OHSU Nursing Interview: Kira, Faculty Interviews and 2027 Dates
How OHSU's nursing interviews work, who gets invited, what OHSU looks for, and the dates for 2027 entry.
OHSU's accelerated B.S. and 3-year B.S. in nursing both require an interview. If you are selected, the admissions office notifies you and you record video answers to interview questions on Kira Talent. D.N.P. applicants who are selected interview directly with nursing faculty.
Key facts (Fall 2027 entry)
- Format (B.S.)
- Recorded video answers on Kira Talent, an online platform, for the accelerated B.S. and 3-year B.S.
- Format (D.N.P. and Ph.D.)
- An interview directly with nursing faculty.
- Who is interviewed
- Applicants selected for an interview. The admissions office notifies you.
- What OHSU looks for
- Academic, professional or leadership excellence, motivation and understanding of the nursing profession, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Deadlines
- Accelerated B.S.: January 5, 2027 (Ashland final February 1). 3-year B.S.: priority February 15, 2027, final April 15 outside Portland.
- Grades
- Accelerated B.S.: 3.0 cumulative and prerequisite GPA. 3-year B.S.: 3.0 prerequisite GPA.
- No interview
- The B.S. concurrent enrollment program does not interview.
What happens in the interview
The format depends on the program. Bachelor's applicants record answers on Kira, and doctoral applicants talk with faculty.
Accelerated B.S. and 3-year B.S.
- By invitation. If you are selected for an interview, the admissions office notifies you.
- Recorded on Kira Talent. You record video responses to interview questions on Kira Talent, an online platform. There is no live interviewer.
- Priority deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their application by the priority deadline to be considered for the first round of decisions.
D.N.P. and Ph.D. programs
- Contact within weeks. If selected, the admissions team contacts you within a few weeks after the application deadline.
- Faculty interview. You interview directly with nursing faculty.
- Set dates. Nurse-Midwifery interviews November 12 (online) and 13 (in person), 2026. Psychiatric Mental Health NP interviews February 2 and 3, 2027 (Portland) and February 9 and 10, 2027 (Distance). Family NP dates are to be announced.
Kira means no second chance to explain. Practice answering a question you have never seen in about a minute, on camera, then watch it back.
How offers are decided
OHSU names three qualities it seeks in every applicant.
- Excellence. Academic, professional or leadership excellence, a strong foundation for nursing education, practice, research and leadership.
- Motivation and understanding. Awareness of the diverse roles nurses have in society.
- Diversity and inclusion. Perspectives and experiences that broaden learning for students and faculty.
- Rounds. Applying by the priority deadline puts you in the first round of decisions. Later applications are considered as space is available.
How you get an interview
OHSU publishes what makes an application competitive. Essay responses are where you show the experience parts.
Accelerated B.S. (15 months)
- To apply. A bachelor's degree in any non-nursing major (it can be finished before the program starts), a 3.0 cumulative GPA, a 3.0 prerequisite GPA, a B- or higher in each prerequisite and one anatomy and physiology course with lab.
- What helps. Your cumulative and prerequisite GPA, leadership, involvement in specific communities, and life or health care experiences related to nursing.
- Oregon residents. Get slight extra consideration.
3-year B.S.
- To apply. A 3.0 prerequisite GPA, a C- or better in each course, 28 quarter or 19 semester prerequisite credits, one anatomy and physiology course and intermediate algebra (or a placement test).
- What helps. Finishing anatomy and physiology and all prerequisites by the end of the fall term before you start, a college chemistry course, a previous degree, life or health care experience, Oregon residency and commitment to diverse and underrepresented communities.
- Optional questionnaire. Completing it gives the committee a more holistic view of your background.
Dates and campuses
Submit by 8:59 p.m. Pacific time on the deadline, and allow four weeks for NursingCAS to verify your application.
Accelerated B.S.
- Portland. Summer 2027, Fall 2027 or Winter 2028 start. Deadline January 5, 2027.
- Bend. Summer 2027 start. Deadline January 5, 2027.
- Ashland. Summer or Fall 2027 start. Priority January 5, final February 1, 2027.
3-year B.S.
- Fall 2027 start. Ashland, Klamath Falls, La Grande and Monmouth: priority February 15, final April 15, 2027. Portland: February 15, 2027.
Other details
- One fee per program. Submit a new application and fee for each program you apply to.
- Accelerated pace. OHSU recommends not working during the accelerated program.
How to prepare
Build your answers around the three qualities OHSU names, then practice them on camera.
- Know the many nursing roles. OHSU looks for awareness of the roles nurses play in society. Be ready to describe nursing outside the hospital, too.
- Bring a community story. Have an example of working with a community different from your own and what you learned.
- Know your campus. Clinicals are arranged near each campus. Say why you want to train and work in that part of Oregon.
- Practice on camera. Record short answers to questions you have not seen and check that each one starts with the point.
Career changers: explain why nursing now, and how you will manage a 15-month program without working.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Kira video (B.S.), faculty (D.N.P.) station, written for applicants to Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
Nurses work in hospitals, schools, clinics, homes and public health departments. Pick one setting and describe what a nurse there spends the day doing.
Use something you have seen or read about, which shows you understand the many roles nurses play.
You already have a degree and a career. Why nursing, and why now?
Link a specific moment to the decision and show what you did to test it before applying.
Why nursing through an accelerated program, rather than a traditional four-year BSN?
Show you understand the pace and have a plan to handle it, not just that it is faster.
How is the role of a registered nurse different from that of a licensed practical nurse or a nursing assistant?
Compare scope in plain words, such as assessment, planning and teaching, without putting any role down.
A patient comes to clinic with her husband, who answers every question for her. He declines a routine screening for her, citing their cultural beliefs, but she looks hesitant. How do you navigate this?
Respect the culture while finding a private, safe way to hear the patient's own wishes.
You are a nursing student caring for a transgender patient. You accidentally use the wrong pronoun, and the patient becomes visibly upset. What do you do to repair the relationship?
Apologize briefly, correct yourself, and keep caring for the patient without making it about you.
Frequently asked questions
Does OHSU nursing use Kira?
Yes. Applicants selected for an interview for the accelerated B.S. or the 3-year B.S. record video answers on Kira Talent. The Master's in Nursing Education also uses Kira.
Is the OHSU nursing interview by invitation?
Yes. OHSU says the admissions office notifies you if you are selected for an interview. D.N.P. and Ph.D. applicants hear within a few weeks after the deadline.
What does OHSU look for in nursing applicants?
Academic, professional or leadership excellence, motivation and understanding of the nursing profession, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
When is the OHSU accelerated nursing deadline?
January 5, 2027 for Portland and Bend. Ashland has a January 5 priority deadline and a February 1, 2027 final deadline.
How do OHSU DNP interviews work?
Selected applicants interview directly with nursing faculty. Some programs set dates, such as February 2 and 3, 2027 for Psychiatric Mental Health NP in Portland.
Sources
Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.
- OHSU School of Nursing: Admissions and Application Information · read October 24, 2026
- OHSU School of Nursing: Accelerated B.S. Classes and Requirements · read October 24, 2026
- OHSU School of Nursing: 3-year B.S. Classes and Requirements · read October 24, 2026
- OHSU School of Nursing: Accelerated Bachelor of Science · read October 24, 2026