Pharmacy School Admissions: Looking at the Whole Person

A recent white paper on pharmacy admissions practices made recommendations that pharmacy education leaders use a holistic approach to admit the types of learners who will become confident, practice-ready graduates and future leaders/innovators. Published in November 2015, the white paper on national admissions practices, subtitled "Developing a Diverse Work Force to Meet the Health-Care Needs of an Increasingly Diverse Society," appeared in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Vol. 79, Issue 7.

The Special Committee on Admissions, charged by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), was chaired by Andrea Wall, registered pharmacist and associate dean for student and alumni affairs at the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.

 "Our common goal is to admit students who will ultimately become professional, self-directed, critical thinkers who can problem solve, become lifelong learners, demonstrate personal skills such as leadership, ethical behavior, are highly motivated and are good communicators," says Wall.

Since 2000, in addition to an academic review that includes an applicant's grades in pre-pharmacy courses and PCAT scores, the college has used a holistic approach to assessing applicants, which includes evaluating characteristics such as humanistic values, personal attributes, problem solving and critical thinking, verbal and non-verbal communication skills, leadership and commitment to serving the public.

The college has received commendation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) during the last two accreditation visits in recognition of its admission process.

The white paper also addressed ACPE's Standards of 2016 stating that each school of pharmacy must develop, implement and assess its admission criteria, policies and procedures to ensure the selection of a qualified and diverse student body. According to AACP, of the total number of students enrolled in first professional degree programs for fall 2014, 12.4 percent were underrepresented minority students.

"Admitting students from different backgrounds and cultures provides a rich environment for students to learn in, and it is important for the college to promote a respectful and inclusive educational community. Our student body should reflect the diversity of the patients and communities where we practice," says Wall.  

While pharmacy leaders are looking at new ways to assess applicants for cognitive and non-cognitive attributes and meet ACPE guidelines, the applicant pool has considerations to make as well—one of them being tuition costs, which UC has managed to keep comparatively low.

According to the most recent AACP survey, the total cost for tuition and fees for four professional years in UC's PharmD program is $82,305, the lowest total tuition cost of all seven private and public pharmacy programs in Ohio.

UC's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy also has a higher college pass rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) than the state and national average.