Continuing competence: an institutional look at engagement, link, and faculty perceptions.

This action research project addresses the issue of continuing competence from the viewpoint of allied health faculty members at a community college in Illinois. With input by and feedback from the faculty, the researcher describes how full-time allied health faculty members maintain their clinical competence, determines if efforts toward continuing competence are linked with academic responsibilities, and ascertains the role of the academic institution, the educational programs and the faculty members in ensuring continuing competence. Results of the study indicate that faculty members maintain their competence by attending continuing education courses, reading professional literature, and engaging in clinical work. There appears to be a disconnect, however, between these activities and the academic responsibilities of the faculty members. An analysis of perceptions reveals that the responsibility for ensuring continuing competence increases from the institutional level to the level of the faculty members, whereas accountability is shouldered by the faculty members and the educational programs.