Most people have heard of a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietitian and a podiatrist – but do you know what a pedorthist, orthoptist, prosthetist or music therapist does? The allied health workforce includes a number of very small, very niche, but very important professions. We call these “small but critical workforces”. Small may be beautiful, but […]
For the last four years I’ve been teaching a large postgraduate course that helps allied health professionals to think critically about themselves as professionals, their professions, and the many others their work brings them into contact with. The activity-based course runs for a whole semester, and attracts 70 or more students from areas as diverse [...]
What is “Allied Health” Have you ever wondered why a very diverse group of professions such as physiotherapy, radiography or occupational therapy are so often referred to collectively as “allied health”? We all know the phrase, but what does it really mean? In what way are they “allied” and to whom? Why have they become [...]
Were you surprised to read that physiotherapists, podiatrists, and dietitians will be able to administer COVID vaccines? Have you ever wondered how professional role boundaries are determined? Who decides what the different professions can and cannot do in terms of their clinical practice? Or how decisions about role boundaries and scope of practice are made? What does [...]
I’m going to do a quick plug for my new book, co-authored with Professor Alan Borthwick OBE “The Allied Health Professions – A sociological Perspective”, published by Policy Press (March 2021). The book is part of a series on the Sociology of the Health Professions: Future International Directions, edited by Professors Mike Saks and Mike Dent. [...]
