King's College London

If you want to become a nurse or midwife, you need to graduate from a pre-registration course - but the process can be a little daunting. 

When you apply for a pre-registration nursing or midwifery course, you'll have to prepare a UCAS application, impress during an interview, and demonstrate you'd be a good candidate for the course. 

These tips will help you understand how to apply for your chosen course and prepare for midwifery and nursing interviews.

Application tip 1: It's worth applying even if your predicted or achieved grades are slightly below the entry requirements.

King’s aims to prepare students to become future leaders in the fields of nursing and midwifery – clinical, academic, research, managerial – and encourages applications from anyone who aspires to excellence and anticipates achieving the required grades.

We realise, however, that there may be a variety of reasons why you may not achieve all you are capable of in the school environment.

At the undergraduate BSc level, King’s operates a contextualised admissions scheme. This means that if you've experienced certain barriers that make it harder for you to achieve our standard entry requirements, you may be given an offer with conditions below the standard entry requirements.

For nursing and midwifery applications, this is normally one A-Level grade below our standard criteria. But please note that applicants who are eligible for a contextual offer must still meet the full GCSE requirements for the course they are applying for.

At MSc level, King’s is able to consider candidates with 2.2 degrees at undergraduate level. Please note, however, that degree transcripts are assessed on a case-by-case basis as part of the admissions process.

Application tip 2: Healthcare-related experience will help your application, but it's not essential for BSc pre-reg programmes.

Undergraduate BSc-level applications are not required to have any set number of hours of healthcare related work experience. However, having some experience can provide useful talking points for your midwifery or nursing interview.

We understand that this is not always possible. 

Don't overlook other work experience that could demonstrate how you've developed some of the skills needed for the nursing or midwifery professions. 

However, postgraduate pre-registration applicants must have healthcare-related experience. 

MSc level applicants are required to have 575 hours (or 900 hours in the case of MNurs applicants) of healthcare-related experience. 

This can include placements taken as part of a previous undergraduate degree. But please note that it's not necessary for you to have completed all of these hours prior to submitting your application. It's entirely possible to build up your hours of experience during the assessment process.

However, please be mindful that all 575 hours (or 900 hours for MNurs applicants) will need to be completed and verified by the end of August (timeframe may vary).

This experience must have been achieved within five years of the start date of the programme, and can include paid full- or part-time employment and voluntary work. You may combine experience from more than one position/role.

Examples of healthcare experience we have considered include, but are not limited to:

• Health Care Assistant
• Care Assistant
• Support Worker
• Worker with healthcare charities
• Personal care e.g., of a relative or child (must be verified by the GP of the cared person)
• St John’s Ambulance
• Teacher of SEN (Special Education Needs) children
• Helpline advisor e.g., 111, 999, Samaritans (a maximum of 75 hours are permitted).

If you have an undergraduate degree but don't have time to acquire the required number of hours by the end of August, you may want to consider applying for the relevant BSc level programme and transferring to the MSc after the first year (in such cases, both years of the MSc will still need to be completed).

Application tip 3: Make sure you prepare for your midwifery or nursing interview

If you get invited to a nursing interview or a midwifery interview, it's really important you prepare in advance by familiarising yourself with the format and the key areas that we assess.

Midwifery and nursing interview formats

You interviews will take place online via Microsoft Teams and last for around 25 to 30 minutes, with an opportunity to ask questions at the end. The interview will be conducted by a member of staff from the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care.

Areas of assessment

Your midwifery or nursing interview will consist of a combination of open ended and multiple-choice questions designed to assess five areas:

• Choice of career
• Reasoning
• Emotional Intelligence
• Ethics
• Communication

How to prepare for your nursing or midwifery interview

When you're preparing for your interview, make sure to:

• Read up on some of the current hot topics in nursing and midwifery practice. Potential sources may include the RCN Magazine, Nursing Times, British Journal of Nursing, Midwives magazine by the Royal College of Midwifery and the British Journal of Midwifery.
• Take a look through the online prospectus pages for your course and our information on placements (so you are familiar with the course content and structure), as well as the faculty web pages to get an idea of the latest happenings and research in your area at King’s. 
• Have a pen and paper handy during the interview, so you can take notes.
• Ensure you have a functional webcam (which may need to be specially enabled if you are on a school or college computer) and an adequate WiFi signal. You may want to practice by setting up a test call with a friend to make sure you can be seen and heard. 
• Bring your photo ID.
• Be on time for your interview.
• Relax and be yourself.

For more information on our pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery programmes at King’s, visit our prospectus pages (a list can be found on our faculty page). We look forward to receiving your application via UCAS.