CAAHEP Communiqué October 2013

In the Oct. 2013 Issue

Open Hearing Scheduled

Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week

Medical Assistant Appreciation Week

From the President

CAAHEP Board Meets in Boston

Accreditation Community Loses Two Leaders

CAAHEP Annual Meeting

CAAHEP Google Grant Gets Results

CAAHEP Sponsor Spotlight: AKTA

Position Available

CoAEMSP Welcomes New Staff

Accreditation Actions

Open Hearing Scheduled

An Open Hearing on the proposed

Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Cytotechnology

is scheduled for Monday, October 21, 2013. The Open Hearing will be held electronically at 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

To view and comment on the proposed Standards, please visit the CAAHEP website. Also, if you wish to attend the electronic Open Hearing, please register through the CAAHEP website.

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 upcoming meeting dates:

Nov. 15, 2013

Conference Call

Jan. 15-16, 2014
West Palm Beach, FL

Mar. 21, 2014

Conference Call

May 16, 2014

Conference Call

CAAHEP Leadership Conference

For Committee on Accreditation Chairs, Staff, and Liaisons.

Jan. 17-18, 2014

West Palm Beach, Florida

Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week

October 7-13, 2013

Recognizing the the valuable contributions of sleep technologists who assist in the evaluation and follow-up care of patients with sleep disorders.

For more information, please contact the American Association of Sleep Technologists, a CAAHEP Sponsor Organization.

Medical Assistant Appreciation

Week

October 21-25, 2013

This year's Medical Assistant Appreciation Week's theme is "Medical Assistants at the Heart of Health Care." The week is dedicated to recognizing the contributions that

medical assistants make to overall health care delivery effectiveness.

For more information, please contact the American Association of Medical Assistants, a CAAHEP Sponsoring Organization.

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From the President

Cameron Harris,
RPSGT

It is October and Minnesota is still mostly green where it should be red, yellow and orange, yet change is in the air and we know winter will soon be upon us. Like the weather, the education climate will change when and if Congress acts on reauthorization of Higher Education Act (HEA) and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act. This fall CAAHEP and other accreditors continue to anticipate how this pending legislation will affect their missions.

I have previously written about hearings taking place regarding reenactment of the HEA which focuses on funding of student aid and has involved discussion about the role of accreditation for insuring quality and value in education. The Perkins Act promotes academic and technical integration across secondary and post-secondary education with links to business and industry for the purpose of developing career pathways.This piece of legislation has the potential for creating challenges and opportunities for allied health educators that may affect programmatic accreditation. Discussion has also begun to lay the framework for reauthorization of the Perkins act.

Read More

CAAHEP Board Meets in Boston

The newly-elected CAAHEP Board of Directors held its first meeting of the new fiscal year in Boston, July 18, 2013, and the following are highlights from that meeting.

President Harris welcomed new CAAHEP Board Members Gregory Ferenchak and Arthur "Tony" Makin to their first CAAHEP Board meeting. He also announced the following new CAAHEP committee appointments for the coming year.

Performance Oversight Committee Bernard Cohen, Chair Barry Eckert Gregory Ferenchak John Padgett Yasmen Simonian	Planning and Development Committee Claire Chandler, Chair Susan Fuchs Calvin Harris Katie Lukovich Thomas Skalko
Recommendation Review Committee Kalyani Naik, Chair Pauletta Brown Bracy Arthur "Tony" Makin Carolyn O'Daniel Kerry Weinberg	Standards Committee William Goding, Chair Kalyani Naik, Vice Chair Jennifer Anderson Warwick Hugh Bonner Kate Feinstein

Read More

Accreditation Community Loses Two Leaders

CAAHEP is saddened to report the passing of two leaders in the accreditation community.

Dr. David Gale, Administrative Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University, passed away July 28, 2013, in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Gale formerly served on the CAAHEP Board of Directors for six years and was also a CAAHEP Commissioner for the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions.

Christopher (Chris) Eaton, Associate Executive Director of the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, passed away unexpectedly on August 18, 2013.

The CAAHEP Board and Staff send condolences to Dr. Gale's and Mr. Eaton's families and colleagues.

Make Your Reservations!

CAAHEP 2014 Annual Meeting

April 27-28, 2014

Hyatt on the Riverwalk

San Antonio, TX

Reservations are now being accepted at the Hyatt on the Riverwalk. Please use the following link to reserve your hotel accommodations:

https://resweb.passkey.com/go/CAAHEP2014

CAAHEP Google Grant Gets

Results

In April, CAAHEP received a grant from Google, which provides CAAHEP advertising when searches are conducted on Google using keywords related to the professions in which CAAHEP accredits programs. For example, if a search is conducted on Google for an Anesthesiologist Assistant program, an ad for CAAHEP accreditation may appear in the right column of the Google search results. The ad is linked to the CAAHEP website, where individuals can find out more about the profession and search for an accredited program.

The first CAAHEP ad appeared in mid-April, and since then the number of impressions has grown to over 2.4 million. Of those impressions, nearly 19,000 individuals have visited the CAAHEP site for more information.

