Health Careers Equity Planning
Dean for the School of Health Sciences, Human Services and Nursing; Dean of Equity and Inclusion, Health Program Directors
Project Purpose
Reduce equity and opportunity/access gaps for target populations in health sciences, dental programs, and nursing programs by identifying and addressing systemic challenges and barriers to student success for students from historically marginalized groups.
Deliverables
- Create report containing qualitative and quantitative data to illustrate the successes and challenges of students in health programs and identifies historically marginalized groups with success gaps.
- Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing (HSHSN) leadership will guide the project in a data-informed approach including:
- Reviewing the selective admission policy and update if needed
- Reviewing the selective admission criteria and proposing any changes
- Reviewing the selective admission processes and proposing any changes
- Complete value stream mapping exercise with institutional effectiveness
- Develop and refine intake process cycle and recommend actions
- Develop equity professional development plans
- Create an equity plan to decrease success gaps
Project Scope
In Scope
- Qualitative research and analysis
- Selective admission criteria
- Onboarding processes for health programs
- Advising/exploration to determine program fit and possibly alternative career paths
Effectiveness Measures
Key Performance Indicators/Metrics
- Student Success at the major and prefix level disaggregated by target populations
- Completion of first term with 2.0 GPA and rate of progress of at least 2/3
- Fall to spring retention rate
- Fall to fall retention or graduation rate
- Student Access
- Overall representation of college population in health programs.
- Overall representation of students in selective admissions programs when compared to the applicant pool
- Feedback from stakeholders (i.e. faculty, staff, students, employers) will be gathered annually
Metric Review and Reporting Schedule
Data collected will be reported annually and included in PATH-MN grant reporting requirements
Constraints
- Time
- Faculty and staff buy-in
- Workload capacity
- Programmatic accreditation standards
Financial Impact
- Enhanced retention will positively impact tuition revenue
- Professional development will require financial investment
Summary of Results
FY25 a taskforce comprised of selective admission program faculty, HSHSN dean, director of enrollment and the selective admissions specialist, engaged in thoughtful and collaborative discussions to improve student experience and program outcomes by:
- Creating a more transparent, equitable and effective selective admissions processes
- Providing alternative pathways for students who are not initially admitted to their first-choice programs
- Promoting equity in admissions by reducing reliance on a single entrance exam (HSRT) and instead developing more holistic criteria that provide fair opportunities for all applicants.
- Establishing consistent application opening dates and deadlines across all selective programs
Taskforce discussions resulted in a proposal to update selective admissions criteria to allow for a broader range of learning experiences to be considered for admission and aligning application dates across all selective programs.
Future Direction
- Spring 2026 - Echocardiography and Practical Nursing programs pilot revised selective admissions criteria.
- Fall 2026 - Full implementation of revised selective admissions criteria for all selective admissions programs.
