Publications

Profiling the Professions: A Model for Evaluating Emerging Health Professions

Author(s): 

Catherine Dower, Ed O'Neil, Holly Hough

Date: 
Sep 2001

The integration of allopathic and non-allopathic health care systems, disciplines and modalities is fast becoming a part of the mainstream health care delivery system in the United States. This report has several purposes. It aims first to set standard questions and areas to cover in an assessment of a profession and second, to identify themes and issues which themselves provide benchmarks for a profession. The model's template of questions does not suggest quantitative measures for assigning scores or values upon which a ranking among professions could be made because of the significant differences in criteria that different audiences use to evaluate professions. The study recognizes that various values and concerns must be addressed in a process through which recognition of a profession or discipline is gained.