The work-ready capabilities of graduates are a critical quality concern for universities: some emerging professional disciplines continue to face claims of theory-practice gaps. The diversity of perspectives on the quality of graduate work-readiness suggests that this is a wicked problem that cannot be absolutely solved but that can be resolved by…

Dental hygiene education and practice do not have a solid theoretical foundation to justify its existence or purpose. Life course theory is used to understand the human condition in a nuanced and detailed fashion. Life course theory is used in nursing education and practice, elder studies, criminal justice, and especially in maternal/child…

Anatomy is a required curricular component within physician assistant (PA) programs, but the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) does not regulate specific course characteristics such as how or when anatomy is taught or the inclusion or type of specific laboratory approaches. The growing number of…

Introduction: Post-secondary institutions are increasingly promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in health professions education. Yet, institutions continue to be spaces of exclusion and marginalization for health professional students from marginalized groups. Purpose: To explore the education experiences of health professionals from…

Cognitive structures are the mental representation of domain knowledge and its organization. A preliminary investigation of the cognitive structure of gross anatomy knowledge was conducted on physiotherapy students. The criterion-related validation study examined two data modeling strategies (multidimensional scaling and Pathfinder networks) as…

Physician assistants/associates (PAs) are regarded as valuable members of the healthcare team and work in a team-based collaborative model with physicians. In recent years, there has been a debate regarding the most appropriate entry-level and terminal degree for PAs and an urgency to explore optimal team practice. Due to the important…

Exploring clinical education models that may increase the number of clinical placements while improving learning outcomes is an important step in preparing competent entry-level speech-language pathologists. Placement shortages play an important role in the urgency of evaluating the efficacy of alternative clinical education models in SLP. The 2:1…

Objective: To examine providers' perceptions of integrated care prior to the merger of a university's student health center and counseling services. Participants: Seventeen providers across student health services (n = 9) and counseling (n = 8) agreed to participate in the qualitative study. Method: Semi-structured individual interviews that…

Occupational therapy practitioners address pain management across settings, populations, and the lifespan. Occupational therapy practitioners offer unique contributions to pain management through biopsychosocial approaches, targeting supported self-management and occupational engagement. Comprehensive pain education is necessary to prepare…

Early mobility in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can improve a multitude of patient outcomes, and occupational therapists (OTs) play a valuable role as part of the interprofessional team, with the ability to address activities of daily living, functional cognition, psychological and communication needs, and more. In 2022, the first iteration of an…

Purpose: This study had two aims. Aim 1 was to query both Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) faculty and school-based SLPs regarding how written language is/ was covered in their graduate programs. Aim 2 was to query school-based SLPs about their written language service provision. Method: CSD faculty (n = 143) and school-based SLPs (n =…

Over the past 15 years, a growing body of research into the issues care-experienced people face when accessing higher education (HE) has led to welcome support developments to attempt to redress inequalities. However, such support ceases upon completion of undergraduate degrees. Without continued support, constraints in accessing taught…

In Australia, paramedics are obliged to practice ethically. Graduates of baccalaureate degrees in paramedicine should therefore possess a common grounding in ethics to meet the professional capabilities expected of registered paramedics. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding ethics education for paramedicine students, including what is…

The transition from expert occupational therapy practice to academic educator is stressful and complex, involving the development of a new professional identity. In 2020-21 COVID-19 created a new challenge for recently employed academics, who were in this transition process. This study utilized participatory research to explore the impact of…

Due to advancements in medical science leading to increased life expectancy, the number of older adults is on the rise. Empathy is crucial in catering to the unique needs of this vulnerable population. The use of geriatric simulation suits to cultivate empathy among health science students is gaining traction. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this…