We’re excited to meet you and we want you to feel comfortable and prepared as possible. This page will provide you with all in the information you need for your selection and experience day.
On arrival a member of the team will meet you and escort you to the room to begin your selection and experience day.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your session time to register.
What to expect during your selection and experience day
Our selection and experience days are your opportunity to explore the opportunities of your future in person, meet our talented and inspirational academics and students and have exclusive access to campus and see our first-class facilities.
The day will also include you getting ‘hands on’ in bespoke clinical skills sessions so you can experience first-hand the simulation-based learning we deliver here at Staffordshire University.
Following this you will be allocated a time for your interview. Please be reassured that our approach to interviews is very informal, albeit important. The process will be a natural dialogue between you and the panel, led by specific questions. We essentially want to get to know you and discuss your ambitions, experience, understanding and the skills you have acquired.
What to expect during your interview
The focus of this part of the day is to ensure that you reflect the values of the University and the Children’s Nursing profession.
Your interview is an opportunity to tell us why you want to start your journey to becoming a Children’s Nurse here with us at Staffordshire University. It is also time for you to show us what skills and experiences you have had previously that have shaped you into the person you are today as well as demonstrating why these skills will aid you on your path to becoming a registered nurse.
The interview will usually last approximately 20 minutes and will be led by a Nurse from our lecturing team. Your panel may also include a student from the Nursing course (Adult, Children’s or Mental Health).
What to expect if your interview is being held online
Prior to your selection day you will be sent an email detailing the date and time of your interview as well as an invitation to attend a welcome and subject talk on Microsoft Teams. The email will contain all the relevant information of how to join these virtual meetings as well as contact details in case you encounter any issues on the day.
Following your email, you will receive an invitation with your specific time slot for your individual interview that takes place after the welcome talks. Please ensure that you take note of this time.
The invite will have a “Click here to join the meeting” which is usually located near the bottom of the email, to join the meeting just click this link approximately 5-10 minutes prior to your allotted time in case you experience any technical issues, and your interview panel will then join you at the scheduled time.
The interview will usually last approximately 20 minutes and will be led by a Nurse from our lecturing team. Your panel may also include a student from the Nursing course (Adult, Children’s or Mental Health).
The links below are guides for joining via a PC/laptop or mobile. Although we would encourage you, where possible, to use a PC/Laptop to join the meetings.
The interview questions
We know that interviews can be a daunting event however good preparation is key to helping you show us why you would make an excellent Children’s Nurse.
To ensure every candidate has the same opportunity to highlight their key achievements, skills, and experiences we are enclosing examples of our interview questions you may wish to consider:
Q.1 Tell us something interesting about you that will make you stand out as a student?
Q.2 Why do you want to become a Children’s Nurse?
Q.3 What have you done to prepare yourself to become a Children’s Student Nurse at Staffordshire University?
Q.4 What do you believe a day in a life of a Children’s Nurse to be?
Q.5 If your loved one were being cared for by a Children’s Nurse, what would you expect from the nurse looking after you?
Q.6 What challenges do you think the course will present to you? and how will you manage these?
How to prepare
During your interview we will be looking to see:
- Your current understanding of the nursing profession
- Who regulates us as well as our professional responsibilities
- What qualities we as nurses should demonstrate
- What challenges you feel you may encounter and how you may overcome these
- How have you prepared yourself for studying at Staffordshire University
Here are some good ways to research the profession you want to join:
- Familiarise yourself with our regulating body, The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This is vital to show that you fully understand what is expected of you as a student nurse but also what is expected once you qualify.
- Think about reading some recognised nursing journals or listening to the many podcasts available. You may also find it helpful to see what topical issues are voiced within the news and social media.
- Consider taking some additional courses. There are many free courses available to increase your academic skills as well as some that relate specifically to nursing. Digital skills can also be particularly helpful.
- Think about how you will manage your work life balance - being organised is the key. Studying nursing is a full-time course with not only your academic work to consider but also working on placement. This does equate to a full working week and many students need to balance this with their home lives. Consider what support you may need to enable this.