The development of Allied Health Professional educators is increasingly important and inextricably linked to sustaining the future AHP workforce. Securing the workforce is dependent upon a sustainable and high-quality education both in practice and in academic settings.
The AHP Education Framework was commissioned by Health Education England. This is a summary of the key facets, focusing on the lived experience of a range of AHP educators, practitioners and students and on six domains along with their associated capabilities and proposed education, training, and academic standards. We asked AHPs to self-assess their expertise, experience and development needs across all career levels.
It is a comprehensive review of the existing career and educator routeways for the 14 Allied Health Professions and identifies the existing capabilities and career paths for those engaged in any form of AHP education. It also provides a draft framework describing the capabilities required to be an effective teacher, facilitator and role model in AHP education, applicable to all AHPs across all career stages.
The framework is an important first step in establishing a national standard for the AHP education workforce.
Domain 1: Responsibility and Accountability
Responsibility and Accountability – to ensure safe and effective education
All members of the AHP community need to be aware of the competencies required for their role as an educator. They should ensure that they engage with any opportunities to achieve these competencies, They should reflect on their capabilities and identify areas for future development.
Domain 2: Diverse and Inclusive leadership
Diverse and Inclusive leadership – to overcome barriers and provide solutions for the provision of inclusive education.
Inclusive education leadership that respects the diversity of learners is at the core of educator practice. A commitment to developing equitable learning environments and addressing inequalities is fundamental to facilitate and deliver education at all levels. Allyship, participation and antidiscrimination practice are central to leadership practice.
Domain 3: Community and Co-production
Community and Co-production – empowerment of all voices to be change makers and agents & to ensure that actions are non-discriminatory.
Co-creating learning opportunities and ensuring that the voices of learners and the end users of any service are empowered and heard enables educators to design, deliver and shape inclusive education provision. AHP educators in all learning environments should collaborate to evaluate and co-produce course design and content for both and practice-based learning and further education/ university-based. Innovation should be encouraged. New education developments should be critically evaluated for effectiveness, safety, and sustainability.
Domain 4: Formal Knowledge and Skills
Formal Knowledge and Skills – to deliver evidence based/sector informed education.
Educators develop knowledge and skills during their practice through both formal and informal opportunities. They complete appropriate education and training and where appropriate accreditation and/or formal qualifications to enable them to fulfil an educator role and regularly engage with continuing professional development in relation to their educator responsibilities to maintain and build on competencies.
Domain 5: Digital and Sustainability
Digital and Sustainability – to ensure that education provision is forward facing with a focus on innovation and the environment.
Digital technology is essential to create educational opportunities for a diverse AHP workforce. The educator workforce needs to embed future technologies whilst also considering environmental sustainability. AHP educators should maintain and develop their digital skills (managing information, sharing data, using digital skills in delivery of care) They should welcome innovation and critically evaluate new developments in clinical or educational practice prior to wider adoption into practice.
Domain 6: Research, Innovation & Quality Improvement
Research, Innovation & Quality Improvement – to ensure education provision is evidence based and impactful.
Educational innovation is vital to ensure that learners are equipped to work within the workforce of the future, and research and quality improvement processes are fundamental. Strengthening the evidence base to inform education practice, enhance learner support, ensuring education programme content aligns with advances and innovations, allows us to drive education quality and meet the needs of future students, staff, and service users. Educators should critically evaluate their own educational practice and where appropriate practice. Ensuring that new developments within their scope of practice as educators, for inclusion in the educational curricula.