It is important for you to demonstrate your motivation towards a career in Nursing and show evidence that you will be able to acquire the values important in Nursing. In our selection process at Birmingham, you will be assessed on how well you align with these values.
We can assure you that, at a Nursing interview at The University of Birmingham, an assessment of the values you hold will not require you to draw upon face-to-face experiences of healthcare. We will focus the interview experience, in part, towards an assessment of how well you have reflected on your wider experiences and the resources we provide here. Therefore, even if you have previously had face-to-face experience in a clinical setting you should not assume that this will substitute for the learning you will acquire from these materials.
Arranging, undertaking and effective reflection on face-to-face experiences requires a great deal of time and effort. You must be at least as committed to learning and developing your understanding of healthcare practice through on-line activity and research.
Preparation for interview and indeed for study on a Nursing course is aided by engaging in frequent discussions with friends and family about healthcare issues in the news and media as well as these resources.
Where do I start?
We will not test your factual knowledge of, for example, systems and structures in the body, and certainly not your medical knowledge. Remember, we are assessing your values and how the resources below have impacted on you.
It is very useful to have a broad understanding of the Nursing profession. Health Education England have produced some helpful general information about Nursing and health careers as well as more detailed information about Adult Nursing careers, Children's Nursing careers and Mental Health Nursing careers.
Understanding what It is that underpins the profession is also important. Do you know any of the NHS Core Values? Do you know about the role of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the regulation of nurses? The NHS England and NICE websites provides interesting reports about how science is informing medical practice.
Developing your personal qualities
We believe that developing the personal qualities required to become a compassionate nurse is best achieved through engaging with and supporting others, and we expect applicants to have spent time doing this, whether through voluntary or paid roles. If you are unable to find face-to-face opportunities or have unavoidable commitments that limit these, it is also possible to find opportunities to volunteer and help others online or on the phone. If you are not sure where to start looking, consider registering with nextdoor.co.uk or Do IT and offering your support. You will need to be prepared to meet whatever need you come across, but some examples are providing on-line academic support to students, and speaking on the phone to those who cannot go out and are socially isolated.