October 2019
From the President
While the season has changed from Summer to Fall, mother nature is being stubborn and trying to hang on to Summer for many of us. While we often have anxiety, fear, or even resist change, when done strategically and systematically it keeps us fresh and moving forward. Sometimes however, we have to make sudden changes based on unforeseen circumstances that truly test our passion and commitment. I don’t remember the author of this quote, but it was in a business course I was taking and it was “…if you’re not changing your dying.” That could not hold truer in the fast-paced world we seek to thrive in today. The College I worked for (30 + years) just went through a significant change when we merged with a larger state university. Our College President often said, “if you don’t like change, you better run as far and fast as you can away from healthcare and healthcare education.” I went through several of the stages including fear and anxiety, but quickly realized the overall good and future opportunities this strategic move would have on our students, our state, and ultimately the patients and families our graduates would care for as healthcare practitioners.
CAAHEP itself is undergoing change as this is being written, some strategic and some unexpected. It is important that we engage these changes and opportunities in a positive frame of mind and focus on the future while ensuring we meet our mission of providing quality assurance in health sciences and health professions education by setting standards for program accreditation and evaluating program performance.
Our newly approved strategic plan will help guide us systematically toward achieving change while staying focused on the aforementioned mission. The new plan took months of brainstorming with our various stakeholders which culminated in a day long session bringing the plan to fruition. I want to thank everyone who played a role in the development of this forward-thinking road map. I also want to specifically mention Goal 2 of our strategic plan which focuses on the professional growth and development of our Committees on Accreditation (CoA’s) and the thousands of program leaders in the various professions.
As mentioned early, sometimes change comes unexpectedly and we quickly have to determine the best course of action to minimize disruption and continue to move in a positive trajectory. The CAAHEP Staff and Board recently faced a significant unexpected change when the vendor that runs many of our database functions and daily operations suddenly ceased to exist. I could not have been prouder of how quickly everyone came together, with their game-faces on, and started formulating strategies and developing action plans to keep operations functioning to minimize impact on all of our stakeholders. This is a true test of leadership and fortitude when hit with unexpected challenges.
I hope that you and your respective organizations embrace change as an opportunity for new thinking, new innovation, and a kindled spirit of ensuring that we are preparing the best in health sciences and healthcare education.
President Glen Mayhew, DHSc, NRP
President
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CAAHEP Board Announces Institutional Fee Increase
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At its meeting in September 2019, the CAAHEP Board approved an increase in the annual institution fee effective July 1, 2020. The fee will be increased by $50 to $600, which is less than a 10% change. The fee is per-institution, regardless of whether the institution has one CAAHEP accredited program or four (or more!) accredited programs.
As has always been the case, every institution that sponsors one or more CAAHEP-accredited program pays an annual institutional fee (this fee remains the same whether an institution has one CAAHEP-accredited program or several - it is NOT a per program fee).
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USDE Recognition: Setting the Story Straight
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Every once in a while
we receive questions about why CAAHEP is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
After receiving several inquiries about a rumor that says CAAHEP "has lost its recognition from the United States Department of Education," it's time to remind everyone what really happened. Back in 1998 the CAAHEP Commissioners, after months of research and discussion, voted to drop the recognition from USDE because the Higher Education Act had narrowed the purpose of USDE's recognition to serving as a "gatekeeper" for Title IV eligibility for federal financial aid. Since all but a handful of CAAHEP programs were located in entities that already had institutional accreditation from a recognized agency that was serving as their gatekeeper, we were no longer serving as the "gatekeeper" and so the decision was made to drop that recognition. At the time we dropped the recognition (21 years ago) we were being used as gatekeeper only by a few Cytotechnology programs that were hospital-based.
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Updates from the CAAHEP Board
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CAAHEP President Glen Mayhew worked with a subcommittee of Committee on Accreditation representatives to develop one of the goals in the 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, and the CAAHEP Board gave its final approve to the entire Strategic Plan at its last meeting. The 2019-2021 Strategic Plan is available for review on the
CAAHEP website
. Please watch for updates on its progress in the coming months.
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Medical Assistant Recognition Week
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October 21-25, 2019, is Medical Assistant Recognition Week, and CAAHEP proudly celebrates their important role in allied health.
Medical Assisting has been one of the professions under the CAAHEP's umbrella since CAAHEP was still a committee of the American Medical Association. It was 1969 - 50 years ago! - when the first set of CAAHEP Medical Assisting Standards were approved, and the number of CAAHEP accredited programs has grown to 427, making the profession one of the largest groups in CAAHEP.
The impact of Medical Assistants' role in allied health has increased over the years, and is now recognized by providers and patients as one of the most important in health care. The following are just a few testimonials captured in an article by Cathy Cassata and published by CAAHEP Sponsoring Organization, the
American Association of Medical Assistants
.
(Special thank you to
Southern Crescent Technical College-Griffin, GA
and
Bryant & Stratton College
-Virginia Beach
, VA for providing the photos below of students in their CAAHEP accredited Medical Assisting programs!)
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I was sitting with my twin sister while she received chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer when I answered a call from my radiologist. My sister encouraged me to get a mammogram after her diagnosis, and the radiologist was calling to tell me I had breast cancer too. He told me I could see the breast specialist in a week, but I was so anxious to understand my condition more clearly that I wanted to see the doctor sooner. My sister suggested I walk downstairs to the doctor’s office and ask for the CMA (AAMA), so I did. As I was in the waiting room, the medical assistant recognized me and immediately approached me. She told me to go back and be with my sister, and that she would text me when the doctor could see me that day. They fitted me in a few hours later. During the visit, the CMA (AAMA) was incredibly compas-sionate and prepared me for what to expect. She took some of the stress out of a very stressful and scary situation. She also made sure all my questions were answered by the doctor. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be with me during my first oncology visit.
