What Does a Holistic Admissions Process Look Like for Professional School?

Creighton University's School of Pharmacy and Health Professions evaluates prospective students through a holistic admissions process that extends beyond grades alone. Faculty from Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs share how they assess a candidate's complete story - their experiences, service commitment and alignment with Jesuit values - to identify future healthcare professionals who will excel in patient care and their communities.

For many prospective healthcare students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), or Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), ‘holistic admission’ may seem like just more application terminology. However, at Creighton University’s School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, it represents a comprehensive strategy for identifying future healthcare professionals who will excel academically and serve their communities with compassion and skill.

“To me, it means a broad-based way of looking at a person as a whole,” explains Helene Lohman, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, professor of Occupational Therapy. “When we consider a person for admissions, academics is one part of it, but we want to know this person’s story, their passion for occupational therapy and how they fit with the mission of Creighton.”

“We consider ourselves some of the more accessible healthcare professionals. The public knows that they can go talk to and find the pharmacist without a lot of effort. So we then have to make sure our students not only have the caring attitude, but communication is a big deal,” says Keith Christensen, PharmD, BCPS, vice chair and associate professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Understanding Professional School Requirements

While academic achievement and admission requirements remain important benchmarks, Creighton’s holistic approach considers multiple factors that shape a candidate's potential.

“What research has shown is that programs that use holistic admission practices capture applicants who have lived experiences to serve communities and patient populations that better reflect themselves,” explains Kathleen Sutton, PT, DPT, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor of Physical Therapy. “We want to understand how this aligns with the clinician you aspire to be. We know you’re a strong student; that’s why we’re interviewing you.”

Christensen adds, “We take the whole application, paying particular interest to the personal essays that the students write. We look at their activities, their work history and what kind of effort they’ve put in during their undergraduate years.”

Valuing Real-World Experience

While hands-on experience in healthcare settings can demonstrate dedication to the profession, Creighton’s holistic approach recognizes that applicants' access to these opportunities varies. 
“It’s not a requirement of our program that someone has worked in a pharmacy before they apply to pharmacy school,” Christensen explains. “But having said that, if someone has worked in a pharmacy, that is an example of their dedication to the profession. They’ve been in an area of our profession and are still pursuing the degree.”

This flexible approach extends across programs. “If we’ve got a student who maybe does meet the minimum, but they don’t have a lot of diverse shadowing hours, we can account for that,” Sutton notes. “If they had to work multiple jobs, they were supporting a family, they’re not penalized for a lack of access or opportunity.”

The focus remains on identifying candidates who demonstrate commitment to their chosen profession through direct healthcare experience or other meaningful work and life experiences that equip them for a healthcare career.

Mission-Driven Perspective

The Creighton holistic admissions process reflects its identity as a Jesuit Catholic university. “When we look at a person holistically, and the mission of Creighton is ‘Ignatian values, providing service, caring for one another and cura personalis’ –we interview for that,” Lohman explains.

“We’re trying to align with our mission more than anything,” Sutton adds. “Making sure that we’re capturing students who would make excellent clinicians and also have varied life experiences that are going to contribute to meeting our mission of being able to serve entire communities and being service-minded and perform with excellence.”

The principle of cura personalis—care for the whole person—naturally aligns with the holistic review process and the education that follows. Many successful candidates find that their personal values reflect this commitment to serving others.

The Role of Personal Stories and Experiences

Each candidate brings unique experiences that shape their potential as future healthcare professionals. Lohman emphasizes the value of diverse paths to healthcare: “Not everyone comes to occupational therapy in a straight path. We love to hear that unique path because the work world is very diverse and increasingly diverse in American society.”

“We’ve had first-generation American students, and their families immigrated here and worked as migrant workers,” Sutton shares. “They had to learn English as a teenager on their own, had never been to college, parents had never been to college. And they have such a gentle mission-driven spirit and passion for being able to work with communities that reflect their background.”

Service and Community Connection

A commitment to service stands out as a key component of Creighton’s holistic review process. “We want students that aren’t just really good in a classroom. We want them to be committed to service and to look at leadership,” Lohman explains. “We want them to serve their communities, to serve their profession and each other in ways that are going to be more than just the interactions they have as a clinician.”

This service mindset often emerges from personal experience. “Sometimes the students themselves are the ones that had a health issue they either are overcoming or had overcome with the help of pharmacy,” Christensen shares. “They then, in turn, wanted to become a pharmacist so they can help someone else down the line.”

Building Future Healthcare Leaders

The holistic admissions process looks beyond immediate academic success to envision how candidates will serve as future healthcare professionals. Sutton emphasizes, “We’re not just admitting them to Creighton. We’re admitting them to our profession.”

This perspective shapes how the admissions committees evaluate candidates. “We want to look at applicants and apply Ignatian values to their application,” Christensen notes. “We don’t want to forget the patient on the other end of the outcome of the schooling. We want to look at the whole picture.”

“And when you’re interviewing and looking at them holistically,” Lohman adds, “we’re thinking two things: Would they fit with our program? But more than that, would they be someone we would like to see someday as a peer professional, as a colleague with us?”

Advice for Future Healthcare Professionals

For those navigating the application process and considering Creighton's healthcare programs, the faculty emphasizes authenticity and commitment. Lohman advises those considering applying to Creighton’s healthcare programs. “Be open. Even if you think you’re going into one area, you may discover something else as you grow professionally.”

Sutton offered, “It’s about how you’re going to take the struggles that you’ve had or maybe the nonlinear path that got you here and translate that into skills that will contribute to you being a great clinician. Your patient doesn’t care that you got an excellent board score. They care that you care.”

Through this comprehensive admissions approach, Creighton continues to develop healthcare professionals who make a difference in their communities. As Lohman observes, “When I talked to therapists in the community, they say their favorite clinical students are Creighton graduates, and they’re very service-oriented and creative clinical thinkers.”

Such consistent feedback from practicing professionals validates how a holistic admissions process helps identify and develop healthcare professionals who combine academic excellence with a deep commitment to service and patient care.