Attrition in an undergraduate program in allied health education

The present study compared the characteristics of allied health professionals who completed a bachelor's degree program in allied health education with those who failed to complete the program, in order to develop recommendations for a retention program. The data base included all graduates and dropouts for the period September 1972 to August 1986. Analyses indicated that alumni and those who dropped out were remarkedly similar with regard to demographic characteristics such as age, sex, ethnicity, and prior academic achievement. Fifty percent of the dropouts occurred within the first semester, although attrition continued to occur over a five-year period. The reasons for dropping out were varied, and few were recorded for academic reasons. It was concluded that adult allied health professionals pose difficult problems for retention because motivation and commitment variables appear more important than academic ability or social/academic integration factors. These findings were consistent with research on attrition in higher education, and with the literature on adult learning.     

Participation and persistence in a nontraditional allied health education program

The results of this study suggest the following three practical applications. First, adult educators and program planners in medical record administration can use the results of achievement motivation studies in recruitment, counseling, and screening efforts in both medical record technology and nontraditional ART progression programs to determine which ART candidates possess a strong need to achieve. Once identified, these individuals may be the most successful in reducing or eliminating situational, institutional, dispositional, and informational barriers to participation and persistence. Second, to increase the number of ARTs participating in nontraditional medical record administration programs, educators need to institute counseling and support programs to encourage and assist ARTs in overcoming barriers to participation that were found in this study. Lastly, based on the finding that ARTs in this study were fairly internal in their control orientations as a group, educators will need to orient counseling and advising strategies and educational activities toward this control orientation. This can be done by providing independent learning projects, correspondence learning, and other individually oriented instructional methods. Further research is needed to determine whether findings are applicable to other medical record administration nontraditional program participants and nonparticipants and to a larger, random sample of active ARTs. A study examining the characteristics of this study in other health professions is needed to determine if professionals working in other allied health fields exhibit motivational characteristics and coping strategies similar to the ARTs in this study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A model for the evaluation of allied health education

The variety and complexity of evaluation designs, procedures and philosophies has proved confusing for educators and health practitioners. Many evaluation models do not provide for the scope of information needed by allied health programs and are inflexible in regard to the information needs of individual programs. The model presented here is based on the principles of "Systems Theory," which provides a comprehensive framework for the study of educational programs. Input, process, product and environment components are proposed as a method to study all aspects of program operations. With clearly definable rules for the evaluator and program decision-makers, the faculty can adopt and change the course of the evaluation as they work through the planning, implementation and recycling stages of the model. Use of the model should help programs identify information needs and bring existing evaluation efforts together under a comprehensive umbrella.     

Undergraduate allied health leadership development: a program evaluation and follow-up study

The present study reports the 15-year experience of an undergraduate program in preparing allied health professionals for educational leadership positions. Seventy-three professionals completed the BS degree as of August 1986. A substantial percentage of the graduates were attracted to faculty positions in institutions of higher education; 34% had achieved positions of department chair or the equivalent. Over 50% had completed some form of graduate study. The diversified settings and job titles reported indicate that the curriculum possesses validity for a variety of health care educational and administrative positions. Overall, this undergraduate program appears to contribute to the development of leadership personnel in allied health, particularly for those professions that provide entry-level health credentials at the level of associate degree or the equivalent.     

Learning style preferences of allied health practitioners in a teacher education program

This article reports findings of a three-year study of learning style preferences of allied health practitioners in a university teacher education program. The Learning Preference Inventory (LPI) designed by Rezler and French was used as the survey instrument. Ten health fields were represented in the total population of 309 students who participated in the study. Analysis of variance was used to test the significance of the differences of the six LPI mean scores on abstract/concrete, teacher-centered/student-centered, and individual/interpersonal categories across the variables of age, sex, teaching experience, class location, class standing, and health field. Results of this study paralleled the findings of the 1975 Rezler and French study regarding medical technologists and physical therapists in that these two groups indicated they preferred concrete and teacher centered learning styles. Several other significant differences between health fields and other variables are discussed.     

Ethics education for allied health students: an evaluation of student performance

We analyzed student performance in an interdisciplinary, Web-based course in health care ethics at a university-based school of allied health. Student performance was measured according to students' 1) degree status, 2) clinical hour requirement during the semester in which they took the ethics course, 3) total credit hours during the semester in which they took the ethics course, and 4) clinical and credit hours combined. Statistical analyses were performed to examine curricular and extracurricular predictors of student performance. Only the number of credit hours in which students were enrolled while taking the ethics course demonstrated a statistically significant difference in mean student performance, and this difference was only detected on the final examination and written assignments. When developing an ethics course for allied health students, course components such as conceptual difficulty, reading and writing assignments, and student workload may need to be adjusted according to students' curricular responsibilities.     

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.     

Consumer health education: A new-old challenge to allied health education

The challenge to health education, implicit in the current re-thinking of the basic assumptions underlying U.S. health policy for the past quarter-century, is enormous and unprecedented in the history of the profession. This is true regardless of the fate of any particular bureau or piece of legislation. The challenge involves not only professional health educators but the far larger group of physicians, nurses, behavioral scientists, nutritionists and others involved in one or another aspect of this broad inter-disciplinary field. New manpower studies are urgently needed to identify quantitative and qualitative changes necessary to meet these challenges.     

