Providing continuing education opportunities in the allied health professions

The need for continuing education is recognized by most health professionals. However, the opportunities for all health professionals to participate in continuing education activities are not the same. In an attempt to measure the factors that limit continuing education opportunities for allied health professionals in northern Illinois, a survey was taken of all allied health professionals in a nine-county area. This survey showed that cost is not as important a barrier as work conflict or continuing education credit in limiting allied health participation. It also indicated that employer-provided fringe benefits related to continuing education vary among the allied health disciplines and rarely cover the costs of continuing activities.     

Assessing continuing education needs of five allied health professions in rural California.

Meeting the needs of rural health care professionals for continuing education remains a challenge for health planners. An assessment of these needs is the focus of this survey of rural practitioners. A continuing education needs survey of five allied health professions in an agricultural region of California was conducted. Variables selected related to professional education and retention and included paramedics, physical therapists, pharmacists, clinical psychologists, and medical technologists. Results indicated a strong need for high quality, moderate cost, locally offered continuing education seminars. Access to professional literature searches was also regarded as important. Several of the selected health profession groups were concerned about maintaining licensure; most intended to remain in their professions for at least six to ten years. These survey findings clearly suggest a need for centrally coordinated continuing education opportunities for allied health personnel in rural service delivery areas.     

Determining and maintaining competence: an obligation of allied health education

In a climate of growing concern about the costs and quality of health care, there is increasing evidence that the health care system lacks effective controls to assure the continuing competence of health practitioners. The assumption that educational institutions, and specifically those that prepare allied health professionals, can meet obligations to the clinical community and the public by means of the present haphazard system of voluntary continuing education is questioned. Instead, the author suggests that schools of allied health may have to collaborate with professional organizations in identifying individual deficiencies in clinical practice and in offering remedial, continuing education programs that address these deficiencies. The rationale for the assumption of this unique responsibility for determining and maintaining clinical competence by schools of allied health is explored.     

Continuing education: a perspective of planning

In this paper the author reviews the process of planning as it relates to the implementation of a continuing education program for allied health professionals and reviews some of the literature of continuing education in order to discuss planning in its proper perspective. The author defines continuing education and discusses the planning and implementation of a continuing education program. This process is designed to meet needs that are dependent upon the perceptions of allied health manpower and tends to flourish in an environment where it is commonly recognized that some form of change is necessary. Seven steps that comprise the planning process of program development are detailed, as well as factors which reduce resistance to change and facilitate planning.     

Recredentialing in the allied health professions

Credentialing of allied health professionals is used to assure the public that they are receiving care from competent individuals, and recredentialing is a means to demonstrate continuing competence. There is considerable variability in the requirements that allied health professions have for recredentialing. Of the 16 national credentials representing 14 allied health professions that were included in this study, 50% had no continuing education (CE) or retesting requirement in order to maintain the credential. The remaining 50% required CE in amounts ranging from 10 to 50 hours per year, with a mean of 18.5 hours. One credential requires both CE and retesting. A review of the literature reveals that CE requirements are not linked to improved patient outcomes, and evidence linking retesting to improved outcomes is lacking. Therefore, even though there is external pressure to implement recredentialing requirements for the allied health professions, care needs to be taken to assure that the tools used to ensure continued competence are valid and reliable.     

What allied health professionals want from continuing education programs: a study of five disciplines

The purpose of this study was to determine what allied health professionals want from continuing education programs. Both the content desired and the format of such programs were investigated. The results from five allied health disciplines are reported, including: Medical Dietetics, Medical Technology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Radiologic Technology.     

Space allocation decisions in schools of allied health

Growth is continuing in schools of allied health in terms of faculty, enrollments, the use of university-based clinics and in the volume of training facilities required for allied health education. At the same time, budgets for future expansion of facilities are likely to become more stringent. Thus, the efficient allocation of physical space within schools of allied health is extremely important and it will become more important in future years. This paper examines procedures for evaluating space needs in allied health schools. A number of possible approaches, and their strengths and weaknesses, are explored. Influences of the physical environment--of which space is a primary component--on behavior is considered in the context of allied health education and their implications for space allocation are explored. The likely effects of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations on space utilization are also examined. Throughout the analysis recommendations are made for the safe and effective use of the available physical space within which allied health education occurs.     

