Purpose: The healthcare environment is currently undergoing significant transformation due to a shortage of primary care providers, an aging population with increasingly complex comorbidities, and minority patient populations with ongoing disparities. These burdens to the healthcare industry have increased the demand for a more diverse healthcare workforce (Marrast, Zallman, Woolhandler, Vor, and McCormick, 2014). As a result of this increased demand for a more diversified pool of well-prepared graduates, universities are reevaluating their admission processes. One of the admission process changes being adopted by some schools is holistic admissions (Association of American Medical Colleges [AAMC], 2015). Holistic admissions is one diversity strategy that assesses an applicant’s unique attributes and experiences alongside traditional measures of academic achievement such as grades and test scores in order to increase student diversity and to develop a culture that values diversity and inclusion (AAMC, 2015; Urban Universities for Health, 2014). Evidenced based practice has demonstrated that schools adopting holistic admissions review have a more diversified student body while still maintaining academic success (Urban Universities for Health, 2014; Witzburg & Sondheimer, 2013). Additionally, evidenced based practice shows that a more diverse student body promotes a more thoughtful and open-minded learning environment that increases student preparedness to serve minority populations (Saha, 2014).
The goal of this presentation is to describe the first national study in the U.S. of holistic admissions in nursing, medical, public health, dentistry and pharmacy (Urban Universities for Health, 2014). Second, we will describe a qualitative research study with sixty two nursing deans throughout the U.S. that revealed barriers, benefits, and feasibility of holistic admissions. The significance to global nursing is that the holistic admissions allows schools to admit students differently and build a diverse, culturally-competent workforce that will improve the quality of healthcare.
Methods: Our qualitative study utilizing thematic analysis demonstrated that an overall lack of knowledge regarding holistic admissions is a significant reason nursing schools are lagging behind other professions. Unfortunately, fewer than half of U.S. nursing schools have adopted holistic admissions (Glazer, Clark, Bankston, Danek, Fair, & Michaels, 2016; Scott & Zerwic, 2015). Identified evidence-based strategies for successful implementation of holistic admissions review in nursing include: increasing knowledge and understanding of holistic admissions review among nursing deans, obtaining buy-in and support for holistic admissions review, conducting a self-assessment of current admissions practices, and providing nursing administrators, faculty, and staff with diversity and holistic admissions training. Third, sixty two deans or their designees attended one full day workshop with five sessions on: Building the Case for Diversity and Inclusive Learning; The Nuts and Bolts of Holistic Review; Leading the Way-Nursing Leaders Speak; Beginning the Journey-What Does Your Process Look Like?; and Leadership in Action.
Results: Fifty two participants (84%) completed pre-workshop institutional assessments to assess the institutions current admissions policies and practice as well as workshop evaluations. Thirty four (56%) of workshop attendees completed the post-workshop survey on institutional admission practices and policies two months after workshop attendance.
Conclusion: In conclusion, results indicated the success of the workshop in providing evidence and information on holistic review. This presentation will focus on workshop content and participant experience, and admissions practices pre and post-workshop.
