{"id":51317,"date":"2014-12-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2014\/12\/17\/a-message-from-the-dean-26\/"},"modified":"2014-12-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-12-17T06:00:00","slug":"a-message-from-the-dean-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2014\/12\/17\/a-message-from-the-dean-26\/","title":{"rendered":"A Message from the Dean"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nAs 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 .<\/p>\n

\nIt’s an exciting opportunity for the SAHP, and I am in full support of this goal.<\/p>\n

\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

\nSo, why is this a good for the SAHP, the College of Medicine, and UNMC?<\/p>\n

\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

\nAllied 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.<\/p>\n

\nIn recent years, the SAHP has experienced dramatic growth in several areas. For instance, SAHP:<\/p>\n