As you may already be aware, we are currently in the process of taking the necessary steps to have the School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP), which is currently a unit within the College of Medicine, become the sixth college in UNMC .
It’s an exciting opportunity for the SAHP, and I am in full support of this goal.
The proposal is expected to be on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents’ agenda at its Jan. 30 meeting. Pending approval by the regents and the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, the school would ascend to college status in July 2015.
So, why is this a good for the SAHP, the College of Medicine, and UNMC?
The need for the health professionals trained in the many departments of the SAHP continues to grow in Nebraska and nationwide. With health care reform, there is an increased emphasis on the role allied health professionals will play in the delivery of quality health care. It is absolutely critical that UNMC and the SAHP be positioned to meet this need.
Allied health at UNMC is made up of 12 professions. I won’t list them all here, but some of the professions you are probably aware of are physical therapists, physician assistants, clinical laboratory scientists, radiation therapists and radiographers. It has been estimated that all of the allied health professions make up approximately 60 percent of the health care work force.
In recent years, the SAHP has experienced dramatic growth in several areas. For instance, SAHP:
- Has the second-highest enrollment among UNMC colleges, behind only the College of Nursing;
- Has increased its research funding from $760,000 in 2009 to $1.2 million in 2014;
- Has added $1.75 million in endowed faculty positions since 2010;
- Plans to add full-scale health-professions programs at the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus in 2015 and 2016.
Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., senior associate dean of the SAHP, believes the move will serve as a catalyst for continued growth of SAHP programs, enhance our national reputation, and facilitate faculty and student recruitment. It also will promote educational programming and research growth in critical areas such as rural medicine, hospital safety, and chronic disease management. I agree with Dr. Meyer’s assessment.
Among the SAHP’s national peers, more than three-fourths are independent colleges. As the SAHP has continued to grow, becoming a college is the next natural step.
Once the SAHP becomes an independent college, it will mean the SAHP will no longer be administratively part of the College of Medicine. This transition is not expected to impact the budget of either the SAHP or COM. Similarly, the effect on currently enrolled students should also be minimal.
Very important as well, the College of Medicine will continue to collaborate with SAHP on an ongoing basis. Like other health profession colleges at UNMC, the SAHP already operates with its own mission and budget and strives to meet the state’s demands for its graduates.
Collegiate status will clearly make the SAHP and our entire campus stronger. We couldn’t be more thrilled for them.
I want to conclude by extending my best wishes to you and your family for a joyful holiday season. Thanks for all you have done to make the College of Medicine the outstanding unit that it is. I am sure that 2015 will be even better.