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. 1. Introduction The nursing shortage continues [1]. With a mean age of 46, the nursing workforce will be retiring, and the number of new nurses being produced will not fill the resulting gap. The aging North American people are living longer with chronic disease and will require even more health care services. As health care reforms change the availability of services, even more Americans will seek needed nursing care [1]. Schools of nursing across North America are challenged with finding ways to increase retention and graduation without compromising the expected high standards of their institutions. Trends show that funding for academia is often awarded through retention and graduation of admitted students [2]. Interviewing applicants is one more way to filter the pool for those students who are most likely to excel and complete their program. Structured and consistent interview processes are effective in obtaining reliable information [3]. Some empirical data is available to guide admission committees on effective and proven processes. The literature does not, however, reflect what the experience of an interview has on the student. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ lived experience of being interviewed and accepted into a BSN program. The application of findings towards improving the interview process will be considered. 2. Review of Literature Historically, medical schools have interviewed candidates for admission to their programs, but nursing schools have not. The reasoning behind the interview is to assess interpersonal and communication
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