Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The development of health specialty tracks within NASPAA is traced using a conceptual framework—the Specialty Track Model (STM), which was developed to describe a current phenomenon occurring within NASPAA sections: the evolutionary process from an informally expressed interest to formal recognition of that interest. It is a series of six well-defined phases tracing the specialty track’s development as a progression of events through specified sequential activities: (1) interest and growth; (2) formal recognition; (3) preliminary framing; (4) profile development; (5) benchmarking for practice standards; and (6) guideline development and/or accreditation procedures. The model presented here serves as a framework to guide the infrastructure building process and involves internal and external stakeholders, program directors, faculty and students, and allied professional associations. The specialty track model is used to chronicle the growth and evolution of a specialty track; we also provide recommendations for future uses of the model and its applicability to other areas within professional organizations and in academe.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Badger

K. H.

2001. “Determinates for Student Competency Building in Health Sector Management.” Presentation at NASPAA Conference.

Badger

K. H.

et al. 2004. “What’s in a Name: Does Form Always Follow Function When We Translate Competencies into Learning Objectives?” Presentation at AUPHA Conference.

Breaux

Clynch

Morris

. 2003. “The Core Curriculum Content of NASPAA-Accredited Programs: Fundamentally Alike or Different?” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 9(4):259–273.

Cleary

R. E.

1990. “What Do Public Administration Master’s Programs Look Like? Do They Do What is Needed?” Public Administration Review, 50(6):663–673.

Davidson

P. L.

et al. 2000. “A Framework for Evaluating the Impact of Health Services Management Education.” The Journal of Health Administration, 18(1):63–110.

Grønbjerg

O’Sullivan

. 2003. “Nonprofit Management Education: Taking Advantage of the Public Administration Setting.” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 9(3):165–168.

Harlow-Rosentraub

Perry

. 2006. “Public Affairs and Healthcare Administration: Crosscutting Competencies and Multiple Accreditation Challenges for Academic Programs.” Journal of Public Affairs Administration, 12(2):197–211.

Hewitt

et al. 2004. “Profiling NASPAA Programs with Healthcare Concentrations—A Panel Discussion on Building a Foundation to Accredit Specializations.” Public Performance and Management Review, 28(2):262–277.

Kingdon

J. W.

1984. Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. Boston: Little Brown.

10.

Kirchoff

J. J.

2004. “Interim Report on NASPAA Guidelines for Health Sector Education Programs Initiative.” Presentation at NASPAA Annual Meeting.

11.

Kirchhoff

Dennison

. 2006. “Benchmark Health Policy Programs: A Window on Public Affairs and Administration Education.” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 12(2):177–196.

12.

Loebs

S. F.

2001. “The Continuing Evolution of Health Management Education.” Journal of Health Administration Education. Special Issue:33–50.

13.

Marshall

Hewitt

Badger

. 2001. “A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Competency Design in Health Sector Management Education: Results from a Survey of the Universe of NASPAA Accredited Schools.” Presentation at NASPAA Conference.

14.

Marshall

Hewitt

. 2003. “NASPAA Accredited Programs with a Health Care Concentration: What We Know, What We Must Find Out, and Why.” AUPHA Annual Meeting, Poster Session.

15.

Marshall

Hewitt

. 2005. “A National Profile of NASPAA Programs with Graduate Health Management and Policy Tracks.” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 12(2):143–163.

16.

Mirabella

Wish

. 1999. “Educational Impact of Graduate Nonprofit Degree Programs: Perspectives of Multiple Stakeholders.” Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 9(3):329–340.

17.

Mirabella

Wish

. 2000. “The ‘Best Place’ Debate: A Comparison of Graduate Education Programs for Nonprofit Managers.” Public Administration Review, 60(3):219–229.

18.

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration . 1998. “NASPAA Survey Report.”

19.

National Association of Public Affairs and Administration . 2000. “NASPAA Annual Roster of Programs.”

20.

O’Neill

1998. “Nonprofit Management Education: History, Current Issues, and the Future.” In O’Neill

Fletcher

, Nonprofit Management Education: U. S. and Work Perspectives. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1–12.

21.

Roeder

Whitaker

. 1993. “Education in the Public Service: Policy Analysis and Administration in the MPA Core Curriculum.” Administration and Society, 24(4):512–540.

22.

Tepper

2004. “Setting Agendas and Designing Alternatives: Policymaking and the Strategic Role of Meetings.” Review of Policy Research, 21(4):523–536.

23.

Wessel

Hewitt

, 2002. “NASPAA Survey on Accreditation of Health Management and Policy Programs.” Presentation at NASPAA Annual Meeting.

24.

Wish

Mirabella

. 1998. “Curricular Variations in Nonprofit Management Graduate Programs.” Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 9(1):99–109.

A Proposed Methodology for the Infrastructure Development of NASPAA Programs with Specialty Tracks: The Case of Health Policy and Management

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References