The role of the generalist in health administration education programs

Health administration education programs frequently have at least one faculty member who is a nondisciplinary specialist in health services rather than a member of a mainline discipline such as economics, psychology, or sociology. Such personnel perform valuable functions in research areas requiring multidisciplinary teams and extensive knowledge about health services delivery. Policy analysis, planning, organizational analysis, and program evaluation are examples of research areas where the generalist can be of value. Generalists may have more knowledge of health services than other faculty and thus can insure that research findings are realistic. Second, the generalists' broad orientation is conducive to interdisciplinary research. Third, they often are well suited to lead research teams. And finally, generalists are often better equipped to explain how research findings are useful in the practice of health administration, thus increasing the relevance of health administration programs.