Interview information

Your admission interview with the Institute of Health & Social Care

Your admission interview is an opportunity for us to get to know you better and to assess your suitability for the course you have chosen. It is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have about your course.

The information below will give you an idea of what to expect at your interview and provide you with some tips on how to prepare. We recommend applicants read through this information ahead of their interview.

Preparing for your interview

Ahead of your interview, we recommend you take time to consider the following:

  • Think about why you have chosen your selected course and career path
  • Reflect on your personal qualities and skills, and what you have learnt through any placements, work experience or volunteering. If you don’t have any clinical work experience don’t panic – think about what transferable skills you have that would be applicable in your chosen career
  • Read through The NHS values and get to know The NHS Constitution. Consider how you would display these values, and think about examples of when you have displayed these values in the past
  • Look at LSBU’s EPIIC values

Within interviews for the following subjects, the values of the accrediting body for the profession will also be considered:

On the day

  • Make sure you have Microsoft Teams downloaded on the device you will be using to join the call. If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Teams, read through our Teams guidance here.
  • You will need to join the interview from a quiet, distraction free environment with a good internet connection
  • Your camera and microphone must be turned on so that our interview panel can clearly see and hear you, so you might want to test these before the interview
  • In order to confirm your identity we will ask you to show your photographic ID, which could include passport, national identification card, or driving licence, so have this ready to show to the camera. If you do not have one of these, we can postpone your interview until you have obtained it - contact our Admissions Office as soon as you can and inform them

The interview

The link to join your interview will have been sent to your email address, and you will access it via our portal. The link will appear in the portal 5 minutes before the interview start time. You will be held in a virtual waiting room until your interviewer is ready to begin.

Interviews are usually led by one or two of our academic staff and/or partners. During your interview, you will answer questions that will give us an idea of your values in relation to:

  • your ability to practice compassionately
  • your commitment to quality
  • your desire to work together for all patients, with respect and dignity, to improve their lives
  • ensuring your values match the NHS Constitution

You will be asked to consider a scenario from everyday life or related to a situation that a health or social care professional may need to manage within their working life. You will be asked to discuss what you might do in the given situation or try to solve. You are not expected to demonstrate clinical knowledge, but instead reflect on your experiences when forming your responses.

Example questions could include:

  • A question that allows you to demonstrate your commitment to the course and profession
  • Give your opinion on a healthcare topic
  • How you would go about a difficult situation, for example demonstrating how you would break bad news to your interviewer

Interviewers are looking for honest, genuine answers that are true to you and demonstrate that you have the values and attributes expected for the course and profession.

Interview tips

  • As you will be on camera, make sure to look smart and presentable to show that you are serious about your application
  • Be clear about why you are choosing this career
  • Speak clearly, confidently, and convincingly about your reasons for choosing your career path
  • Listen to the questions, take time to consider your answers, and provide relevant answers that demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a reflective nature
  • Articulate answers using appropriate language
  • Adequately express problem-solving skills and use initiative in your answers
  • Ask for a question to be repeated if it is not clear, or ask for clarification if you are not sure of something

After the interview

If you successfully pass your interview, you will be notified via email or UCAS Track (if you applied via UCAS) that you have been offered a place on your chosen course. This email will usually be sent within 2 weeks of your interview.

If any further documentation is needed in order for us to make you an offer we will get in touch with you via email. If you are asked for extra documents, please make sure you send these back quickly - not doing so will delay us being able to make you an offer.