Case Studies · 3 minute read

UC College of Nursing increases cohort diversity by removing barriers in the admissions process

Looking to expand their reach beyond regional borders and attract a more diverse group of students, UC College of Nursing moved their admissions interview process online.

Challenge

Removing barriers within the admissions process to engage and enroll more diverse applicants.

Key outcomes

Drove increases in ethnic racial diversity, geographic diversity, socioeconomic diversity, and first generation college students enrolled in nursing programs, while improving reviewer recruitment and retention.

Favourite features

  • Horizontal Review
  • Inter-rater Reliability Metrics
  • Question and Rubric workshop

As one of the first institutions in the United States to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the University of Cincinnati is an established trailblazer in nursing education. Their programs are designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, emphasizing both practical experience and academic excellence. A combination that drew the interest of applicants from across the country.

"When we conducted our admissions interview in-person, we had applicants who would have to move mountains to attend,” shared Krista Maddox, Sr. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing

The college realized how these barriers were impacting the diversity of students enrolled in their nursing programs.  

“We had cut ourselves off from a wealth of applicants because of geographic constraints."

“We needed a virtual solution that could support our existing interview structure,” Maddox explained. “When we found Kira Talent and saw how the platform let us isolate individual characteristics in an applicant, it became an integral part of our process going forward.”

Uncovering deeper applicant insights

“At UC College of Nursing, we utilize a holistic admissions process modelled after the American Association of Medical Colleges AAMC) recommendations,” Maddox shared.

“Beyond academics, we want to know about an applicant's life experience, how they spend their time, how they've gained experiences that would lead to success as a nurse or nurse anaesthetist,” she explained. “It’s those insights that really help us identify which applicants have the critical skills to succeed in the profession.”

Although UC College of Nursing has been conducting a holistic review in their admissions process for years, Maddox and her team were pleasantly surprised by the value and insight that Kira’s team of experts brought to their assessment. 

“Kira helped us enhance our interview process, giving us access to insights which previously seemed unattainable.”

“With Kira’s horizontal review, we’re able to isolate each competency for review and easily assign reviewers to focus solely on evaluating that skill across a wide group of applicants,” she explained. “This helps us ensure inter-rater reliability and gives us a more accurate assessment of applicants’ skills.”

“Our reviewing team typically consists of faculty, staff, clinical partners, and alumni,” continued Maddox. “It was challenging for them to carve out the time to come and spend an entire day on campus for in-person interviews, and that made reviewer recruitment and retention very difficult.” 

“Kira has been a perfect way to accommodate their schedules, while ensuring that we deliver the best possible interviews,” she shared. 

Opening doors to the next generation of healthcare

The effects of Kira are being felt beyond the admissions process and into the classroom, with UC College of Nursing seeing a boost in the diversity of their enrolled cohorts. 

“We have seen an increase in ethnic racial diversity, geographic diversity, socioeconomic diversity, and first generation college students enrolled in our programs.”

“We're a regional program, at a Midwestern school,” Maddox explained. “Historically, most of our students have come from our surrounding area.”

“Using Kira has created access to our program that applicants across the country didn’t have before.”

“Our cohorts now consist of students who come from different geographic areas and have different lived experiences,” she continued. “We’re seeing them work together and learn from each other, which is so important for future healthcare workers.” 

“Kira has given us the ability to remove barriers of entry,” Maddox noted. “After seeing how much positive change it brings our cohorts, we haven’t looked back.”

Implementing holistic admissions standards

UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing shares how their admissions process helped increase cohort diversity by 62% in this recorded webinar.

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