Some of the most frequent words or phrases searched through Google that have brought visitors to the CAAHEP website include ultrasound, sonography training, paramedic training, exercise science, perfusion, EMT training, medical assistant courses, cardiovascular training, and medical assisting. CAAHEP has entered the name of each of the professions in which we accredit programs as keywords in this process. In addition, all of the certifying body acronyms have been entered, as well as the sponsoring organizations. This exposure not only drives interest to the CAAHEP site, but to our accredited programs, our sponsoring organizations, and the other groups in our communities of interest.

CAAHEP Sponsor Spotlight

The American Kinesiotherapist Association (AKTA) promotes kinesiotherapy and improves recognition of the profession through legislation and public relations. The AKTA has been a sponsor of CAAHEP since 1995.

About the Kinesiotherapy Profession:

Kinesiotherapy is the application of scientifically based exercise principles adapted to enhance the strength, endurance, and mobility of individuals with functional limitations of those requiring extended physical conditioning.

Kinesiotherapists provide sub-acute or post-acute rehabilitative therapy focusing on therapeutic exercise, reconditioning and physical education. Kinesiotherapists emphasize the psychological as well as physical benefits of therapeutic exercise for rehabilitation. Following a prescription from a licensed practitioner, kinesiotherapists provide rehabilitative exercise and education to patients.

The types of treatments carried out by kinesiotherapists focus on but are not limited to:

Therapeutic exercise
Ambulation training
Geriatric rehabilitation
Aquatic Therapy
Adapted fitness and conditioning
Prosthetic/orthotic rehabilitation
Psychiatric rehabilitation
Driver training
Adapted exercise for the home setting

September 9-13 was Kinesiotherapy Awareness Week

To find out more about the kinesiotherapy profession, view the videos on the AKTA website.

Visit our sponsor's website

Director of Accreditation Position Available

The Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) seeks to hire a director to provide professional support for the MAERB to develop and maintain standards for postsecondary medical assisting educational programs; monitor compliance with regulatory requirements; oversee the accreditation process for institutions continuing or seeking specialized program accreditation; and supervise Accreditation staff.

The MAERB is a Committee on Accreditation (review committee) of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). As such the MAERB completes program reviews, based on the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for Accreditation of Educational Programs in Medical Assisting and makes accreditation recommendations for medical assisting program accreditation status.

The MAERB membership includes educators from both public and private institutions, administrators from institutions with accredited medical assisting programs, practicing medical assistants, the public and representatives of their sponsoring organizations, the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the American Medical Association (AMA).

Read More

CoAEMSP Welcomes Assistant Director of Accreditation Services

The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions announced that Gordon (Gordy) Kokx, MS, NREMT-P (NAEMT) was selected to fill the new position of CoAEMSP Assistant Director of Accreditation Services.

Mr. Kokx is well established in the EMS community, serving as a member of the CoAEMSP Board of Directors and a Paramedic program director. He brings critical qualities necessary for serving the EMS community and helping educational programs meet the accreditation standards.

"Gordy is going to be a tremendous asset to the CoAEMSP," says CoAEMSP Executive Director Dr. George Hatch. "He has the academic background, interpersonal skills, and the respect of both program directors and members of the CoAEMSP Board of Directors. He is a valuable asset to the CoAEMSP and EMS."

With the considerable increase in accredited programs in the past two years, the need for a second staff member serving in this capacity is essential. Mr. Kokx will be highly visible in the EMS community. He will visit educational programs; support and assist program directors as they become accredited and maintain accreditation; and represent the CoAEMSP at EMS conferences and events.

"It is with pleasure that I welcome Gordy Kokx to our talented CoAEMSP Staff," states CoAEMSP Board of Directors Chair Douglas York. "Gordy brings much expertise to our organization including being a Program Director, Site Visitor and Board Member. Having known Gordy for many years, I am confident that the addition of his talents will enhance the CoAEMSP's ability to provide accreditation services to the EMS Community."

Mr. Kokx earned an AAS in EMS from Lansing Community College, a BS in Allied Health Education from Ferris State University, a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University, and is currently in the dissertation phase of his PhD in Education at the University of Idaho. He begins his new position November 1, 2013.

Accreditation Actions

The following programs achieved CAAHEP accreditation at the July 18 and September 20, 2013, Board of Directors meetings. Where possible, there are links directly to each program's website.

In the June issue of Communiqué, a link to the Southeast Arkansas College's surgical technology program was inadvertently omitted. The program can be viewed at the following website: www.seark.edu

July 18, 2013

Cardiovascular Technology

Initial

Piedmont Technical College, Greenwood, SC (Adult Echocardiography; Invasive Cardiovascular) (Associate)

Cytotechnology

Continuing

State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison, WI (Baccalaureate)

Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Continuing

Blackhawk Technical College, Janesville, WI (General; Vascular) (Associate)

Georgia Northwestern Technical College - Rome, GA (General; Cardiac; Vascular) (Diploma, Associate)

Gloucester County College, Sewell, NJ (General) (Associate)