“Why should we hire you?” is one of the most common — and most important…
Common nursing selection criteria questions
Are you applying for a nursing job? In many cases, you will be required to respond to a designated set of selection criteria. These are designed to assess your skills, capabilities, and overall suitability for the role.
Responding to selection criteria is all about providing real-world examples of how you meet the criteria.
In this article, we explore some common selection criteria for nurses.
Common Nursing Selection Criteria
Legal knowledge
As a nurse, it is essential that you are familiar with the legal requirements of the role. You must understand your duty of care to patients, as well as the legal responsibilities involved in providing safe and ethical care.
Many nursing positions include a criterion such as:
Demonstrated understanding of the professional, ethical and legal requirements of a registered nurse or midwife, including the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards for practice
In your criteria response, you should outline how you are familiar with relevant legislation.
Problem Solving
As a nurse you will often be exposed to challenging situations and will need to respond to these as they arise. You will be confronted with multiple problems at once and need to prioritise which ones require the most urgent attention.
Therefore, nursing applications will often include a criterion such as:
Demonstrated clinical knowledge and clinical problem solving abilities.
In your criteria response, you should outline how you have successfully responded to problems in the past.
Communication
In the nursing profession, strong communication skills are vital. You must be able to effectively convey information to patients and fellow staff members. This ensures patients receive the highest level of care possible and do not suffer from unnecessary fear or worry. In a profession such as nursing, the consequences of poor communication can be significant.
Many nursing applications will include a criterion such as
Demonstrated high level interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
In your answer, you should provide examples of how your communication skills have improved patient outcomes.
Teamwork
Being a nurse requires you to work closely with others to achieve the best outcomes for your patients. Successful teamwork also helps to create a positive working environment.
Selection Criteria responses may include a criterion such as
Demonstrated ability to work within a team
In your criteria response, you should outline examples of how you have successfully worked in teams in the past.
Continuous professional development
Employers look for nurses who are constantly striving to improve their professional skills.
Therefore, many applications will outline a criterion relating to professional development.
In your answer, provide examples of how you’ve worked to improve your nursing skills. For example, maybe you have attended medical conferences or pursued postgraduate study.
Quality of care
Employers look for nurses who continually strive to improve the level of care provided to patients. In many cases, nurses can see aspects of a patient’s care that doctors or surgeons miss.
Many nursing job applications will include a selection criterion relating to quality of care of patients. For example, selection criteria may require applicants to show a:
Demonstrated understanding of the role in applying continuous improvement to quality and safety.
To answer this criterion, provide examples of how you have previously improved patient care.
To achieve your career goals in nursing, understanding selection criteria is key. However, responding to selection criteria in a way that captures the attention of employers is not easy.
Selection Criteria Writers can help you with our professional selection criteria writing service.
Article References
Indeed (5 March 2025) ‘What Are Nursing Selection Criteria? (With Examples)‘, Indeed, accessed 3 June 2025.
NSW Health (n.d) ‘Selection criteria and documents for your GradStart application, NSW Health, accessed 3 June 2025.
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