Building a More Diverse Student Cohort

In the interest of finding the best possible candidates and building a more diverse student cohort, the School of Nursing at UT Health San Antonio wanted to pursue a more holistic approach to admissions.

Background

Shaping the New Era of Nursing

UT Health San Antonio is the only academic health science center in South Texas and its School of Nursing is one of only two public schools in the state offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN to DNP) program. With a growing alumni network of more than 11,000 graduates, the School of Nursing at UT Health San Antonio aims to develop nursing professionals that reflect the community they serve.

Challenge

An Unexpected Barrier to Holistic Admissions

As part of their shift to holistic admissions, the School of Nursing began conducting on-campus interviews with graduate program applicants. While the admissions committee loved the new insights into their candidates, they realized that the interview process became a deterrent for many qualified candidates.

Kira Talent enables us to identify applicants who, in addition to meeting academic requirements for admission, will be a good fit for our program and the nursing profession. Competencies such as organizational skills, initiative, empathy, and commitment to diversity can be evaluated more effectively through the use of this platform and we are extremely pleased with the results!”

- Henry Cantu, Director of Admissions and Special Programs

Solution

Introducing Kira's On-Demand Assessments 

To break down that barrier, the School of Nursing incorporated Kira's timed video assessments into its holistic admissions process. This new addition enabled students from all locations to complete a series of questions from their home and on their own time.

Results

UT Health San Antonio Achieves Accessible, Holistic Admissions

Kira's timed video assessments solved for the School of Nursing’s main challenge of creating a more accessible way to conduct interviews – but the results extended beyond that. Since adding Kira, the School has seen a 9% increase in student diversity, received positive feedback from faculty members and applicants, and expanded their usage into the undergraduate program.

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