With the support of outreach library services and visits by university-based faculty, area health education centers improve a rural community's ability to recruit, retain, and keep up-to-date primary care physicians and other health manpower. North Carolina is an example of this enhanced professional environment. (Author/MSE)

Provides an overview of professions working in multidisciplinary health promotion and disease prevention efforts, focusing on medical specialties, public health, behavioral medicine, health psychology, health education, and health behavior. Major challenges general to all the fields include reimbursement, priorities, professional preparation,…

An address to dental school deans looks at anticipated changes in the health care system, the public sector's changing role in health care, and draws implications for dentistry. It is suggested that academic health centers, and especially dental schools, will be particularly affected by these trends. (MSE)

The role of item response theory (IRT) in determining the validity of second language tests is examined in the case of one specific test, the listening subtest of the Occupational English Test (OET), used in Australia to measure the language skills of non-native English-speaking health professionals. First, the listening subtest is described. Then…

Educational programs in the clinical laboratory sciences are responsible for producing professionals who can function in new environments. In addition, it is the responsibility of all individuals in the profession, regardless of professional role/function to assume the role of educator to prepare students in a way that is appropriate and useful to…

The role of accreditation in professionalizing an emerging field is examined in a study of on-site evaluation visits. Case records for five physical therapy education programs (including new and established programs at both public and private baccalaureate and entry-level master's programs in medical and nonmedical school settings) were analyzed…

Following a description of the facilities, programs, and students of El Centro College (Texas), this paper reviews the conflicts arising between the mandates of external certifying boards, the expectations of hospital administrators and other medical personnel, and the realities of community college philosophy, planning, staffing and budgeting for…

An optometric clinical education workshop conducted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry for clinical administrators and faculty is reported. Major issues were: clinical education objectives; nature and setting of clinical experience; methods, techniques and responsibilities of clinical instruction; and evaluation of student…

This report describes a program designed to encourage minority and financially, socially, or educationally disadvantaged incoming, freshman students to pursue health profession career goals. Sixteen at-risk students were selected to participate in a summer intervention program in West Virginia; a control group of 16 pre-medicine or pre-dentistry…

This paper describes the initial analyses needed to help institutions of higher education plan majors in nursing and allied health as institutions look for new markets based on demographic and employment factors. Twelve variables were identified and weighted to describe an ideal recruitment market. Using a three-phase process, potential U.S.…

The functioning of a cognitive taxonomy within the test specifications of an allied health certification examination was studied. The taxonomy used was a simplification of the scheme of B. S. Bloom (1956), in which items were classified as comprehension, application, or analysis. Whether items written purposely to assess higher order cognitive…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using an electronic bulletin board in an off-campus doctoral program (Ed.D.) for health professionals offered by the University of Georgia. Participants included 14 doctoral students (13 female and 1 male) enrolled in an advanced course, Research in Instruction, who received training in…

Knowledge of and use of the information provided by learning style theories can be of help in providing better educational experiences for students. Learning style preferences are of particular significance in programs such as allied health/health occupations education that practice selective admissions. Since the students have all been judged…

For the past 10 years, the School of Technical Careers at Southern Illinois University has blended government Job Training Partnership Act or Comprehensive Employment and Training Act funds, existing college programs, and local health facilities into successful training programs in allied health careers. The School of Technical Careers, through…

The MTA PLATO-based evaluation system, which has been implemented by a consortium of schools of medical technology, is designed to be general-purpose, modular, data-driven, and interactive, and to accommodate other national and local item banks. The system provides a comprehensive interactive item-banking system in conjunction with online student…