Nursing student selection should be evidence-based and valid.

This study aimed to develop an online student selection interview and evaluate its appropriateness and validity.

A cross-sectional design was utilized. A survey for appropriateness and admission records was used for data collection. Survey participants were applicants (n = 298) and academic staff (n = 23) from one nursing faculty in the United Kingdom between 2021 and 2022. Validity evaluation included the extraction of the applicants’ interview scores (n = 1299).

Nearly all applicants (93%) rated the overall online interview experience as very good/good, and over half would (67.5%) prefer future interviews online. Academic staff evaluated the preparation, delivery, and scoring of the interview positively. Validity of the online interview was supported by the variability in total scores (n = 1299) and the results from item-level analysis. The online interview total scores were used to rank order the applicants to support the final admissions decisions.

This study supports the findings from other studies that online interviews can provide an acceptable method for selecting applicants to be accepted into a registered nurse program.