Group process in allied health education

The author's basic premise is that group process should be core content for Allied Health educational programs. A group process program from the University of Texas School of Nursing in Galveston, Texas, is described. This program involves a theoretical and experiential approach to studying group process vis-a-vis a group process assessment and analysis form. The specific group analysis form is discussed and the evaluation results are reported.     

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 qualitative evaluation of a mentoring program for Aboriginal health workers and allied health professionals

Objective: Effective partnerships between Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal health professionals are essential to achieve Aboriginal health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate a mentoring workforce development strategy for Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal allied health professionals. Methods: Thirty‐four Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal health professionals were recruited to the mentoring program where they were paired and established a learning relationship for approximately six months. A qualitative evaluation with thirty of the participants was undertaken involving in‐depth interviews at the completion of the program. Results: A total of 18 mentoring partnerships were formed across Victoria. The data revealed three key themes in relation to the evaluation of the program: (1) The mentoring program facilitated two‐way learning, (2) The Aboriginal Health Workers and non‐Aboriginal health professional participants reported being able to meet their identified learning needs through the partnership, (3) The capacity to improve practice was facilitated through readiness to learn and change practice and personal attributes of the participants, as well as organisation and management support. Conclusions: Peer mentoring between Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal health workforce was found to be a powerful mechanism to promote two‐way learning that has the capacity to meet learning needs and promote practice improvement. Implications: Peer mentoring may be part of a multi‐strategy approach to the development of the Aboriginal health workforce.     

Regional planning for allied health education

The tremendous proliferation of new programs in allied health education is contrasted with the situation which existed in the pre-Flexner era of medical education. Some similarities to the present state of allied health education and cautionary signs are noted. Allied health educators are urged to accept their responsibility for objective program planning. Several examples of successful regional planning approaches are noted as examples worthy of further investigation, with special attention focused on the State of Virginia, which appears to have developed some of the most comprehensive approaches to planning.     

Gerontologic education for allied health professionals

The number of elderly in the population is increasing considerably, and by the mid-21st century the projected number will reach 80 million. Such a large increase places a great demand for experts in all allied health professions to be prepared to provide age-specific health care services to this cohort. This article introduces an alternative approach called modularization of gerontology courses, to include adequate and discipline-specific gerontologic education into the many and varied curricula of the allied health schools.     

Interprofessional education placements in allied health: A scoping review

Abstract

Aim: This scoping review provides a summary of the features, outcomes and lessons learned of Interprofessional Education (IPE) Placements in Allied Health professional-entry programs. The provision of these placements is one strategy to prepare students for Interprofessional Practice.

Methods: Eight databases were systematically searched. Eligibility criteria included Allied-Health interprofessional student groups, professional-entry level programs, interprofessional supervision placements and implementation of a novel model. We accepted all types of peer-reviewed, published papers. Data charting and synthesizing occurred, with a data- subset presented in themes related to the features, outcomes and lessons learnt of IPE Placements.

Results: The included 27 papers originate from a variety of countries (2002–2017). Whilst the features of the models varied considerably, features were identified that occurred in a high number of the papers. Positive outcomes were consistently reported for student learning. Thorough planning and investment arose as important themes, ensuring a positive placement experience and understanding of the IPE pedagogy from all stakeholders.

Conclusions and Significance: This review provides insights into the features and outcomes of IPE placement models in Allied Health programs. The review expands the body of knowledge which previously focused on nursing and medicine and can inform educators about IPE placement implementation.     

Microcomputer applications in allied health education: some new alternatives

Allied health educators should consider that today low-cost microcomputer hardware and software that can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching are available. These alternative educational applications of microcomputer technology in allied health can be developed by faculty themselves without programming or reliance on computing experts. Such applications include word-processing software for creation and revision of syllabi, exams, and handouts; data base management software for creation of large sets of bibliographic references, storage and retrieval of data on student admissions and matriculation, and management of clinical affiliations; spreadsheet software for preparation of budgets, calculation of student grades and test item analyses, and demonstration of physiologic and biologic phenomena; and graphics software for production of graphs and charts and printing of graphic images. These instructional support uses of microcomputers hold the greatest promise for near-term cost benefit in allied health education.     

Evaluation of a post-professional master's program in allied health

Changes in allied health education have precipitated a need to review existing educational programs. As more disciplines require a graduate degree for professional entry, it becomes important to articulate the benefits of advanced, post-professional graduate education for allied health professionals. This article reports results from a study of one interdisciplinary Master of Health Sciences (MHS) program. The intent of the study was to 1) analyze graduates' satisfaction with components of the MHS program; 2) explore the perceived impact of the MHS program on graduates' professional practices; and 3) examine employers' perceptions of the program's effect on graduates' professional behaviors. An investigator-developed written questionnaire was used to gather perspectives from 53 graduates and 27 of their employers. Graduates believed the MHS program had had a positive influence on their employment. Graduates' employers concurred, giving high marks to graduates' skill levels and job performances. Program graduates were active in professional organizations, but few were involved in scholarly activities such as research. Implications for curriculum design of advanced master's programs in allied health are discussed.