| Dear Reader,
Happy May Day!
Since the late 1800s, May Day (May 1) has been known as Labor
Day in many nations and celebrates the workers of the world.
Speaking of labor, the allied health community is working hard
to address the many workforce challenges facing the US healthcare
system, particularly through the collaborative efforts of the
Health Professions Network (see #1, below).
For example, to "prime the pump" and increase interest
in allied health among K-12 students, the Network produced an
allied health brochure and poster, available at: http://www.healthpronet.org/exploring_ahp/
Best regards, and thanks for reading,
Fred
Health Professions E-Letter, 5/1/2003
1. Worker shortages, diversity,
patient safety discussed at HPN Meeting
2. "Sleep techs" now under
CAAHEP umbrella
3. Quotable: "Health Professions
Education: A Bridge to Quality"
4. AAs trying to achieve licensure
in Florida
5. CDC Web site updated, expanded
with health disparities info
6. Who are "The Others?"
(other health professionals, that is)
7. Click here for federal education
statistics
8. Increased patient safety, system
efficiency goals of HHS conference
9. New to service-learning? This
event is for you
10. New Book Benefits Recreation
Therapy Students
11. ASRT HoD: Do radiologic technology
program directors need a master's degree?
1. Worker shortages, diversity,
patient safety discussed at HPN Meeting
Presenters and attendees at the recent Health Professions
Network meeting in Kansas City shared information and ideas
about addressing the many issues facing the allied health
community, including growing workforce shortages, lack of
diversity, and the need for increased federal support for
all sectors of allied health.
Attendees also received a copy of draft federal legislation,
the Allied Health Reinvestment Act, that will be making its
way through Congress over the next several months.
A variety of organizations provided presenters for the meeting,
including the Center for Health Workforce
Studies, State University of New York, University of Albany;
Center for the Health Professions, University
of California at San Francisco; Institute for Healthcare Improvement;
American Association of Retired Persons; Kansas City Life
Sciences Institute; and the AMA.
The Health Professions Network is a group of volunteers representing
health professional associations interested in interdisciplinary
communication, discussion, and collaboration. Participants
discuss issues relating to health care and serve as a conduit
for interdisciplinary problem solving and preparation for
future health care delivery.
The Network's next meeting is scheduled for September 18-21
in Dallas.
For more information: http://www.healthpronet.org
2. "Sleep techs" now under
CAAHEP umbrella
At its annual meeting in April, the Commission on Accreditation
of Allied Healthcare Educational Programs (CAAHEP) approved
the request of the Association of Polysomnographic Technologists
to be eligible to participate in the CAAHEP system and to
form a Committee on Accreditation for Polysomnography (CoAPSG).
CAAHEP Commissioners also approved the American Academy of
Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Board of Registered Polysomnographic
Technologists (BRPT) as sponsoring organizations for the CoAPSG.
Standards and Guidelines for establishing accredited polysomnography
educational programs will be
available in October 2003.
For more information: http://www.aptweb.org/
3. Quotable: "Health Professions
Education: A Bridge to Quality"
"All health professionals should be educated to deliver
patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team,
emphasizing evidence-based practice, quality improvement approaches,
and
informatics."
Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality
Institute of Medicine
Ann C. Greiner, Elisa Knebel, Editors
Committee on the Health Professions Education Summit
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10681.html
4. AAs trying to achieve licensure
in Florida
"Bill would let 'assistants' put surgical patients
under"
Orlando Sentinel
April 16, 2003
Bills in the Florida legislature are calling for licensure
of anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) in the state, to allow
them to administer general anesthesia to surgical patients.
Advocates, including anesthesiologists, say that AAs will
receive more specialized anesthesia training and be under
closer supervision of MDs than nurse anesthetists.
Nurse anesthetists counter that the legislation would lower
the standard of anesthesia care in Florida and increase risk
to patients during surgery.
5. CDC Web site updated, expanded with
health disparities info
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of
Minority Health (OMH) has updated and expanded its Web site
to answer questions about minority health and health disparities
among racial and ethnic populations: http://www.cdc.gov/omh/
6. Who are "The Others?"
(other health professionals, that is)
"[A]lmost three fourths of all health care workers are
'others' [neither physicians nor nurses] who provide care
services. These professionals, ranging from pharmacists to
surgical technicians, are organized into almost 300 distinct
occupational classifications."
