Allied Health Education and Accreditation

Abstract

COOPERATION AMONG THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS For the past 50 years, the American Medical Association has participated extensively in activities to promote quality in allied health education and in accreditation review processes. In collaboration with the AMA, more than 39 allied health organizations and related medical specialty societies have developed educational standards for 23 allied health professions (Appendix IV, Table 1). Using these standards, the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA) accredits more than 3,000 allied health educational programs (Table) at nearly 1,800 institutions, including hospitals and clinics, junior-community colleges, colleges and universities, proprietary schools, and other institutions (Appendix IV, Table 2). Central to the development of quality within allied health educational programs are the Essentials , the minimum acceptable standards for programs preparing students to enter the profession. The AMA cooperates with the collaborating organizations in developing and adopting Essentials . In December 1976, the AMA House of Delegates delegated