woman who was the same age as my granny. "Thank you" it is the best motivation for me! I believe it is my calling to become a professional nurse and help people to recover and be happy again. It seems too idealistic, but I sincerely believe in it, and it motivates me all the time.

9. What if your patient is not polite very much?

Obviously, patients can be different, but we should be conscious that most of them are a bit shocked and nervous because of being at hospital. However, I will react to their complaints or requirements and will definitely check whether there is a way to make them feel better. I am not a hothead person, so I can deal with such patients easily.

10. What if you have some conflict with another nurse or doctor?

Well, I try to be on the same page with my colleges. I always try to get on with them. However, if our relationship has a negative impact on how we treat our patients I will definitely start to work with someone else. If the doctor is not satisfied with the way I take care of my patients, I will ask him to discuss it and will never do it again. I am a non-conflict person and try to get on with all around to make a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.

11. What if your replacement does not arrive on time?

I had such experience, and I know that you cannot leave the unit and your patients alone. Usually, I call my supervisor and clarify the reasons why it happened. When you are a nurse, you should be conscious that you are responsible for people and you cannot just leave your work because it is high time to go home. Of course, it cannot be permanent.

12. What is a nurse's role today?

I believe that each nurse should be a confident leader to make a difference nowadays. You cannot be blind on cheating on exams; you cannot be in a bad mood if you have to work, etc. Being a nurse means being a local hero who makes social, psychological and physical changes. I try to follow this model in my career.

13. Why should I choose you? What makes you different from others?

I always try to improve my professional skills, to follow patients' desires, and make them feel healthy and happy. I realize the importance of becoming a true friend to my patients since it helps them to recover faster. Although the most challenging thing in nursing is to save passion and deal with situations when you are powerless, I believe that my hard working, persistence, and perfectionism will help me to cope with all these things.

14. Would you like to ask us anything?

I would like to ask you about some additional opportunities, which your school provides, for example, different nurse specializations, practice or courses. I am highly interested in getting new experience and challenge my skills if it is possible.

Summary

To sum up, here you may find the list of the latest nursing school interview questions, which you can use to prepare for your real life nursing school interview. Follow these simple tips and tricks to make a memorable first impression and become a nurse.

Keep calm! Never give up and follow your dreams!