Abstract

Background: According to Strategic Planning, educational institutions analyze situation and scan their environment, discern opportunities and threats, and recognize facilities and limitation. They develop plan and implement strategies toward the clarification of the issues. The present study aimed at studying the status of Paramedical Faculty of Mashhad in 2014.
Method: Through a mix method, qualitative and quantitative, and during two stages, this study was carried in Paramedical Faculty of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.  At the first stage, a researcher-developed questionnaire distributed among all units of the Faculty (Educational groups and official departments). In order to fill the questionnaire, some
 
 
meetings were held with the manager of each unit At the second stage, top managers participated in 8 focused debate sessions. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Finally SWOT was used to interpret and analyze findings.
Results: After internal and external analysis, 9 strengths, 11 weaknesses, 10 threats and 10 opportunities were identified.
 Educational, research, and cultural optimal activities of professors, staff, and students, educational development of faculty members and experts, and publishing the professional academic-research journals and other student and cultural journals are among the most reported strengths. The most important weaknesses, as reported, were lack of educational space and lack of academic contribution of faculty members in Education Development Program. Among external evaluation, the educational, research, and cultural position of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences held the most score reported as the best opportunity while lack of official permission for attracting more faculty members and experts and lack of educational, research, and cultural budgets were reported as the most threats.  Conclusion: Mashhad University of Medical Sciences enjoys strengths internally as well as opportunities externally. However, the new position of the faculty resulted in more weakness. Therefore, it seems critical to mak use of strengths and opportunities toward overcoming threaths and accompolishing macro objectives of the faculty
Keywords: internal appraisal, external appraisal, strategic planning