Being Interviewed for Admission to a BSN Program: A Qualitative Inquiry

Nursing schools want to choose candidates most likely to successfully finish the program and many include interview as part of the admission process. Research on interviews as a component of admission has yet to address the students’ experience. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ lived experience of being interviewed for admission into a BSN program, with application of findings to more holistically examine the interview process. Three themes resulted from grounded theory analysis of 25 transcribed-verbatim interviews of nursing students. Seeing Me describes how the interview was a positive way of showing a side that was not represented on paper. Participants shared an awareness that qualities needed in a nurse (The Right Stuff) are better assessed with interview. The interview marked when the Beginning of the Nursing Journey felt real. This paper considers the student’s experience and helps us more holistically examine effective processes for admission to a nursing program