Fund-raising strategies for the allied health professions

Academic units of allied health (eg, schools and colleges of allied health) are relatively new to institutions of higher education. As a result, the academic units lack prestige with private funding sources. This article describes a development model for raising private contributions emphasizing allied health academic units. The roles of the academic department, development advisory committee, and faculty in developing the mission statement, needs, objectives, and case statement for the department are described. How the department chairperson, faculty, dean, and advisory committee members interact with the staff from a development office in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting private support are explained.     

Factors affecting allied health faculty job satisfaction: a literature review

Evidence in the literature suggests job satisfaction can make a difference in keeping qualified workers on the job, but little research has been conducted focusing specifically on allied health faculty. In order to attract and retain top quality faculty, colleges and universities should understand the variables impacting faculty satisfaction and develop a plan to enhance satisfaction. An integrative literature review (CINHAL, ERIC, Journal of Allied Health, Chronicle of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, and current books on job satisfaction) of faculty job satisfaction and dissatisfaction produced a variety of publications presenting the key determinants of job satisfaction by allied health faculty in the United States. The purpose of the analysis was to examine the various factors that influence job satisfaction, especially by allied health faculty, in institutions of higher education in the U.S. The procedure used for this analysis consisted of reviewing allied health and higher education faculty studies to identify factors influencing job satisfaction, research questions, sample size reported, instruments used for measurement of job satisfaction, and job satisfaction results. While the theoretical models of allied health and higher education faculty job satisfaction exist separately in the literature, their remarkable similarities permit the prospect of a contemporary framework of the essential components of job satisfaction. Potential opportunities for continuing research on the personal and professional variables impacting job satisfaction of allied health faculty and similar disciplines are presented.     

A method for continuing education program development in a semirural setting

This paper describes a method of continuing education program development for use in a semirural setting. The method was tested by the development and presentation of four allied health interdisciplinary continuing education programs in a predominately agricultural region. This style of program development can be used to produce continuing education activities that are educationally sound, but do not require extensive educational expertise in the teaching/learning process. A semirural setting presents many barriers to the production of and the participation in continuing education activities. These barriers include: scarcity of the traditional academic resources for content, expertise and potential faculty; small aggregate numbers of practitioners to support activities; limited resources of small health care facilities; and geographic restrictions for travel. A method of program development was generated to utilize local practitioner interest, and at the same time, develop future resources for the area. A series of steps was developed to focus program planning activity for the planning committee.     

A longitudinal evaluation of graduate programs in allied health education and administration

A longitudinal follow-up study was conducted of 196 graduates of allied health education and administration programs in Texas. The study assessed the graduates' continued presence as educators and their career patterns, experiences related to teaching, research, service, administrative leadership, job satisfaction, and perceived continuing education needs. The conclusions drawn from the results of the study were that the graduates are instructional and administrative resources for colleges, universities, and hospitals located in Texas and 23 other states; have exemplary records related to teaching, research, service, and other faculty activities; and are generally satisfied with their current employment. Application of computer technology was the most frequently cited continuing education need of the graduates.     

A study of tenure among allied health faculty.

Most allied health faculty are practitioners who hold a master's degree. Consequently, they may not be prepared to face the rigorous criteria of the tenure system. A study was conducted to identify the demographic characteristics of allied health units, their tenure policies, the criteria for tenure, and any trends in tenure. Deans and directors of 310 allied health units were surveyed and 47.0% responded. In general, allied health tenure policy is drafted by faculty, then sent to the administration for approval. The availability of alternatives to tenure, tenure fractions, and requirements for tenure vary with institutional type. Allied health units reported a tenure fraction of 35.5%, compared to 58.2% for campuses in general. Most of the survey respondents agreed that there is a trend toward increasing the rigor of tenure criteria, and that this trend will come from both within and outside of allied health. As allied health faculty become more involved with research, their tenure fraction will increase and their policies for tenure will more closely conform to those of other units within the parent institution.     

