With graduation and her first full-time nursing job on the horizon, Class of 2023 BSN senior Victoria Hammond believed there was still some time to make her and her fellow students even more prepared for what lies ahead in their careers.
After speaking with her UF Student Nursing Association Peers about their post-graduation plans, Hammond partnered with Clinical Assistant Professor Bryce Catarelli, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, to offer mock interview sessions for Gator Nurses to hone their skills before facing an interview in a professional setting. This initiative marks the first-ever, student-driven effort to offer mock interviews to graduating Gator Nurses.
“This opportunity is incredibly important as job interviews can be nerve-wracking,” Hammond said. “We hope that having the opportunity to practice and receive feedback will help alleviate stress and improve students’ confidence during actual interviews,” Hammond said.
According to Hammond, faculty volunteers were able to offer their expertise as former interviewers and nurse managers to answer questions about the process and serve as valuable resources for students’ professional growth and success. For some students like BSN senior Kersha Andre, the experience brought welcome reassurance about her job hunt this spring.
“I feel so much more confident about interviewing,” Andre said. “I am going to take the pointers I learned to heart and make my post-graduation interviews even better.”