CAAHEP Communiqu� June 2013

In the June 2013 Issue

Board Approves New Standards

NBSTSA Recognition

JRC-DMS Edits 10-Year Accreditation Policy

From the President

Annual Meeting Wrap Up

M LaCheeta McPherson Receives Top Honors

H2P Consortium Participates in Clinton Global Initiative

Accreditation Actions

Board Approves New Standards

The Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Surgical Technology were approved by the CAAHEP Board of Directors at its May 2013 meeting. The new Standards are posted on the CAAHEP Website.

NBSTSA Continues to Recognize CAAHEP and ARCST/SA

The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting recently accepted the annual report submitted by CAAHEP and the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology/Surgical Assisting and awarded continuing recognition status. This continued recognition means that graduates of CAAHEP accredited surgical technology programs remain eligible to sit for the certification exam.

JRC-DMS Edits 10-Year Accreditation Policy

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS) has made changes to its 10-year accreditation policy to allow programs in good standing to apply for a 10-year accreditation cycle earlier.

* For consideration, the JRC-DMS Request for 10-Year Accreditation Cycle must be submitted at the time of the self-study submission.
* The 10-year accreditation cycle is not granted upon request.
* The time between comprehensive reviews, and requirement of completion of self-study, is determined at the discretion of the JRC-DMS and based on the program's ongoing compliance with Standards and the program's ability to meet established outcomes thresholds.

For more information, please see the Policies and Procedures on the JRC-DMS website.

Save the Date!

CAAHEP 2014 Annual Meeting

April 27-28, 2014

San Antonio, TX

CAAHEP Board Meeting Schedule

The CAAHEP Board of Directors takes accreditation actions six times per year (Jan., Mar., May, July, Sept., and Nov.). The following are the remainder of the 2013 meeting dates:

July 17-18, 2013 Boston, MA

Sept. 20, 2013 Conference Call

Nov. 15, 2013

Conference Call

Recent Graduate Testimonial Video

A must see:

Recent Graduate Commissioner Katie (Bowe) Lukovich produces a Student Testimonial Video on attending a CAAHEP-accredited program.

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From the President

Cameron Harris,
RPSGT

With reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) looming on the horizon, Congress is beginning to gather thoughts and suggestions about what issues need to be addressed by that action. The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training recently held a hearing on "Keeping College within Reach: Program Quality through Accreditation". Both advocates and critics of institutional accreditation presented testimony on whether the current system has been and can continue to be an effective gatekeeper for federal education funding. Subcommittee Chair Virginia Foxx stated in her opening comments that "...as our higher education system adapts to embrace 21st century technologies and changing student demographics, we must now explore whether the accreditation system is also due for reforms." Testimony and questioning that followed suggest Congress is sharpening their focus on educational outcomes as a measure of value and will provide incentives for educators who, through flexibility and innovation, improve value. To hold their place as gatekeepers to federal funding, accreditors will need to adapt their own processes to reflect value as well as quality. While discussion at this hearing focused on institutional accreditation, Chairwoman Foxx acknowledged in her closing remarks that "disciplinary accreditation" (her term for specialized and programmatic accreditation) had not been addressed, but needs to be included in future deliberation. Specifics of the hearing can be found on the Congressional Education & the Workforce Committee website.

Specialized and programmatic accreditors such as CAAHEP need to stay in touch with the evolving needs of their stakeholders as well as regulatory trends. We have been proactive in recent years with development of outcomes based standards and evaluation of issues related to distance learning but challenges lie ahead as Congress deliberates reauthorization of the HEA and the role accreditation will play in the education system. Our relationship with the committees on accreditation for the professions that we serve provides an effective mechanism by which we can meet these challenges in a manner most appropriate for each profession.

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Annual Meeting Wrap Up

The 2013 CAAHEP Annual Meeting was attended by more than 100 individuals education and allied health professionals representing sponsoring organizations, Committees on Accreditation, and accredited programs. With Charleston, South Carolina, as a backdrop, the program's theme of "Using the Past to Shape the Future" fit in perfectly with the city's rich historic heritage.

