100+ Nursing University Interview Questions

Advice & Insight From Nursing Interview Specialists

Motivation & Insight into Nursing

What work experience have you done?
How did you organise your work experience?
What surprised you most during your work experience?
Do you think that your work experience was a good reflection of the practice of Nursing in general?
What kind of caring work have you undertaken?
What could the nurses that you shadowed have done better?
Why do you think that we require a range of work experience in our students?
What impressed you about the nurses that you shadowed?
Tell us about one challenging situation that you encountered during your work experience.
Have you taken on any volunteering or charity roles?
How did you try to undertake a range of different work experience?

Tell us about a team that you were part of.
Do you work better in a team or independently?
Why is teamwork so important to Nursing?
Why is communication so important to Nursing?
What kind of team do nurses work in?
Are you a good leader?
Tell us about a time when your communication skills were essential to your success or the success of your team.
Tell us about a team or group activity that you organised.
Tell us about a time that your team failed, and what you learnt from the experience.
Tell us about a time that your team succeeded, and what you learnt from this.
What patients might be the toughest to communicate with?
How might you discuss a challenging topic with a patient?

What does the word empathy mean to you?
What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?
Should you feel for your patients?
Tell us about a time that you showed empathy.
Have you had a mentoring or pastoral role at school?
Imagine that one of your friends at university is going to drop out as they are struggling with the workload. What might you say to them, and what questions might you ask them to see if you can help?
Why is empathy so important for nurses?
Imagine that one of your patients has become agitated and distressed. They believe that their medication is causing their state to worsen. How might you speak to them?

Should nurses be able to go on strike?
Should parents be able to smoke in front of their children?
Should we prioritise length of life or quality of life?
Should the NHS offer treatment for self-inflicted problems?
Should we legalise recreational drugs?
Should euthanasia be legal?
What would you do if you discovered that your supervisor was drunk at work?
What would you do if you were encouraged to cheat by another student?
Should one’s religious beliefs affect the care that one provides as a nurse?
What would you do if a patient was highly verbally aggressive?
What would you do if a patient asked to only be treated by men?
What would you do if a doctor was repeatedly rude and condescending to you?
What would you do if you caught two nurses arguing in front of a patient?
Should the NHS be privatised or otherwise altered?
What would you do if you caught a friend looking at confidential patient’s notes?
Should healthcare workers be better paid?