Paper
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
709
Access and Entry: Making Admission Decisions
Lucy B. Trice, PhD, ARNP, BC, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Admission to limited access nursing programs is often made solely on the basis of grade point average (GPA). These programs frequently attract more qualified applicants than can be accommodated, and using GPA as the primary criterion for admission decisions skews admission in favor of students with very high GPAs. In response to faculty concerns that use of GPA as the sole deciding factor was systematically eliminating applicants, including minorities, who were potentially good students, the admission process was revised to include an interview. An admission algorithm was developed which weighted the interview at 60%. The algorithm also takes into account the pre-requisite GPA as well as scores on math and writing examinations. This change enabled the program to admit highly qualified students, while at the same time giving deserving students with good but less competitive GPAs an opportunity for admission, without lowering the overall standards for admission. The inclusion of a structured interview process and the use of the admission algorithm were successful in increasing minority representation in the nursing program and have contributed to an overall decrease in attrition. This presentation will describe the development, implementation and evaluation of the admission process, including details about the interview procedures and the components of the admission algorithm.