Clinical Education in Transition: Recommendations and Strategies: A Report of the ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force.

The practice models, interdisciplinary team functions, intersecting competencies, economies, and settings of contemporary healthcare are all in flux, demanding that educators reconsider traditional health professions clinical education models and partnerships. The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) and Allied Health (AH) deans, collectively and individually, must determine the priorities and strategies to advance AH education. This paper offers five recommendations that stem from a review of literature pertaining to current changes in the healthcare sector and higher education that challenge the availability of AH clinical education. Vetted by AH educators and health system representatives, the recommendations subsume proactive strategies that target factors affecting learning in the clinical environment and aim to meet the needs of patients/clients, employers, students, and educators. The recommendations are: 1) Develop meaningful strategic partnerships with healthcare organizations; 2) Assess and integrate interprofessional competencies for efficient and effective interprofessional practice (IPP); 3) Incorporate effective use of healthcare technology into AH education and practice; 4) Advocate within and among healthcare systems, higher education leadership, accreditation and professional organizations, and governmental agencies to foster and support IPP competencies and effective cross-discipline referrals; 5) Drive excellence in clinical education through promotion of research and scholarly activity.

The Future of Clinical Education: Using Futuristic Scenarios to Explore Allied Health Deans' Perspectives on Clinical Education.

ISSUE: There is limited information and consensus on the future of clinical education. The Delphi technique was selected to identify agreement among Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions' (ASAHP) allied health deans on the future (2018-2023) of allied health (AH) clinical education. METHODS: Sixty-one AH deans, 54.9% (61 of 111) of the ASAHP membership, expressed opinions about clinical education through a three-round Delphi study. In conjunction with a conceptual model, four futuristic scenarios were used to encourage deans' feedback on the key factors impacting the future of clinical education. RESULTS: The responses to the four scenarios showed ways the external environment influences which activities the deans recommend. The results presented, by individual scenario and in totality, provide relevant and timely information on the importance and transformation of AH clinical education and its future. DISCUSSION: Futuristic scenarios, in combination with the Delphi technique, generated information where little exists specific to AH deans' perspectives on AH clinical education. The results offer deans opportunities for future strategic improvements. CONCLUSION: The use of the futuristic scenarios was suitable for guiding deans' responses and reaching agreement on the future of AH clinical education. These contributions reflect the imminent conditions and healthcare environment identified in the various scenarios and provide additional insight on key factors impacting the future for AH clinical education.

The Future of Clinical Education: Opportunities and Challenges from Allied Health Deans' Perspective.

ISSUE: There is limited information and consensus on the future of clinical education and the key factors impacting allied health (AH) clinical training. AH deans identified both opportunities and challenges impacting clinical education based on a proposed educational model. METHODS: From July 2013 to March 2014, 61 deans whose institutions were 2013 members of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) participated in a three-round Delphi survey. Agreement on the relative importance of and the ability to impact the key factors was analyzed. Impact was evaluated for three groups: individual, collective, and both individual and collective deans. AH deans' responses were summarized and refined; individual items were accepted or rerated until agreement was achieved or study conclusion. RESULTS: Based on the deans' ratings of importance and impact, 159 key factors within 13 clinical education categories emerged as important for the future of clinical education. Agreement was achieved on 107 opportunities and 52 challenges. CONCLUSIONS: The Delphi technique generated new information where little existed specific to AH deans' perspectives on AH clinical education. This research supports the Key Factors Impacting Allied Health Clinical Education conceptual model proposed earlier and provides a foundation for AH deans to evaluate opportunities and challenges impacting AH clinical education and to design action plans based on this research.

The Future of Clinical Education: Using the Delphi Technique to Study Allied Health Deans' Perspectives on Definitions and Goals.

BACKGROUND: Allied health (AH) clinical education provides future health professionals with the experiences necessary to develop the healthcare competencies required for success in their individual fields. There is limited information and consensus on the purposes of clinical education, including its definition and goals, and its comprehensive role in AH clinical training. This study explored whether consensus could be achieved in the definition, goals, and factors impacting AH clinical education. METHODS: An expert panel consisting of 61 AH deans (54.9% of the population) whose institutions were 2013 members of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) participated in a three-round Delphi study. From July 2013 to March 2014, the deans expressed opinions about clinical education and its purposes. Responses were collected, summarized, and refined, and responses were accepted and re-rated until agreement was achieved or the study concluded. RESULTS: The hypothesis that AH deans would agree upon the definition and goals of clinical education was supported by this study's findings. Over 90% of deans "strongly agreed" or "agreed" on the definition of clinical education. A majority (90.2% to 92.7%) agreed with the goals. CONCLUSION: High agreement was achieved on the purposes of clinical education, resulting in a comprehensive definition of and goals for AH clinical education. The definition and goals of clinical education can be added in the healthcare literature and used in support of AH education.

Clinical education from a specialized accreditation viewpoint: a report of the ASAHP clinical education task force.

UNLABELLED: Access to clinical education poses national challenges to allied health training programs. Clinical education is paramount to providing future health professionals with experiences that support competencies for success in their individual fields. METHOD: The ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force interviewed 14 executive directors of various specialized accreditation agencies on clinical education issues and opportunities. RESULTS: Interview questions were compiled and analyzed by members of the task force. Similarities across disciplines were found on the high value of clinical education, key reasons for clinical education, and the expansion of interprofessional education. Major differences included the use of simulation and its replacement for clinical hours, measurement of quality of education and student feedback, and the use of portfolio assessment. DISCUSSION: Of 14 professions surveyed, all respondents regarded clinical education as "very important" to student competency and certification. A common theme was that decisions regarding clinical education were under the auspices of the training programs as long as students were able to demonstrate specified competencies as per the standards in each field. Most directors acknowledged the need to accommodate changes in clinical education methodology and some discussed related changes in accreditation requirements. CONCLUSION: The 100% participation by executive directors spoke to the willingness of the accreditation agencies to share information on education of the future healthcare workforce. The clinical education environment is poised for innovation in methods to teach skill development and build competencies. ASAHP partnership and teamwork with specialized accreditation agencies is a fruitful avenue for creating and maintaining excellence in clinical education.