Moving toward a core curriculum in Schools of the Allied Health Professions: knowledge and skills considered important by department chairs in four disciplines.

An adaptation of the Delphi method was used in four parallel studies to survey chairs of baccalaureate programs in clinical laboratory sciences, health information management, occupational therapy, and physical therapy in schools of the allied health professions which held membership in the Association of Schools of the Allied Health Professions. The purpose was to assist the chairs in coming to consensus regarding requisite knowledge and skills of graduates beyond those required for professional accreditation and credentialing, and prerequisite or cognate courses that may be utilized to develop them. Three rounds of questionnaires were administered to each group. The final round was completed by 45 chairs in clinical laboratory sciences (83% of the population); 18 in health information management (86%); 18 in occupational therapy (56%); and 24 in physical therapy (67%). Statistical analysis of third round responses via one-sample, one-sided Z tests indicated consensus among the chairs in the four disciplines on 16 items of knowledge and skills as most important for graduates. Similar consensus was not evident, however, regarding courses to develop the knowledge and skills, with only two courses considered most important by all four groups of chairs.