Do you think interviews for nursing school can lead to discrimination?

[SilverNova]

I am currently in my final quarter of nursing school at my local community college. There wasn't an interview process when I applied, and everyone was accepted based on grades, work experience, and volunteer work. One of my nursing instructors let us know in class that they were adding an interview process to requirements of acceptance. She was talking about how it would help weed out the students that couldn't make it in nursing school or wouldn't make good nurses, despite good grades and work experience. All the other nursing schools in my area have an interview before acceptance into the program, and my community college was the only one that didn't. Deep down this kind of bothers me because I feel like if you have the grades, work experience, and volunteer work, someone's subjective opinion of you shouldn't stand in your way of following your dreams. I know that a lot of people don't make it through nursing school, and some don't make good nurses despite graduating and passing the NCLEX, but i find it wrong to deny someone with good grades and completion of prereqs. That is two years of your life or more. It also personally bothers me because I have had social anxiety my entire life. I feel like if I was interviewed, I may not have made the cut despite good grades and 5 years of work experience as a CNA. I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a CNA because I'm awkward and fidgety. I just does not seem ethical to me. I am aware that when you graduate as a nurse you will have to face the interview process, but I have been offered two jobs so far at my clinical sites based on my performance as a student nurse. I was able to prove myself, and I have worked with enough nurses to get letters of recommendations. I feel like overcame a lot of my personally flaws by hard work. If I was interviewed I would not have had that opportunity. Nursing is full of gate keepers and it really bothers me sometimes.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I think that implementing an interview process would benefit the students that have the ability to get through nursing school and become good nurses but their grades don't show it. You may have an A/B student that has a life event (divorce/death of a loved one/ medical issue) during one of their semesters that hurt their GPA and now can't get into nursing school based strictly on grades and GPA.

I would have a problem with a 4.0 GPA student not getting in based solely on the interviewer's subjective opinion of their personality.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Interviews are used to help determine the best candidate for a job; why shouldn't they be a tool to help determine a candidate for school? Many different types of programs do indeed involve an interview component.

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

I feel the interview should be mandatory. As a nurse, one must be able to communicate effectively to patients, family members, other staff, etc. If you are unable to communicate during an interview, this might show a deficit when it comes to sharing important medical information to others once you are employed. The admissions committee will see this. Grades and knowledge are fantastic and should count for something, but in the end, you need to be able to communicate.

[verene, MSN]

I think the interview process is a good one. My school implemented the process a few years before I applied. They found they were admitting smart cohorts who could do the academic work, but sometimes there were personality issues with in cohorts or individuals who looked amazing on paper but who really should never be allowed near patients getting in and it was causing a lot of trouble.

By doing interviews they get to look at a broader picture of who student are and working on admitting not just individuals, but thinking through the personality mesh of whole cohorts. Since that change the cohorts have become a lot tighter, more supportive of each other in the program, and fewer complaints from clinicals sites and faculty about student behavior.

As for interviewing with social anxiety - it's good practice (it would be terrible to go through nursing school on grades alone and the not be hired due to fears around interviewing) - and being anxious in an interview doesn't preclude being admitted. I'm naturally a bit anxious before interviews and had received some really bad news right before walking into my nursing school interview - I didn't manage to relax at all during the interview. After being admitted and well-into the program one of the interviewing faculty gave me feedback that she was happy to see me so relaxed and confident in clinical given my nerves in the interview. It had been very obvious to faculty that I was anxious, but they liked my answers and questions during the interview, and the rest of my application, and were reasonably confident that it was "just interview nerves."

It was actually interviewing the school that shifted my choice to this program over another when I was admitted, because I'd had an opportunity to meet faculty and ask questions. A different school had been my top choice but on interviewing there I had a horrible experience with the interviewing faculty and decided that even if I was admitted I'd probably be unhappy in their program if that was how faculty treated interviewing candidates. So the benefits of the interview go both ways.

[MotoMonkey, BSN, RN]

In my opinion interviews are in no way unethical, they are a standard feature of professional and academic life.

Are job interviews unethical? It is really no different. I understand that it may be frustrating to hear of someone with a good GPA not being accepted based on their interview, but its no different than having years of work experience in a field and not being hired. If in an interview there are signs that you will not be a good fit for the program or signs you may not succeed in the program, the school should have the right to fill the seat with someone who they are confident will succeed.

I am really glad that my school had an interview process because it allowed me a chance to sell myself as a candidate and be more than just a GPA on a spreadsheet.

[2Ask]

It concerns me that it could be a cloak for age discrimination. I went to nursing school at age 50 and was older than my professors. If they had interviewed me, that would be obvious.

For job interviews I have never gotten called back after an interview by any nurse manager who was significantly younger than me. They might not even be aware of their bias but IMO it is age discrimination.

[SilverNova]

Like i stated in my original post, I have had some difficulties with communication based on social anxiety. I also feel I make up for that based on hard work, good grades, high test scores, compassion, and determination. I may not have made the cut, even though I believe I will make a good nurse. I also want to state that I do see a difference between the other schools in my area that have interviews, and the community college I attend that does not. I notice the other nursing school's students are younger, thinner, and look more financially comfortable. They wear things like lulu lemons and other designer clothes. The students in my quarter are not as pretty and thin, and many are older, and a lot are single moms. We also have a lot more males in my school than the other nursing programs in my area. I'm not the only one that noticed it, and even had instructors talk about how our schools are a lot more "real" people that have more life experience. I feel like the interview process could discriminate against these types of people, and admit more of the pretty female stereotype of what a nurse should be. Think sorority girl. Not fair to the people who don't fit this, and don't have the bubbly, extroverted personality type. You can be a highly intelligent and a good nurse and have flaws.

[SilverNova]

Are job interviews unethical?

NO I said in my original post that all nurse graduates will face an interview process, but my point was that with hard work as a student nurse you can prove your abilities on the floor and possibly be offered a job. I have been offered two jobs so far, even with obvious social anxiety. I have also had many nurse preceptors write me letters of recommendation and are using them as a reference so my future employers can see that I am capable. I don't think nursing schools should be the gate keepers to achieving your dreams. If you graduate, pass the NCLEX, and also have difficulties finding a job, at least you were given a fair shot

[Cupcake2018]

If nursing programs aren't interviewing prospective students in person, then they are surely "interviewing" them on social media...

[SilverNova]

16 minutes ago, Cupcake2018 said:

If nursing programs aren't interviewing prospective students in person, then they are surely "interviewing" them on social media...

maybe, I don't know about that.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

18 hours ago, 2Ask said:

It concerns me that it could be a cloak for age discrimination. I went to nursing school at age 50 and was older than my professors. If they had interviewed me, that would be obvious.

Surely the information you included on your application (past education, job history, etc.) provided clues as to your age. Just the fact that you didn't include a reference to being in the high school class of 20__ showed that you were not a "traditional" college applicant. Nursing schools are full of non-traditional students; I don't think age discrimination is a big factor in nursing schools.