Admissions Talks: Rocking the Interview for DNP Executive Tracks

11/20/2020 at 9:05 AM

Written by Deb Driscoll

After you submit your application for one of the DNP Executive Tracks, the next step—if you’re invited—is the interview (this year conducted via zoom). Here are a few things you need to know, and tips for you to ROCK it.

#1: You will have two separate, half-hour interviews with a faculty member

Each faculty member will ask you the same questions, so don’t let that throw you—it doesn’t mean that you got the answer wrong the first time. The Admissions Committee has certain information it wants to collect from the interview, so we feel pretty confident that we will be able to get the information it’s looking for through this approach.

#2: Things you should think about as you prepare for your interview

What are your personal and professional goals? How will a DNP help you achieve them?
The scholarly project involves a clinical implementation. Have you ever led or been involved in a clinical implementation before? Were there challenges? What did you learn?
The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has a strong commitment to improving the lives of diverse populations. How will your DNP project contribute to furthering that mission?
Do you have a support system? How do you plan to manage a rigorous doctoral program along with your other commitments, like a job or family?
If you are applying to a dual degree program, how will the dual degree contribute to your professional goals? How will you incorporate dual perspectives into your scholarly project?

#3: Make sure you have watched our virtual information session or open house

You can find all of our recorded virtual events here. I definitely recommend attending or watching a virtual information session or virtual open house before your interview so you can speak with confidence about what you expect from the program.

Next Steps

After the interviews are completed, I will collect your interview notes and take them to the Admissions Committee to be reviewed with the rest of your application materials. Once I hear back from the Admissions Committee with a decision, I will call you to share the happy news or email you the bad news (I’m a coward and I hate to give bad news over the phone, but I’m sure you will all do a fabulous job so hopefully it will all be phone calls). If you are applying for a dual degree, your application will then be forwarded to our partner school (the Bloomberg School of Public Health or the Carey Business School) for their Admissions Committee to review.

Don’t forget, I am here to help you ROCK this! Let me know if you want to schedule a Zoom or a phone call to talk about your application or the interview.

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Admissions Talks is a series by the admissions team at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Hopkins nurses are full partners and leaders in the health care process, and their role in patient care is unmatched. The admissions team is here to offer advice and guidance on how to be a competitive applicant. Admissions & Financial Aid at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing