April 2019

From the President             

When the previous Communiqué was published, most of us were experiencing severe cold winter weather but now spring has arrived. We persisted through the winter months and now may enjoy the cool weather as we prepare for the hot summer months ahead.

It seems as if we are always preparing for the future. Kathy Megivern and the CAAHEP staff have been busy preparing for the Annual Meeting to ensure that everything goes smoothly and that everyone has a productive and memorable time. In our individual work world, all of us may be preparing for graduation, a new cohort, scheduling site visits, or revising standards. If you are like me, you prefer being proactive and like to plan so that everything is done on time and without unexpected challenges.

CAAHEP is preparing for the future with its new Strategic Plan. Now that its been approved by the Commissioners, the CAAHEP team is ready to begin a new cycle so that we continue to grow and improve in an effective and efficient way. At the same time, we will be celebrating our past with the inauguration of our 25 ^th anniversary. This will be a great year as we look back at our past and look to the future. I sincerely hope that you enjoy walking down memory lane this year as you enjoy the activities. I encourage you to reaffirm your commitment to CAAHEP by embracing the Strategic Plan and work to accomplish its goals.

Reviewing our Mission and Vision Statements, it is should be obvious that CAAHEP focuses on being the best possible. This is accomplished by collecting and using data to make improvements were needed. In reviewing the accreditation process assessment responses over the years for the following two questions, Did the accreditation process provide helpful information to you for improving your program and Did the CAAHEP accreditation process accurately evaluate your program’s strengths and weaknesses, the staff found some interesting results. From all the programs that responded to the Accreditation Process Assessments over the years, 93.66% indicated that YES, CAAHEP provided them helpful information to improve their program, while only 6.34% said NO, that helpful information for improvement was not provided. The average of 94.25% of programs indicated that YES, CAAHEP accurately evaluated the programs strengths and weaknesses, while only 5.75% indicating that NO, it was not an accurate evaluation. I hope you find these results as satisfying as I do that CAAHEP is doing a good job. This data will help the Board and staff as we work to ensure that CAAHEP meets its Mission and Vision Statements.

So as we prepare for the change in weather and our future, remember the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, “The future influences the present”. The new CAAHEP Strategic Plan charts our course for the future. We have some work to do but I believe the means to the end will be easier because we work extremely well as a team. Best wishes for a happy spring.

 

Gregory Ferenchak, Ed.D., R.T.(R)(QM)

President

The Business Meeting of the Commission took place April 14, 2019, in San Antonio, as part of CAAHEP's 2019 Annual Meeting. The following is an overview of the actions taken by the Commissioners present:

Approved CAAHEP's new Mission and Vision Statements:

New Mission: To provide quality assurance in health sciences and health professions education by setting standards for program accreditation and evaluating program performance.

New Vision: To be the innovative leader for the accreditation of health sciences

and health professions education.

Approved CAAHEP Bylaw revisions. The updated version can be found here.

Approved a Sponsoring Organization: National Association of Two-Year Respiratory Care 

Approved a Committee on Accreditation: Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Care 

Approved nominees for the CAAHEP Board of Directors:

Welcome to the following newly-elected, first-term Board members:

At the 2019 Annual Meeting, CAAHEP Past President Thomas Skalko was honored with the William W. Goding Award for Exceptional Service. While introducing the award, President Ferenchak said, "Thomas K. Skalko burst onto the CAAHEP scene when he brought a profession, new to CAAHEP, to the Annual Meeting in 2010. Because Dr. Skalko is so organized and so focused, he had prepared petitions for admission of Recreational Therapy as well as a Committee on Accreditation and a sponsoring organization. Even more remarkable, he submitted the first draft of Standards the very next month. Those Standards went to an open hearing in July and were approved by the CAAHEP Board in September 2010. By 2012, they had their first accredited program."

 Dr. Skalko's leadership abilities were quickly recognized within CAAHEP and in 2012, he was elected to the Board of Directors. In 2014 he was elected President, a position he held for three years. He has traveled the country representing CAAHEP at numerous meetings and at several organizations. He has guided CAAHEP through the development and implementation of a Strategic Plan and currently serves as a CAAHEP Board Liaison to the Advanced Cardiovascular Sonography and the Rehabilitation/Disability Studies CoAs.

 

President Ferenchak ended his introduction with, "CAAHEP is a far better organization because of Dr. Skalko and I am proud to recommend him for the 2019 William W. Goding Award for Exceptional Service."

CAAHEP Kicks Off Its

Silver Anniversary!

CAAHEP began its 25th year at the Annual Meeting in San Antonio earlier this month. With the kick-off, we want to take a look back over how we got here, and we're doing that in several ways.

First, check out the special anniversary Blogs that have been posted. We have some special guest writers. Also, see the new 25th Anniversary web page that will share memories, infographics, photos, videos, and more throughout the celebratory year. We've just posted a "thank you" video to all those who worked so hard to make CAAHEP what it is today. Watch for announcements of future postings.

Here's to the next 25 years...

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

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