| HEALTH PROFESSIONS E-LETTER, May
2007
Dear Reader,
What is allied health? We asked, you answered . . .
In the April issue, we referenced a 1998 article, "Who
is under the allied health umbrella?," that looks at the
term's history and identifies its pros (strength in numbers)
and cons (loss of individual identity).
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.2.344263
We asked whether the term "allied health" still serves
a purpose. Some respondents felt that the term remains useful,
if flawed; others said it's time to mothball it. A few selected
responses:
- Practitioners do not get their degrees in plain vanilla
"allied health." Using it as anything more than
a broad phrase to encompass nonphysician practitioners is
basically meaningless. It is time for the term to go.
- I don't see a problem with the term. It's just that we have
not marketed it very well.
- Being grouped with so many other professions does tend to
negate the importance of each individual profession.
- The term has never made sense to me, and I doubt the general
public knows what it means -- which is the real problem.
- I'd vote for dumping the term if I could think of a better
one! Until then, power in numbers is a cornerstone for most
of our small professions.
Read all responses online:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/17557.html
For more on the meanings and marketing of allied health, see
article 2.
Best Regards,
Fred Donini-Lenhoff, editor
PS Congratulations to Rita Waller, RRT, RCP, RN, director of
the respiratory care technology program at Augusta (GA) Technical
College, who was randomly selected from among the respondents
to received a complimentary copy of the Health Professions Career
and Education Directory.
1. 2007 survey of health professions programs
now available
2. Is allied health a "brand?"
3. On the calendar: National Cytotechnology Day,
May 13
4. HPN meets in Minneapolis to discuss health care
workforce concerns
5. Featured program: U of the Pacific, music therapist
6. Different worlds: Rural and urban differences
in emergency medical services
7. Health care academy changes lives
8. Free article available from Journal of Allied
Health
9. Medical librarians help separate health info
wheat from chaff
10. Sign up for symposium on North Carolina economy
and allied health
11. New Web tool offers one-stop shop for health
workforce info
12. Sixteen clinical laboratory programs win new
equipment
REMINDER: Order your copy of the 2007-08 Health Professions
Career and Education Directory. Call 800 621-8335 or see
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.4.344263
1. 2007 survey of health professions
programs now available
The 2007 version of the Annual Survey of Health Professions
Education Programs is now available online. This survey is
collecting data for the 2006-2007
academic year.
Watch your e-mail inbox for login ID, password, and
completion instructions.
Questions? E-mail:
dorothy.grant-bryant@ama-assn.org
NOTE: Respondents to this year's survey will be entered in
monthly drawings to win a complimentary copy of The Art of
JAMA (list price $70), with full-color reproductions of a
wide range of artwork from the world's finest museums:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.6.344263
2. Is allied health a "brand?"
"Allied health is a brand name, but what does it conjure
up when invoked? Because the term embraces a great many professions,
it is not easy to define. . . . Compounding the ambiguity
is the fact that large numbers of students graduate from schools
of allied health, but do not use the words allied health to
describe who they are.
"Should the name allied health be changed? If so, what
term would demarcate these disciplines from others, which
clearly are different, such as medicine and dentistry?"
Read more about the "branding" of allied health
in the March issue of TRENDS, from the Association of Schools
of Allied Health Professions.
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.7.344263
(PDF, 139KB, requires Adobe Reader)
3. On the calendar: National Cytotechnology
Day, May 13
For 21 years cytotechnologists have celebrated National
Cytotechnology Day on May 13 -- the birthday of George N.
Papanicolaou, MD, inventor of the Pap test.
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.8.344263
Also, learn more about the annual National Medical Laboratory
Professionals Week, held in April, and the key role laboratory
professionals play in ensuring high quality of patient care.
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.9.344263
4. HPN meets in Minneapolis to
discuss health care workforce
The spring meeting of the Health Professions Network (HPN)
included a variety of stimulating presentations, with speakers
from the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), North
Louisiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Center for
Health Workforce Studies, and Commission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
A summary of the meeting, which was hosted by the Meet Minneapolis
Official Convention and Visitors Association, is available
at:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.10.344263
Save the date! Mark your calendar for the fall HPN meeting,
September 27-30 in Anaheim. To learn more about HPN, see:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.11.344263
5. Featured program: U of the
Pacific, music therapist
Each issue we profile a randomly selected educational program,
using text provided by program personnel who filled out the
AMA's annual survey.
