The Value of Admission Interviews in Selecting Accelerated Second-Degree Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Accelerated undergraduate nursing programs have attracted more qualified applicants than can be accommodated, yet higher-than-desired attrition rates continue for a variety of reasons (e.g., pace of program, poor lifestyle choices, role concerns). The financial effects of the loss of students from these programs has gone largely undocumented and is intensified by the knowledge that a better admission decision could have resulted in another nurse in the workforce. In this article, the inclusion of structured personal interviews into the admission decision-making process is discussed. Specifically, do interviews provide relevant data in making admission decisions? Attempts to reduce subjectivity through the development of a structured interview guide, the training of paired interview teams, and the institution of a "post-mortem" technique to guide revisions are also described. Interviews do result in denial of applicants who seem appropriate based on paper portfolio criteria, allowing for inclusion of other potentially successful applicants.