Section 1070.702  Improving Programs

a)         The institutions offering programs in the health professions should be responsive to changing demands of students and employers and shifting emphases in the provision of health care.  In particular,

1)         Continuing education of health professionals should be expanded and made available throughout the State;

2)         The education of health professionals as members of a healthcare team should be emphasized, including common learning experiences;

3)         Career mobility for persons who wish to alter their professional standing should be facilitated, particularly in nursing and allied health;

4)         Flexible scheduling should be promoted to serve students who work or who have other responsibilities;

5)         Flexible scheduling should be undertaken in task analysis and competency-based education, particularly in nursing and allied health.

b)         Planning for the efficient use of existing clinical facilities should be encouraged among the educational institutions and the clinical institutions involved in the education of health professionals.  The development of consortia of such institutions is encouraged.  The consortia should be multi-disciplinary, regionally-based, representative of all involved parties, and have formal or informal agreements, as appropriate, regarding the responsibilities of each institution.

c)         The health-care institutions employing nurse assistants and the institutions educating nurse assistants should cooperate in the establishment of guidelines for the standardization of nurse assistant educational programs and for standards of performance for graduates of the programs.

d)         Existing educational programs for the allied health professions in public community colleges and universities should be reviewed and evaluated by the Board of Higher Education and by the appropriate governing and coordinating boards to determine if they are educationally and economically justified.  Allied health professions education programs should be characterized by the following:

1)         The responsibility for and accreditation of the educational program should be exercised by an educational institution or by a consortium including educational institutions, medical or dental schools, and clinical facilities.  With either arrangement, there should be active, ongoing, and effective joint planning and cooperation concerning admission of students, curriculum, evaluation, and other matters among members of the consortium;

2)         Student should be admitted to the educational program no later than the beginning of the professional component.  Admission should be the responsibility of the entity that has program responsibility;

3)         The staff of the affiliated hospitals who teach in the program should be appropriately recognized by the educational institution;

4)         The responsibilities of each institution involved in an allied health professions education program should be affirmed in a written agreement;

5)         Each program should engage in self-study and evaluation of its goals and success in meeting those goals.  External review and evaluation should be sought and, as appropriate, accreditation obtained;

6)         The program should be responsive to regional and, as appropriate, State manpower needs.