What Is Holistic Admissions Review, and Why Does It Matter?

DeWitty, Vernell P.

doi:10.3928/01484834-20180322-01

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…A holistic admission is comprised of what DeWitty (2018) calls holistic admissions review (HAR) practices. “HAR is a flexible, individualized way of assessing an applicant’s capabilities for success” where “balanced consideration is given to experiences and attributes, as well as academic metrics” (Urban Universities for HEALTH, 2014, p. 195).…”

Section: Holistic Admissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the AACN (2016), “fundamentally, holistic review is about mission-driven admissions” (p. 2). It is a comprehensive flexible framework that considers the whole person, where faculty are encouraged to align HAR practices with the organization’s values and mission, and the SON’s desired outcomes, where diversity is seen as imperative for excellence in education, and where data inform progress and revisions (AACN, 2016; DeWitty, 2018). AACN’s HARs are based on four core principles adapted from the American Association of Medical Schools (2013).…”

Section: Holistic Admissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research (Urban Universities for HEALTH, 2014) has shown that holistic admissions increase diversity, enhance students’ opinions related to access of care, and increase the number of students interested in working with the underserved. Diverse learning environments have been found to help students challenge themselves, think actively, broaden their perspectives regarding diversity, increase socialization across racial and ethnic groups, and have led to improved intellectual, social, and cognitive outcomes for all students (DeWitty, 2018; Saha, Guiton, Wimmers, & Wilkerson, 2008). After attending a recent nursing diversity conference and hearing many speak highly of holistic admissions, I decided to explore the notion of holistic admissions.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Holistic Admission: What Is It? How Successful Has It Been in Nursing, and What Are the Possibilities?

Morrow

2021

Nurs Sci Q

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Holistic admission review (HAR) practices have been identified as a means to increase diversity in the nursing profession. HAR practices consider the whole applicant in a dignified and respectful manner, while focusing on valued experiences, attributes, and metrics needed for the nursing profession. Nursing has lagged behind other healthcare professions in implementing holistic admissions and with support from national organizations are starting to move onward. Interviewing applicants appears to be a process embraced not only by healthcare service organizations but now by schools (and colleges) of nursing (SONs) that have implemented HAR practices. There is much to gain and not much to lose by using holistic admissions. In addition, increasing diversity in nursing is the only way one can determine if nursing diversity improves health disparities. Faculty need to consider all that their SONs, the profession, and those they serve can gain by implementing holistic admissions.

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Section: Holistic Admissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Holistic Admissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Holistic Admission: What Is It? How Successful Has It Been in Nursing, and What Are the Possibilities?

Morrow

2021

Nurs Sci Q

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“…It broadens the lens on which criteria should be used to determine the attributes of an applicant, beyond standard academic metrics 3,8 . HAR is not a diversity quota system and it does not eliminate grades or testing as part of the application process 23 . HAR should however be viewed as a means of attracting a cadre of applicants who represent the social constructs of all communities.…”

Section: Holistic Admission Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social justice as an expression of caring through holistic admissions in a nursing program: A proposed conceptual model

et al. 2020

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Aim: This paper presents HAR as an expression of caring to create social justice within nursing and achieve a workforce that is representative of those being served. Background: The lack of diversity within the health professions has been expressly linked in the literature to health disparities among underrepresented and marginalized groups. Recommendations: Recognizing the value of diversity within healthcare has been the impetus for some health profession programs to use holistic admissions review (HAR) in the assessment and evaluation of applicant suitability. While current HAR recommendations in nursing broaden the lens on which criteria should be used to determine applicant suitability beyond standard academic metrics, existing models do not examine applicants' caring capacity. Conclusion: Given caring is the essence of nursing, the authors offer a guiding framework to supplement the American Association of Colleges of Nursing criteria for HAR and a model by which nursing applicants are evaluated on their capacity to care.

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“…In their review of interventions to enhance diversity in medical schools, Vick and colleagues ( 2018 , p. 57) note that, among the principles to improve diversity, culture is the one most often neglected. Moreover, the need for a supportive organizational culture—in other words a culture that values diversity and inclusion (or ‘diversity culture’)—is often mentioned in articles about holistic review (DeWitty, 2018 ; Glazer et al, 2018 ; Wros & Noone, 2018 ); yet, the influence of culture has not been specifically examined. The purpose of this study was to enhance understanding of effective holistic review by exploring the role diversity culture plays in the holistic admissions process at two PA programs (or ‘cases’) with high URM enrollment (relative to other programs using holistic review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How organizational culture influences holistic review: a qualitative multiple case study

Coplan

Evans

2021

Adv in Health Sci Educ

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Studies primarily involving single health professions programs suggest that holistic review in admissions can increase underrepresented minority (URM) representation among admitted students. However, data showing little improvement in the overall proportion of URMs in many health professions, despite widespread use of holistic review, suggest that relatively few programs using holistic review admit substantial proportions of underrepresented minorities. Therefore, more research is needed to understand factors that facilitate holistic review practices that successfully promote diverse student enrollment. The literature suggests that a supportive organizational culture is necessary for holistic review to be effective; yet, the influence of culture on admissions has not been directly studied. This study employs a qualitative, multiple case study approach to explore the influence of a culture that values diversity and inclusion (‘diversity culture’) on holistic review practices in two physician assistant educational programs that met criteria consistent with a proposed conceptual framework linking diversity culture to holistic admissions associated with high URM student enrollment (relative to other similar programs). Data from multiple sources were collected at each program during the 2018–2019 admissions cycle, and a coding manual derived from the conceptual framework facilitated directed content analysis and comparison of program similarities and differences. Consistent with the conceptual framework, diversity culture appeared to be a strong driver of holistic admissions practices that support enrolling diverse classes of students. Additional insights emerged that may serve as propositions for further testing and include the finding that URM faculty ‘champions for diversity’ appeared to strongly influence the admissions process.

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What Is Holistic Admissions Review, and Why Does It Matter?

Cited by 21 publications

References 4 publications

Holistic Admission: What Is It? How Successful Has It Been in Nursing, and What Are the Possibilities?

Holistic Admission: What Is It? How Successful Has It Been in Nursing, and What Are the Possibilities?

Social justice as an expression of caring through holistic admissions in a nursing program: A proposed conceptual model

How organizational culture influences holistic review: a qualitative multiple case study

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