title: The Future of Clinical Education: Opportunities and Challenges from Allied Health Deans' Perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is limited information and consensus on the future of clinical education and the key factors impacting allied health (AH) clinical training. AH deans identified both opportunities and challenges impacting clinical education based on a proposed educational model.
  
  
  METHODS
  From July 2013 to March 2014, 61 deans whose institutions were 2013 members of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) participated in a three-round Delphi survey. Agreement on the relative importance of and the ability to impact the key factors was analyzed. Impact was evaluated for three groups: individual, collective, and both individual and collective deans. AH deans' responses were summarized and refined; individual items were accepted or rerated until agreement was achieved or study conclusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the deans' ratings of importance and impact, 159 key factors within 13 clinical education categories emerged as important for the future of clinical education. Agreement was achieved on 107 opportunities and 52 challenges.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Delphi technique generated new information where little existed specific to AH deans' perspectives on AH clinical education. This research supports the Key Factors Impacting Allied Health Clinical Education conceptual model proposed earlier and provides a foundation for AH deans to evaluate opportunities and challenges impacting AH clinical education and to design action plans based on this research.
authors.affiliation: Dep. of Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Health Professions, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 65 Bergen Street, Rm 353, Newark, NJ 07101-1709, USA. Tel 248-622-7494. romigbd@shp.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Barbara D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Romig
authors.forename: Ann W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan Maillet
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D016390:Allied Health Occupations / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003697:Delphi Technique; D018961:Educational Technology / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D012576:Schools, Health Occupations / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States