Legislative: From Policy to Practice: A Case for Holistic Review Diversifying the Nursing Workforce

Holistic Admissions Review in Nursing Education: A Concept Analysis Using Rodgers’ Evolutionary Method

“…Holistic review in nursing is based on the missions and values of the institution, with an emphasis on increasing diversity for the admission of minority students, which may include racial minorities, students with low socioeconomic status, older students, geographically underrepresented students, and students with extreme life conditions or experiences. Nursing school publications are consistent with medical school sources regarding the importance of combined metrics (e.g., GPA and standardized testing scores), with consideration of student characteristics, experiences, and skills (Glazer et al, 2015;Wros & Noone, 2018).…”

“…A student’s ability to perform the interpersonal and interprofessional tasks of the discipline dictates the success of the future professional. Standardized scores cannot assess in-person communication styles, quality of caring for patients (Kreiter et al, 2018), student leadership abilities (Glazer et al, 2015), community involvement (Glazer et al, 2015; Grabowski, 2018), ethics (Kreiter et al, 2018), or adherence to discipline-specific values. Holistic review considers student cohort teams and determines whether groups will fit well together, academically or professionally (Katsufrakis et al, 2016; Love et al, 2016).…”

“…Conceptual antecedents for holistic review include valuing diversity, willingness to invest time, procedural development, and commitment to achievement. Institutions must value diversity within student cohorts and the future nursing profession to initiate a holistic review process (Glazer et al, 2015; Scott & Zerwic, 2015). Implementation requires a willingness to invest significant time and determine practices that best espouse holistic review and increase diversity (Glazer et al, 2016), especially when college vision and mission statements must be adjusted (Gay et al, 2018; Katsufrakis et al, 2016) and when nonmetric assessments (e.g., essays, personal statements, and interviews) are implemented (Grabowski, 2018; Price et al, 2008; Wagner et al, 2020; Wilson et al, 2019).…”

“…Of note, racial minority populations are significantly underrepresented in the nursing profession (AACN, 2015; National League for Nursing, 2016). In 2013, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans comprised approximately one third of the population in the United States, but less than 17 percent of nurses self-identified within these groups (Glazer et al, 2015).…”

“…Holistic review in college admissions is a means of promoting diversity and inclusivity, particularly by focusing on diminishing or eliminating education disparities for disadvantaged students (Bastedo et al, 2018;Glazer et al, 2015;Vick et al, 2018). Patients often seek providers of similar cultural or ethnic backgrounds (Glazer et al, 2015;LaVeist & Isaac, 2013), and minority providers are more likely to work in underserved locations (AAMC, 2014). Diversifying student cohorts can increase health care provider diversity and help reduce health care disparities (DeWitty, 2018;Thomas & Dockter, 2019;Vick et al, 2018).…”