Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions

Access to healthcare services for underrepresented minority populations can be improved by having a diverse profession that reflects the diversity of the patient population being served. The criteria used for pharmacy school admissions may inhibit or strengthen the opportunities that URM students ha...

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Main Authors: Bernadette Cornelison, Christopher Edwards, David R. Axon, Lillian Gorman, Lorin Rudin-Rush, Bruce Johnson, Nancy A. Alvarez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Pharmacy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/10/4/88
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author Bernadette Cornelison
Christopher Edwards
David R. Axon
Lillian Gorman
Lorin Rudin-Rush
Bruce Johnson
Nancy A. Alvarez
author_facet Bernadette Cornelison
Christopher Edwards
David R. Axon
Lillian Gorman
Lorin Rudin-Rush
Bruce Johnson
Nancy A. Alvarez
author_sort Bernadette Cornelison
collection DOAJ
description Access to healthcare services for underrepresented minority populations can be improved by having a diverse profession that reflects the diversity of the patient population being served. The criteria used for pharmacy school admissions may inhibit or strengthen the opportunities that URM students have to be accepted into the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy (COP) program. It is currently unclear how personal characteristics are associated with pharmacy school admissions at the COP. This study evaluates whether Hispanic ethnicity was associated with pharmacy school admission status, and secondarily, determines other characteristics associated with admissions. This retrospective database study used admissions data from 2005 to 2018. Completed applications were included in the analysis. The outcome variable was admitted versus not admitted to the pharmacy program. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with admission status using an a priori alpha level of 0.05. A total of 2096 applicants were included in the analysis (mean age 25.1 ± 5.2 years, 59.9% female, 13.0% Hispanic). Hispanic ethnicity was not associated with admission status. Characteristics significantly associated with admission to pharmacy school were age, gender, high school attended, previous application to the college, and Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) biology and chemistry scores. Although bias was not seen in the admissions process, this study highlights the need for intervention to ensure future cohorts better reflect the diversity of the region.
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spelling doaj.art-c1289663872d41d09fbe5d1eeb5c91ea2023-12-03T14:18:21ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872022-07-011048810.3390/pharmacy10040088Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School AdmissionsBernadette Cornelison0Christopher Edwards1David R. Axon2Lillian Gorman3Lorin Rudin-Rush4Bruce Johnson5Nancy A. Alvarez6Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Tucson Campus, University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Tucson Campus, University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Tucson Campus, University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Spanish and Portuguese, College of Humanities, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Tucson Campus, University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Phoenix Campus, University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USAAccess to healthcare services for underrepresented minority populations can be improved by having a diverse profession that reflects the diversity of the patient population being served. The criteria used for pharmacy school admissions may inhibit or strengthen the opportunities that URM students have to be accepted into the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy (COP) program. It is currently unclear how personal characteristics are associated with pharmacy school admissions at the COP. This study evaluates whether Hispanic ethnicity was associated with pharmacy school admission status, and secondarily, determines other characteristics associated with admissions. This retrospective database study used admissions data from 2005 to 2018. Completed applications were included in the analysis. The outcome variable was admitted versus not admitted to the pharmacy program. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with admission status using an a priori alpha level of 0.05. A total of 2096 applicants were included in the analysis (mean age 25.1 ± 5.2 years, 59.9% female, 13.0% Hispanic). Hispanic ethnicity was not associated with admission status. Characteristics significantly associated with admission to pharmacy school were age, gender, high school attended, previous application to the college, and Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) biology and chemistry scores. Although bias was not seen in the admissions process, this study highlights the need for intervention to ensure future cohorts better reflect the diversity of the region.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/10/4/88pharmacyadmissionsdiversity
spellingShingle Bernadette Cornelison
Christopher Edwards
David R. Axon
Lillian Gorman
Lorin Rudin-Rush
Bruce Johnson
Nancy A. Alvarez
Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions
Pharmacy
pharmacy
admissions
diversity
title Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions
title_full Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions
title_fullStr Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions
title_short Assessing the Association of Hispanic Ethnicity and Other Personal Characteristics with Pharmacy School Admissions
title_sort assessing the association of hispanic ethnicity and other personal characteristics with pharmacy school admissions
topic pharmacy
admissions
diversity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/10/4/88
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