The School of Allied Health Professions at UNMC has a strong track record when it comes to students and the examinations necessary to begin their professional practice.
Greg Karst, Ph.D., assistant dean for academic affairs for the SAHP, likened the school’s high-achieving graduates to the children in radio personality Garrison Keillor’s fictional town of Lake Wobegone, who were noted as all being “above average.”
“It seems, based on national examination results for health professions practitioners, that Lake Wobegone exists in the UNMC School of Allied Health Professions,” Dr. Karst said. “Our students consistently perform well on national exams, which is a credit to their ability and hard work.”
In 2008, there were 157 graduates in nine of the 10 SAHP educational programs (one program did not have graduates in 2008). Of these, 156 passed their respective examination on the first attempt, with eight of the nine SAHP programs achieving a 100 percent first-time pass rate. Additionally, the mean scores for SAHP graduates in all programs exceeded the reported national mean scores for the respective examinations.
Graduates from the SAHP’s nuclear medicine technology program did exceptionally well. These graduates ranked above the 99th percentile nationally, and their performance marked the fifth year in a row that nuclear medicine technology graduates scored above the 97th percentile nationally.
“These scores are outstanding and reflect the caliber of teaching that occurs in the School of Allied Health Professions,” said Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNMC. “Faculty members are committed to a rigorous program that prepares students for success.”
The SAHP comprises 10 health profession education programs. The lengths of the programs vary from one to three years and graduate students in May, August and December. Upon completion, all SAHP graduates sit for an examination to begin their professional practice. Examinations vary by profession and include certification, registration and licensure examinations.
Awesome students and awesome teachers! Congrats to all!