
Best Practices in Bridging Education: Multiple Case Study Evaluation of Postsecondary Bridging Programs for Internationally Educated Health Professionals
AIMS: Bridging education for internationally trained professionals has grown in popularity, but little is known about promising practices for bridging education in allied health professions. This paper addresses this gap by examining the expected outcomes of effective bridging
programs, the key features that contribute to their effectiveness, challenges faced by bridging programs, and the appropriate role of regulatory colleges, government, employers, and professional associations in bridging education. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods multiple case
study analysis of seven bridging programs in Ontario, Canada, in five allied health professions: medical laboratory technology, medical radiation technology, diagnostic medical sonography, respiratory therapy, and physical therapy. RESULTS: Effective bridging programs are accessible
and flexible in content and format. The key challenges include developing curricula tailored to participants' needs, identifying appropriate format for program delivery, obtaining clinical placements for participants, and achieving financial sustainability. Government, professional, and educational
stakeholders should play a central role in bridging education planning and delivery. CONCLUSION: The success of a bridging program relies on two key components–program design and infrastructure. Partnerships with government, professional, and educational stakeholders facilitate
the development of good bridging programs.
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: March 1, 2018
- The Journal of Allied Health is the official publication of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP). The Journal is the only interdisciplinary allied health periodical, publishing scholarly works related to research and development, feature articles, research abstracts and book reviews. Readers of the Journal comprise allied health leaders, educators, faculty and students.
- Information for Authors
- Membership Information
- Manuscript review process
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content