This month we feature the music therapist program at the
University of the Pacific.
With one of the oldest music therapy programs in the US,
the University of the Pacific is the only West coast school
offering a master's degree in the field.
The program provides a unique integrated learning model where
classroom and fieldwork learning are interwoven across the
entire music therapy curriculum. In addition, it offers advanced
clinical skill development and collaborative interaction with
physical therapy, speech, and pharmacy.
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.12.344263
6. Different worlds: Rural and
urban differences in emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a vital part of rural healthcare,
and the poor recruitment and retention of EMS professionals
may have a detrimental effect on the health of communities,
according to a recent report by the North Carolina Rural Health
Research and Policy Analysis program. Some findings:
7. Health care academy changes lives
At one California high school with a largely poor, predominantly
Latino student body, a health careers academy is motivating
students to see the connection between class work and real
life and preparing them for in-demand careers.
Students take medical English, medical US history or medical
world history, and such courses as kinesiology, forensic biology,
sports medicine, and introduction to health careers.
"High school is more than their love; it's become their
vocation"
LA Times, April 4
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.15.344263
8. Free article available from Journal
of Allied Health
"Eight Critical Skill Sets Required for Manual Therapy
Competency: A Delphi Study and Factor Analysis of Physical
Therapy Educators of Manual Therapy," from the Spring
issue of the Journal of Allied Health, is available for free
online access at:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.16.344263
(PDF, 200KB, requires Adobe Reader)
9. Medical librarians help separate
health info wheat from chaff
With its limitless wealth of information, the Internet has
revolutionized health care and given patients a place to turn
for everything from measles to melanoma.
At the same time, quite often the Web is too wide and offers
too much of a good thing -- or, in the case of misinformation,
a bad thing. That's where medical librarians can be invaluable,
according to a recent Dallas Morning News article.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving2/stories/DN-nh_research_0417liv.ART.State.Edition1.430138e.html#
10. Sign up for symposium
on North Carolina economy and allied health
As one of the nation's leaders in allied health research
and policy, North Carolina will host a one-day symposium,
Friday, June 15, in Chapel Hill, to relationship between economic
development and allied health workforce development efforts
in the state.
For more information or to register for this free event,
see:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.18.344263
11. New Web tool offers one-stop
shop for health workforce info
Recognizing the lack of a single comprehensive national
resource on the health care workforce, Health Workforce Solutions
LLC (HWS) has developed a database of over 500 Internet-based
workforce resources that will continue to expand over time.
Featuring the latest health workforce news headlines from
the American Hospital Association, a detailed listing of upcoming
workforce conferences, and an intuitive, easy to-use search
taxonomy, this resource consolidates a wealth of disparate
health workforce information into one place.
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.19.344263
12. Sixteen clinical laboratory
programs win new equipment
Congratulations to the first round of 16 clinical laboratory
education programs chosen to receive state-of-the-art in vitro
diagnostic instruments through a $1 million donation sponsored
by Labs Are Vital. A three-member panel judged more than 100
applicants from clinical laboratory science and clinical laboratory
technician programs across the country.
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.20.344263
ABOUT US . . .
The Health Professions e-Letter is produced by the American
Medical Association (AMA).
This periodic newsletter covers educational trends and career-related
issues for 71 professions that participate in the delivery of
health care, including diagnostic and rehabilitative services,
therapeutic treatments, health or information services management,
counseling for psychosocial and cognitive needs, or related
services.
Newsletter readers and contributors include staff of health
professions accrediting agencies, educational programs and institutions,
professional organizations, certifying/licensing boards, and
media contacts.
Previous issues are available online at:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.1.344263
GIVE US YOUR STORY IDEAS AND FEEDBACK
What's happening in the world of health professions? If you
have any leads or story ideas, please contact us. Also, let
us know what you think about this newsletter--and feel free
to forward it to your colleagues.
Direct suggestions, comments, compliments, gripes, to
Fred Donini-Lenhoff
American Medical Association
Medical Education Products
515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610
312 464-4635
312 464-5830 fax
fred_lenhoff@ama-assn.org
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4349.1.344263
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