Our first investigation consisted of structured interviews with representatives of accrediting bodies, recruited by ASAHP Deans.  We explored their support for simulation and IPE as methods to partially meet the required clinical experience as defined in each discipline’s accreditation standards.  Most were quite open and already engaged in approval of simulated experiences as part of allied health curricula.  Those viewpoints informed our next inquiry with health care employers, to understand their concerns regarding the benefits and challenges of educating clinical students. 

Our interviews of accrediting body executive directors and our employer survey both culminated in ASAHP conference presentations and a publication in the Journal of Allied Health. We were able to present a range of opinions about student training, from opportunities for new employee recruitment and access to information on best practices, to concerns about negative impact on employee productivity, supervisor burnout and onboarding costs.

These outcomes stimulated productive discussions and moved the CETF to its third major focus on generating recommendations to strengthen relationships between academic and health care institutions.  The task force produced: a white paper on recommendations for clinical education at the request of the ASAHP Board of Directors in 2018; a working session at the 2018 ASAHP conference; a 2019 ASAHP presentation on recommendations and actionable plans; and a manuscript submitted for publication to the Journal of Allied Health with somewhat revised recommendations. 

Employer Perspectives of Clinical Education:

O'Brien, C. W., Anderson, R., Ayzenberg, B., Chute, P., Farnsworth, T., McLaughlin, R., . . . O'Sullivan Maillet, J. (2017). Employers' Viewpoint on Clinical Education. J Allied Health, 46(3), 131-137.

ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force. Issues and Trends in Clinical Education: Survey Results from Major Healthcare Employers. ASAHP annual meeting, New Orleans, LA, October 19, 2016.

O’Sullivan-Maillet J, Simonian Y, Cameron J, Weinstein M, Tynsky T, Anderson R, Wallace B, Romig B, Westvelt S, Ayzenberg B, McLaughlin RJ, Sample J, O’Brien C. Diverse Perspectives on Payment for Clinical Education – A Debate. ASAHP Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, October 20, 2017.

Clinical Education Recommendations & Strategies:

McLaughlin, R., O’Brien, C.W., Weinstein, M., et al. (2019, Winter). Clinical Education in Transition: Recommendations and Strategies. J Allied Health: 48(4), 237-247b.

ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force.  Clinical Education in Transition: Recommendations and Strategies from the Clinical Education Task Force of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, 2018.

ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force.  Keeping Clinical Education on the Cutting Edge: A Working Session to Advance the Field.  ASAHP Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, October 10-12, 2018.

Presentations with Affiliate Groups:

Novak, R. & O’Brien, C.W. (2024, June) Meeting the Needs of the Healthcare Industry: Preparing New Professionals for Changing Practice. ASAHP Affiliate Session at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. June 26, 2024.  

O’Brien, C.W., Breitbach, A., & Dailey, L. (2021, May). Connecting Academic Programs and Clinical Practice Together to Inform System Improvement. On demand oral presentation at the 2021 Virtual Athletic Training Educators’ Conference (VATEC).

O’Brien, C.W., Breitbach, A., & Dailey, L. (2020, July). Connecting Academic Programs and Clinical Practice Together to Inform System Improvement. Video presentation at the Virtual National Athletic Trainers’ Association 71st Clinical Symposia & AT Expo (originally accepted for in-person platform presentation in Atlanta, GA).

Julie O’Sullivan-Maillet, Laura Dailey & Annie Roden. ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force.  Clinical Education in Transition: ASAHP.  Association of Academic Health Centers Global Issues Forum, Washington, DC, May 6, 2019.

Laura Dailey & Annie Roden.  Connecting Academic Programs and Clinical Practice Together to Inform System Improvement, 2019 ASAHP Summit.  Sponsored by ASAHP, Kindred Healthcare and St. Louis University, St. Louis MO, May 31, 2019.

Christopher W. O’Brien.  Clinical Education in Transition, ASAHP Affiliate session.  National Athletic Trainers’ Association, Las Vegas, NV, June 26, 2019.  

Future of Clinical Education:

Romig, B. D., Tucker, A. W., Hewitt, A. M., & O'Sullivan Maillet, J. (2017). The Future of Clinical Education: Opportunities and Challenges from Allied Health Deans' Perspective. J Allied Health, 46(1), 43-55.

Romig, B. D., Tucker, A. W., Hewitt, A. M., & O'Sullivan Maillet, J. (2017). The Future of Clinical Education: Using Futuristic Scenarios to Explore Allied Health Deans' Perspectives on Clinical Education. J Allied Health, 46(3), 143-153.

Romig, B. D., Tucker, A. W., Hewitt, A. M., & O'Sullivan Maillet, J. (2016). The Future of Clinical Education: Using the Delphi Technique to Study Allied Health Deans' Perspectives on Definitions and Goals. J Allied Health, 45(4), 243-250.

Accreditors’ Viewpoints on Clinical Education:

Romig BD, O’Sullivan Maillet J, Chute PM, McLaughlin RJ. Clinical education from a specialized accreditation viewpoint: A report of the ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force. J Allied Health. 42(3): 151-156; 2013.