(171) Impact of Lean Principles on the Admissions Process at a Faith-Based Pharmacy School

Objective :

Objective: This study evaluated the impact of revisions to the admissions process, informed by Lean principles, on the efficiency and effectiveness of these processes at Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy (LLUSP), a faith-based US pharmacy school.

Methods:

Methods: In 2022, LLUSP collaborated with an external consultant to enhance admissions processes. Core teams and a steering committee enacted changes over six months, applying Agile and Lean methodologies. The 2022-23 admissions cycle saw the full implementation of these modifications. We analyzed admissions data from the 2020-21 and 2022-23 cycles, focusing on average and minimum turnaround times—from application verification to interview invitation—and assessed how these changes facilitated the communication of the school’s mission and values.

Results:

Results: The 2020-21 cycle had 239 PharmCAS-verified applications, with an average turnaround time of 32.6 days and a minimum of 6 days. The 2022-23 cycle, post-revisions, saw 234 verified applications, with reduced turnaround times—an average of 8.9 days and a minimum of 0 days—marking a 72.7% decrease in average turnaround time.

Conclusions:

Conclusions: Implementing Lean principles significantly improved the efficiency of LLUSP’s admissions process while ensuring the school’s mission and values were effectively communicated to applicants without compromising the process’s quality.