There is lack of a clear definition regarding an allied health core curriculum. The Pew Health Professions Commission and the Bureau of Health Professions use the following to define a core curriculum: "A set of interdisciplinary courses, clinical training, and other educational exposures designed to provide allied health students at each level with the common knowledge, skills, and values necessary to perform effectively in the evolving health care workplace." The core curriculum for allied health is not to be confused with the professional core, which is the body of knowledge and skills that is common to a particular specialty field. Instituting a core curriculum can have distinct advantages. It can make the educational process more efficient, improve college finances, increase emphasis on research, enhance articulation, streamline educational programs, and promote interdisciplinary training. At the student level, it can improve access to underrepresented minorities, encourage career mobility, and prepare multi-skilled graduates. The ideal core curriculum must focus on giving students both technical skills and a broad knowledge base. It should incorporate recommendations for change to meet current and future health care needs as outlined by the National Commission on Allied Health, the Pew Health Professions Commission, the National Health Care Skills Standards Project, and the Institute of Medicine. For years, allied health education has been taught in educational silos, focused on discrete subject matter. Students are left to their own devices to understand how their role in health care interacts with other professionals caring for the same patient. An allied health core curriculum provides the mechanism to remove the silos and encourages the development of team-coordinated health care, an approach recommended by the Institute of Medicine. It provides the mechanism to enhance diversity and career mobility, and makes programs more cost effective. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)