General education in the professional curriculum: faculty perceptions of contributions

This study investigated general education contributions to the professional development of majors in five selected health professional disciplines from 114 accredited programs. The findings identified that the most important general education contributions to health professional development, as perceived by faculty, included abilities to communicate verbally and in writing, to solve problems, to understand one's own and others' behavior, and to develop a personal value system. Although health professional faculty reported strong satisfaction with the size, content, and contribution of the general education curriculum, there was little collaborative curriculum planning between faculty in professional and general education programs. These latter findings are at odds with national reports lamenting the state of general education. A variety of strategies are described for opening channels of communication between health professional and general education faculty and for integrating general education and professional curricula.