Development of a distance education palliative care programme for allied health professionals in Australia

A postal survey of allied health professionals working in hospice and palliative care in Australia was conducted in 1995. Its aims were to investigate the education presently provided for allied health professionals in this field and the interest of these workers in further education. A total of 223 questionnaires were returned. One hundred and sixty-five respondents stated that no specific education for allied health professionals was provided in their workplace. Almost all considered that there was a need for more palliative care education for allied health professionals. Seventy-five per cent said they were interested in distance education in palliative care. The implications of these findings for further training are discussed, as well as the development of a post-graduate distance education package.     

Multidisciplinary team dynamics in the production of problem-based-learning cases in issues related to older adults

Two important goals in allied health education are to prepare future allied health professionals to function as members of interdisciplinary teams and to increase their awareness of issues related to the growing older adult population. The responsibility for achieving these goals rests on the faculty and administrators of allied health education programs, who may not themselves be proficient in either of these domains. A multidisciplinary team of health educators and administrators was brought together to produce six problem-based learning (PBL) cases related to older adults. Members of the team represented a variety of disciplines in health care, diverse philosophies of educational development, a variety of roles in allied health education, and differing levels of knowledge of issues related to older adults--parameters similar to those found in the members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. The methods by which this multidisciplinary group functioned and the dynamics in attaining the goals of the project are presented.     

National commission meets the grass roots: concerns of program directors in allied health education

An informal, open-ended survey was conducted by the National Commission on Allied Health Education for the purpose of learning what the directors of allied health programs in colleges and universities regard as the major problems facing allied health today and the major issues for the near future. The concerns of the respondents were found to cluster in 11 major areas: (1) definition (identity), (2) credentialing, (3) funding, (4) roles of educational settings, (5) clinical affiliations, (6) curriculum, (7) continuing education, (8) students, (9) faculty and administration, (10) delivery systems and consumer needs and (11) research and information needs. Even though consensus on problems was remarkable, there was no such general agreement on solutions. This initial "idea search" proved useful to the Commission in defining topic areas for documentation studies and in underscoring the necessity of looking for solutions.     

Multiskilling: What Does It Mean For Rural Allied Health?

ABSTRACT: The apparent negativity of allied health professionals towards the term 'multiskilling' can be explained by examining its emotive connotations. Many allied health professionals fear that multiskilling implies one of the following: extension of an already overutilised allied health professional's duties and allied health skills are subsumed and performed at an unsatisfactory level by other health workers; or proposals to train substandard multipurpose practitioners. Allied health professionals need to establish a personally relevant, positive definition of multiskilling which is cognisant of acceptable service delivery models and the advanced competencies required for effective rural practice. Appropriate training must advance alongside continuing agitation for an improved, integrated infrastructure of personnel and services.     

Cognitive styles and learning styles as predictors of academic success in a graduate allied health education program

The inclusion of noncognitive variables in the admissions decision process has been suggested as a reliable means of more fully assessing the potential abilities of individuals within the applicant pool. An increase in predictive efficiency is particularly important now that allied health educational programs are faced with a continuing decline in the number of applicants. This study was designed to determine whether cognitive-style and learning-style variables are predictive of success in a graduate allied health education program. Three cognitive-style measures were used to assess integrative complexity, dogmatism, and field-independence-dependence. Learning-style preferences were measured by Canfield's Learning Styles Inventory. Academic success was measured by scores on the Master's Comprehensive Examination (MCE). The results indicated that there was no significant relationship between academic success and the cognitive-style variables. However, a stepwise multiple regression indicated that 20.44% of the variance on the multiple-choice section of the MCE and 41.36% of the variance on the essay portion of the MCE were explained by learning-style variables.     

A clinical education and practice placements in the allied health professions: an international perspective

This report describes the outcomes of extensive discussions surrounding clinical education and practice placement issues undertaken by an international group of allied health educators (in audiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech pathology) who have met since 2001 as part of Universitas 21 Health Sciences annual meetings. The report outlines key issues associated with clinical education and practice placements from an international perspective and across these four allied health professions. The allied health practice context is described in terms of the range of allied health educational programs in Universitas 21 and recent changes in health and tertiary education sectors in represented countries. Some issues and benefits related to supervision during allied health students' practice placements are addressed. A new approach is proposed through partnership such that frameworks for the provision of practice placements can be created to facilitate student learning and educate and support clinical educators. A set of guidelines that can enhance partnerships and collaborative practice for the benefit of clinical education within complex and changing health/human service and educational environments is proposed.