New Admissions Policies Help Identify the Pharmacists of the Future
Greetings from Madison to all our alumni and friends! Graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2005 have come and gone, and we're already planning our orientation events for the fall. Summer seems very short, indeed.
As we look forward to welcoming the incoming class of pharmacy students every fall, we also engage in looking back to assess our admissions policies and procedures and refine and revise them with three goals in mind: 1) to identify well-prepared and highly motivated applicants with the qualifications and attributes to be academically successful as student pharmacists and professionally successful as practicing pharmacists; 2) to treat every applicant with respect, common courtesy and fairness; and 3) to streamline and organize the applicant review process to be manageable for the faculty, staff and alumni members of our Admissions Committee.
Under the leadership of Associate Dean for Student Affairs Kathy Skibinski, this refinement process has led to several changes. First and foremost, we have expanded and more clearly articulated the criteria by which the Admissions Committee evaluates applicants.
Evaluation Criteria
- academic achievement
- communication skills (oral and written)
- community service/volunteer activities
- completion of pre-PharmD coursework
- cultural competence
- diversity of background and experience, broadly defined
- extracurricular activities
- interest/experience with pharmacy/health care/research
- leadership experience
- Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) scores
- state of residenc
Needless to say, this list goes well beyond consideration of an applicant's GPA in pre-professional coursework. While this metric remains of great importance to ensure success with our very rigorous professional curriculum, academic prowess, per se, is simply not enough. Many of the other criteria are in place to better identify applicants with the personal characteristics to function as true professionals in a patient-centered, service-oriented career.
The Admissions Committee is actively exploring another facet of the process that will add immensely to our ability to identify the very best applicants: a personal interview. Many steps are involved in bringing this idea to reality: 1) identifying five or six key competencies (e.g., problem solving, motivational fit, cultural competence, etc.) that will be explored during the interview; 2) carefully developing one or two questions aimed at probing an applicant's past behaviors related to each competency; 3) structuring all the details of the interview itself including a scoring process; and 4) coming to grips with all the logistics. The goal is to construct a meaningful, manageable interaction -- probably 20-30 minutes in length -- with a pair of interviewers, leading to a summary score that will add a valuable piece of information to the holistic picture sought for each applicant.
Other changes have been instituted as well. For example, we have eliminated the early decision process and instituted a new, universal application deadline in mid-November. We have moved to an online application, thanks to our excellent IT staff directed by Mike Pitterle.
There are certainly "bugs" to work out and additional changes to make, but the quantity and quality of improvements has been truly impressive.
I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the 2004/05 members of the Admissions Committee who have participated in this extraordinary level of activity. The group was very capably chaired by Mary Beth Elliott (Pharmacy Practice) and consisted of Bob Breslow (Pharmacy Practice), Glen Kwon (Pharmaceutical Sciences), Lynn Maki (director of admissions, Student Services), Pam Palmer (pre-pharmacy advisor, Student Services), Kathy Skibinski (Extension Services in Pharmacy and associate dean for student affairs), and Judy Thompson (Pharmacy Practice/Pharmaceutical Sciences). The School's director of diversity (the retiring Joann Pritchett and new director, Amber Ault) was another key member, as were the first alumni to sit on the Admissions Committee, Tom Lausten and Sylvia Thomley (University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics). Jeanine Mount (Social and Administrative Sciences and associate dean for academic affairs) served as an ex officio member, and Bonnie Svarstad (newly retired from Social and Administrative Sciences) served in an active and valuable consultant capacity. Next year's Committee will be formulated this summer and will continue with the excellent work accomplished by last year's group.
So enjoy this issue of the PAA Pharmacy Graduate and don't hesitate to contact us with comments or questions. I wish you all a happy and healthy summer!