Common Intra-Cluster Competencies Needed in Selected Occupational Clusters. Health Occupations. Final Report.

An analysis of competencies practiced by seventeen health occupation groups was conducted to determine the extent to which commonality existed in job activities. (The groups include accredited records technician, aide/orderly, dental assistant, dental hygienist, dental lab technician, dietetic technician, licensed practical nurse, medical assistant, medical lab assistant, medical lab technician, nuclear medical technician, occupational therapist, operating room technician, orthopaedic physician's assistant, radiological technician, registered nurse, respiratory therapist.) Competencies for health occupations for which job entry preparation is available in community colleges were obtained from a literature review, professional associations, and health occupation education programs. The competencies from all sources were combined into a comprehensive single listing for distribution to a sample of 4,075 Iowa and upper midwest area health employees. Approximately 250 persons in each group were given the 720-item survey. They were asked to indicate the nature of each competency they practiced (skill or understanding), the frequency of practice, and the type of training needed to become proficient. The number of competencies common to all seventeen occupations was relatively small: twenty-five of a final 718 items. However, within smaller groups of occupations, extensive levels of common competencies existed. It was also found that a broad range of prior health occupations employment was reported by respondents for given occupations and that a diversity of responsibilities existed within selected occupational job titles. Recommendations drawn as a result of the study were that health occupation educators and instructional designers could utilize the findings to modify current delivery systems and emphasis on content. (Survey results are available for each of the seventeen groups--see CE 018 900-916.) (Author/JH)