Karen Schmidt
La Marque, Texas
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CMAs (AAMA) define the word versatile. They are highly adaptable and able to work with many different types of patients, providers, and specialties. Medical assistants are the glue to the patient visit. The patient may not remember their provider, but oftentimes they know the name of their medical assistant. In fact, I often see direct reference to medical assistants when I review patient comments. As baby boomers continue to age, primary care will continue to evolve, and the role of the CMA (AAMA) will become even more central to preventive care. Thank you to all hardworking CMAs (AAMA) for your continued service to a changing patient population.
Ann O’Connell, Vice President of Ambulatory Operations
Galveston, Texas
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SDMS Foundation Recognizes Recipients
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C
AAHEP Sponsoring Organization, the
Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 SDMS Foundation scholarships, grants, and international assistance. Congratulations to all!
SDMS Foundation Sonography Scholarships
– The SDMS Foundation provides $2,500 scholarships to the following sonography students and sonographers, all enrolled in a CAAHEP accredited program at the noted schools.
Sonography Student Scholarship Recipients
- Alexandra Schaefer, University of Wisconsin Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Rebecca Flick, Misericordia University Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Sonographer Advanced Degree Scholarship Recipient
- Micheal Nana, RDMS, RCS, RVS, Advent Health University Diagnostic Medical Sonography
SDMS Foundation Research Grants
– The SDMS Foundation Research Grants support innovative research projects that advance the field of diagnostic medical sonography.
2018 Recipients
- Kimberly Sorrentino, MS, RDCS, RDMS, RVT, "The Adaptation of Quality Improvement Initiatives in Diagnostic Medical Sonography," Gateway Community College
- Nicole Stigall, RDMS, RVT, "Utilizing Sonographic Measurements of Abdominal Visceral Fat to Determine the Risk for Metabolic Syndrome," The Ohio State University
- Kimberly Michael, MA, RDMS, RVT, RT(R), FSDMS, "Introducing Mindful Pause Practice in Sonography Education: A strategy to improve classroom presence," University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Sundus Mohammad, BS, RDMS, RVT, "Utilizing Simulation with Target Cut Planes to Ensure Proper Triaging of Emergency Cardiac Patients," The Ohio State University
2019 Recipient
- Sandy Takata, OTD, OTR/L, "Development of a Sonographic Image Acquisition and Analysis Protocol for Surgically Repaired Flexor Tendons of the Hand," University of Southern California
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ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS WEEK APPROACHES
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Attention CAAHEP accredited programs! Get ready to celebrate your students and highlight their education through photos and celebration of the 2019 Allied Health Professions Week,
November 3-9, 2019
. Each year, CAAHEP helps promote the activities of students enrolled in CAAHEP accreditation programs. We publicize the programs and good work of students by sharing photos and posts shared by program directors.
Allied Health Professions Week is an opportunity to share the important contributions each profession under the CAAHEP umbrella makes to improve the overall quality of the public's health and well being.
So, please take a few minutes to share how your program is celebrating the students, faculty, researchers, practicum sites, and professions during this special week by submitting photos, videos, gifs, etc., to
CAAHEP. Please be sure to include the profession, program name, and location so that we can give you credit. And, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn and see what other programs are doing!
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Each profession in the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) system has a Committee on Accreditation (CoA) that consists of experts in the profession that are responsible for reviewing programs and making appropriate recommendations for accreditation to CAAHEP. CAAHEP reviews recommendations received from its CoAs in each profession, assures due process was followed, and takes final action on an accreditation status.
CAAHEP took the following actions at the September 20, 2019 meeting. Actions are identified by profession, action taken, date of the next comprehensive evaluation, and whether a progress report to improve program compliance is required. In some cases, the concentration and/or degree are also specified. To view a copy of the most recent accreditation award letter for a program, which includes information about the accreditation decision, visit the program’s listing on the Find An Accredited Program section of the
CAAHEP website. Where available, links to the accredited programs are included below.
The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted
continuing accreditation
, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur
no later than 2024
. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted
continuing accreditation
, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur n
o later than 2028
. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Medical Assisting
The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted
continuing accreditation
, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur
no later than 2029
. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Neurodiagnostic Technology
Polysomnographic Technology
Surgical Technology
The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted
continuing accreditation
, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur
no later than 2024
.
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted
continuing accreditation
, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur
no later than 2027
.
Medical Assisting
The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted
continuing accreditation
, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur
no later than 2028.
Medical Assisting
The following programs were found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted
initial accreditation
with the next evaluation to occur
no later than 2024
. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Anesthesia Technology
Art Therapy
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
Lactation Consultant
Medical Assisting
Polysomnographic Technology
Surgical Technology
The following programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA). The programs were granted
initial accreditation
with the next evaluation to occur
no later than 2024
.
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
Medical Assisting
The following programs had a transfer of sponsorship approved, with a status of continuing accreditation with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2024.
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
Medical Assisting
Surgical Technology
The following programs were placed on
probationary accreditation
, with one or more Standards requiring critical attention and timely resolution to bring the program into compliance with the Standards and Guidelines and require a progress report be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA).
Medical Assisting
Surgical Technology
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Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158, Clearwater, FL 33763
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