The keynote address was given by Ralph M. Shealy, M.D.,FACEP, FAAEM, Chief Medical Officer, Southeastern Medical International, Inc., who shared his vast experience in dealing with the aftermath of disasters. Dr. Shealy reported that, "Following a disaster, graduates in the professions that CAAHEP accredits will become the front-line defenders. All allied health professionals will have to think "Outside of the Box" to meet their responsibility to the public during a disaster. Because you are a health professional, the public, your friends, and family expect you to come to the aid during a disaster."

Presentations:

Dr. Roy Swift, Senior Program Director, Personnel Certified Accreditation Program, American National Standards Institute (ANSI), spoke on "Certification: You Can't Tell the Players Without a Scorecard! A Report on Efforts to Validate Certification Programs." He noted that "Accreditation is just as important to certification as it is to a program."

The popular "Spotlights on Professions" program was conducted again this year, and attendees learned a little about the professions in which CAAHEP accredits programs, including:

Cardiovascular Technology, where Jeff Hill reviewed the Committee and its board of directors, sponsors, and also discussed the future of echocardiology.

Specialist in Blood Banking Technology, where Linda Siggs spoke about the profession and recent activities at AABB

And, CAAHEP's newest profession, Clinical Research Professionals, was introduced to attendees by Carolynn Thomas Jones.

The "Spotlight on Sponsoring Organizations" included remarks from Carol Mitchell, CAAHEP Commissioner for the American Society of Echocardiography, Katie Kutz, CAAHEP Commissioner, from the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and LeAnn Maupin, CAAHEP Commissioner, from Society for Vascular Ultrasound.

Krismer An introduction to and update on activities of the Health Professions Pathways Project (H2P) was presented by Marianne Krismer, Project Director. The overview included a description of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants, which is a $2 billion grant. See the article below for more information on H2P.

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M. LaCheeta McPherson Receives CAAHEP's Exceptional Service Award

LaCheeta McPherson Award Winner

L-R Carolyn O'Daniel, M. LaCheeta McPherson, and Cameron Harris

At its Annual Meeting of Commissioners in Charleston,South Carolina, April 14-15, 2013, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) presented the CAAHEP Exceptional Service Award to M. LaCheeta McPherson PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm. Dr. McPherson is a past president of CAAHEP, and served as a Commissioner for the National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges from 2004 through 2012. She is the Executive Dean, Health & Legal Studies, at El Centro College in Dallas, Texas.

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H2P Consortium to Participate in Clinton Global Initiative

The Health Professions Pathways Consortium (H2P Consortium), which seeks to increase the attainment of degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials as well as better prepare the targeted population for high-wage, high-skill employment in health professions, was singled out to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative as a best practice in Career Pathway implementation with employer support. This group of 1,000 individuals, who represent organizations and initiatives focused on making changes to impact the health and economic stability, work to partner and share resources to collectively make a difference. The H2P Consortium is directed by Marianne Krismer, Ed.D., of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and CAAHEP Executive Director, Kathleen Megivern, serves on the H2P Consortium National Advisory Committee.

"The economic crisis gives us an opportunity to re-imagine the world we want to build."

-President Bill Clinton

Clinton Global Initiatives

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Accreditation Actions

The following programs achieved CAAHEP accreditation at the May 17, 2013, Board of Directors meeting. Where possible, there are links directly to each program's website.

Anesthesiologist Assistant

Initial

University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (Masters)

Cardiovascular Technology

Continuing

Spencerian College - Louisville, Louisville, KY (Invasive Cardiovascular

Technology) (Associate)

Initial

Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI (Adult Echocardiography,

Pediatric Echocardiography, Noninvasive Vascular Study) (Baccalaureate)

Sanford-Brown College - Boston, Boston, MA (Adult Echocardiography)

(Associate)