Chloe, University of Northwestern- St. Paul Nursing Program

Name: Chloe Bakker

Accepted to: University of Northwestern – St. Paul Nursing Program

Undergrad Major: Biology

Undergrad University: I graduated from University of Northwestern in 2016.

Work at ACR: I’ve been working for ACR since October 2014. I started as a direct care staff and was a weekend supervisor for about a year before I became a residential supervisor in September of 2016, and have worked as an RS since that time.

Anything you found surprising about interviews? I think nursing school interviews are probably much different than PA school interviews, but the interview was pretty standard. They asked about my academics, but the questions were more pointed towards my experiences outside of school. They wanted to know about situations where I had to use critical thinking as well as general healthcare experience that would prepare me to become a nurse. During my time at ACR, I have attended many medical appointments, stayed with residents in the hospital and emergency room, and provided for daily needs of residents. I have learned a lot of about caring for individuals while they are at their most vulnerable and about finding dignity in things such as assisting with toileting, feeding someone, and giving someone a bath. All of these experiences that I gained by working at ACR prepared me to become a nurse much more than any experience in the classroom, and the interviewer was much more interested in those experiences as well.

Any other advice for other pre-nursing students? My advice for anyone applying would be make sure you can articulate why you want to be become an RN (or a PA/MD/OT/etc). The interviewer is looking for why you feel called to the profession of the program you are applying to and it is beneficial to be able to state why you are choosing that profession over others and examples of why you feel that way!