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Promoting and Supporting Research in Continuing Education in the Health Professions: ACEhp’s Commitment to Advancing Professional Practice
CHRISTINE FAY AMOROSI, RN, MHSA; ROBIN R. KING, CAE; JOHN R. KUES, PHD Key Words: action research, commitment to change, participatory research
The development of a body of scientific knowledge and evidence is a critical part of every profession. The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEhp) acknowledges its commitment to support research and scholarship. This supplement reflects the integration of a formal research track at the Alliance Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida, January 15–18, 2014. The inclusion of primary research presentations was designed to promote the integration of research into the daily practice of CEHP practitioners and to facilitate discussions between researchers and consumers of research. The research track for the annual meeting also provided researchers a forum for disseminating their work and for getting feedback from other researchers and practitioners. The research sessions were well attended and received excellent reviews from participants. At the 2014 Disclosures: The authors report this research supplement and the new research track at the ACEhp 2014 annual meeting were made possible by the generous funding of Pfizer Inc. Ms. Amorosi: Director of Quality & Innovation, Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions; Mr. King: Executive Director and CEO, Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions; Dr. Kues: President, Alliance Foundation for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Correspondence: Christine Fay Amorosi, Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 900, Bethesda, MD 20814; e-mail:
[email protected]. © 2014 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education. • Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/chp.21229
conference, highlights of the research included in this supplement were presented in the research track along with other sessions that illustrated the application of various methodologies to key issues in CEHP. ACEhp has been adapting itself to the needs of the emerging profession of educators of health care providers. As health care delivery has evolved to focus on quality, interprofessional education and team-based care, educators have also had to adapt and grow. In 2013, ACEhp released a revision of its National Learning Competencies for CEHP professionals. They include 8 competency areas that form the foundation for excellence in the field of continuing education. One of those 8 focuses on the creation of a professional development pathway with research as a skill area that is tiered by the level of the learner. These National Learning Competencies, coupled with the increased emphasis on research, link together: ●
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Practitioners who administer, design, implement, and/or evaluate educational programs aimed at improving health care outcomes; Researchers who engage in systematic inquiry to enhance theory and practice in the CEHP field; and Policy makers who advocate for and create policies affecting the CEHP field.
Through the combination of the new research track, this JCEHP research supplement and the National Learning Competencies, ACEhp has strengthened its long-term commitment to improving continuing education practice, expanding the evidence base that informs that practice, and ultimately, enhancing the care provided to patients and their families.
JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, 34(S1):S4, 2014