Utah Valley University’s Physician Assistant program is part of the state’s largest public university and proudly reflects UVU’s mission of access, growth, and student support. With a high percentage of first-generation students in each cohort — 38% across the university and 26% in the PA program’s Class of 2027 — the program is committed to fostering equity and providing meaningful opportunities for future healthcare providers. As the program’s reputation grew and application numbers surged to 700+ per cycle, UVU PA needed a way to fairly and efficiently assess applicants without overwhelming its faculty or compromising on depth.

“We want students to come see our culture and feel what it’s like to be here,” shared Michelle Bastian, Admissions Director for the PA program. “It’s important to us that the admissions experience matches the same support and care they’ll find in the program.”

With Kira, UVU found a solution that helped them streamline admissions, reduce bias, and create a more intentional, student-centered process.

Putting efficiency at the forefront of admissions

“Before Kira, we spent six full days conducting eight-hour interviews,” Bastian shared. “With Kira, we’ve cut that down to three days and three-hour sessions — all without compromising the quality of our applicant evaluations.”

“Our faculty have limited time, and Kira has given us a way to engage them meaningfully in admissions without disrupting their teaching responsibilities,” she explained. “Using an Asynchronous Assessment in Kira as a first-round interview, we’re able to focus our time in the final in-person interviews to dig deeper into each candidate’s story and motivation.” 

Utah Valley PA’s in person interviews used to run 8 hours a day for 6 days. By bringing Kira in as a prescreening step, they’ve been able to reduce that time commitment down to just 3 hours a day for 3 days. For their faculty members, that means a reduced time commitment from 48 hours down to only 9 hours across the interviewing cycle.

“Shortening the interview day has made it easier for faculty to stay focused and fully engaged with each applicant.”

Introducing a new tool at mitigating bias

“Admissions has historically struggled with bias, and we’re constantly trying to figure out how to best mitigate that impact,” shared Bastian. 

“With Kira, we’re able to apply a consistent, structured evaluation process,” Bastian continued. “That change has been integral in helping us to reduce subjectivity and bias across our admissions decisions.”

By using a structured rubric and getting multiple reviewers per applicant, Kira helps ensure a fairer, more balanced admissions process — one that mitigates individual bias and promotes equity.

Uncover the 9 most common forms of admissions bias and see how Kira can help mitigate them

“The way Kira’s platform lets us assign three faculty members to each applicant aligns with our mission to counteract the natural biases that can occur in the admissions process.” explained  Bastian. “Because of the way it’s set up—with Kira’s team helping us write questions, with rubrics, with video intros—it becomes much more fair.”

“Even with our rising applicant volume and the complexity of a holistic admissions process, Kira is helping us make thoughtful, mission-driven decisions more efficiently than ever before.”

Bringing applicant submissions to life

“Kira allows us to see beyond an applicant’s paper qualifications, bringing their personality and communication skills to life in a way that the application alone never could,” shared Bastian. “It has been truly transformative for our admissions process.” 

“Applicants are more than numbers. Kira helps us understand who they are — their story, their values, and their communication skills — in ways that traditional applications can’t.”

“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from applicants about their Kira interview experience — which speaks volumes, considering how stressful the process can be,” Bastian continued. “Our applicants now leave their interview day feeling more confident, less fatigued, and genuinely positive about the process.”

“Kira Talent has truly elevated our admissions process,” she added. “It’s intuitive, reliable, and backed by a fantastic support team — it’s something we genuinely look forward to using each year.”