Read more about these "other" professions from
Ed O'Neil, director of the Center for the Health Professions:
http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/from_the_director_0303.html
7. Click here for federal education
statistics
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Quarterly:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/quarterly/winter/
8. Increased patient safety, system
efficiency goals of HHS conference
National Health Information Infrastructure 2003
June 30 - July 2
Washington, DC
Hosted by the US Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), this conference on the development of a national health
information infrastructure (NHII) will bring together all
health information technology stakeholders to develop a consensus
for national action.
According to HHS, NHII is essential to:
- improving patient safety and quality
- rapidly detecting bioterrorism and other health threats
- enhancing the efficiency of the health care system
Information: http://www.nhii-03.s-3.net/
9. New to service-learning?
This event is for you
7th annual Introductory Service-Learning Institute
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
June 21-24, 2003
Leavenworth, WA (Cascade Mountains)
This institute is designed for faculty, staff, and community
partners who would like to:
- expand the community-based component of their curricula
- develop or strengthen partnerships with community organizations
- better equip future health professionals for community-based
practice
Participants work with mentors and colleagues from across
the country, as well as national experts in service-learning
pedagogy and health professions faculty who have incorporated
community service into their courses.
All health disciplines are invited and welcome to participate;
applications are due May 14.
For more information:
Piper Krauel, CCPH Program Director
piperk@itsa.ucsf.edu
(415) 502-7933
http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph/servicelearning.html#introsl
10. New Book Benefits Recreation
Therapy Students
"The Art of Recreation Therapy" simplifies the
psychology behind the therapy, explaining what to do and why
and how to do it in terms accessible to most anyone working
with individuals and groups. It's useful as a brushup for
professionals, a primer for beginners, and an introduction
to all students of therapy.
Author Ann Argé Nathan, a well-known recreation therapist
from the San Francisco Bay Area, has left this, her second
posthumously published book, as a legacy to the field. She
died of breast cancer in 1995 at age 47.
Proceeds from book sales will go the Ann Argé Nathan
Spirit Award, which gives $2,000 scholarships to students
attending California universities.
"The Art of Recreation Therapy" is published by
the nonprofit Study Center Press in San Francisco, which offers
books for human services practitioners and bilingual curriculum
materials.
To order or for more information:
Study Center Press
1 (888) 281-3757
E-mail: rumi@studycenter.org
415 626-7276 Fax
11. ASRT HoD: Do radiologic
technology program directors need a master's degree?
2003 ASRT/AERS Annual Conference, "The Evolving
Professional"
Association of Educators in the Radiological Sciences
and American Society of Radiologic Technologists
Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
AERS Annual Meeting: June 13 and 14
ASRT Meeting: June 14 to 17
Should directors of educational programs in the radiologic
sciences be required to hold master's degrees? What is the
correct title for personnel licensed to perform x-ray examinations
on specific parts of the body? Who is qualified to perform
fusion imaging examinations?
Those are a few of the topics members of the ASRT House of
Delegates will debate when they convene in June.
Of note for program directors, Resolution 03-2.04A asks the
ASRT to revoke its support for the master's
degree as a requirement for radiologic technology program
directors.
However, the resolution is being forwarded to the House with
a recommendation that it not be adopted.
The ASRT members who served on the Commission on Education
disagreed with its intent and wrote a
substitute resolution asking the ASRT to develop educational
pathways to "facilitate methods for current and future
program directors to obtain their master's degrees."
Currently, program accreditation standards specify that all
radiologic science program directors have their master's degree
by 2009.
ABOUT US . . .
The Health Professions Career and Education E-letter is produced
by the American Medical Association (AMA).
This periodic newsletter covers educational trends and career-related
issues for more than 50 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://www.ama-assn.org/go/hpe-letter
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, Medical Education Products
515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610
312 464-4635
312 464-5830 fax
fred_lenhoff@ama-assn.org
http://www.ama-assn.org/go/hpe-letter
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this e-letter, please send name,
organization, title, address, phone, fax, web address, and of
course your e-mail to: dorothy_grant@ama-assn.org
Copyright 2003, American Medical Association
Submitted By: David
Yoder |
