February 2022
From the President
CAAHEP’s Progress in Achieving its Strategic Goals
At the CAAHEP Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference (January 21 and 22, 2022), I had the privilege of providing an update on accomplishments by CAAHEP volunteer leaders and staff in furtherance of the four Goals under its 2019-2021 Strategic Plan. The following is a summary of my presentation.
By way of introduction, the following are the CAAHEP Mission, Vision, and Core Values:
Mission: CAAHEP provides value to stakeholders by setting standards for quality assurance in health professions education.
Vision: CAAHEP is the innovative leader for health sciences education accreditation.
Core Values:
- Integrity
- Collaboration
- Accountability
- Consensus
The following are the four Goals under the CAAHEP 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, achievements in reaching these Goals, and explanatory comments.
Goal 1: Achieve greater efficiency and consistency in the application of CAAHEP Standards, policies, and procedures
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Developed a new CAAHEP Standards template, a transition plan for implementation, and training sessions with committees on accreditation (CoAs)
- New Accreditation Management System and annual reporting tool were established with a new website near completion
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Improved Standards review process, the addition of CoA staff and chairs
Comments: The CAAHEP leadership is cognizant of the fact that consistency in Standards and other normative documents is essential for any type of accreditation or quality assurance body. Equally important, however, is consistency in the application of documents to varying educational contexts and philosophies. Training sessions with CoA volunteer leaders and staff have been designed to foster consistency in all aspects of CAAHEP accreditation.
Goal 2: Strengthen the relationship with, and support of, the committees on accreditation (CoAs)
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Increased communication with CoAs—CoA Connections bimonthly newsletter
- CoA awards program conducted in 2021 with nominees from all CoAs
- New CoA recognition program to be reviewed by the Board of Directors in 2022
- Increased CoA staff and chair involvement in CAAHEP Board committees
Comments: Meaningful, clear, and frequent communication is a hallmark of effective standard-setting bodies. CAAHEP has prioritized breaking down barriers to communication with its CoAs and all other communities of interest and will continue to do so under its next Strategic Plan.
Goal 3: Build an efficient and sustainable structure:
- Governance review and modification to Bylaws to reduce Board of Directors members from thirteen (13) to nine (9)
- Institutional and late fees increased (CAAHEP reserve fund to be 100% of annual operational expenses)
- Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference schedules aligned to reduce expenses for CoAs and CAAHEP
Comments: Leaders of both for-profit and not-for-profit bodies must be good stewards of revenues and expenses during these increasingly uncertain times. CAAHEP has sought to find new income streams and eliminate unnecessary expenditures without hindering its commitment to transforming its Vision into reality.
Goal 4: Foster innovative education:
- Approval of new professional specializations—(e.g., diagnostic medical sonography (DMS))
- Establishment of International Accreditation Review Committee to establish requirements for recommendations outside of United States
- Drafted revised Innovative Education policy (on the Board of Directors agenda for March of 2022)
- Distance Education Taskforce authored white paper and recommendations
Comments: The groundbreaking work of the International Accreditation Review Committee and the Distance Education Task Force (that resulted in the publication of the Distance Education White Paper) have put CAAHEP at the forefront of policy research and debate on these two all-important issues. Accreditation of allied health programs in other nations is on the horizon, and CAAHEP will be prepared and will set the standard of excellence for international accreditation. Differing definitions of distance education and similar terms have hindered dialogue within the education policy community. The Distance Education White Paper and the ongoing work of the Task Force will bring much-needed clarity to this dialogue.
Don
Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA
CEO and Legal Counsel, American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)
2021-2022 CAAHEP President
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CAAHEP Accredits First Pedorthics Program |
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CAAHEP's William Goding Award for Exceptional Service Presented |
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Congratulations to Jackie Long-Goding, PhD, RRT-NPS, on receiving the 2022 CAAHEP William W. Goding Award for Exceptional Service! This award is CAAHEP's highest honor presented to an individual who has served the Commission by:
- advancing CAAHEP's mission and goals;
- assuming leadership responsibilities within CAAHEP;
- exhibiting notable participation in one or more CAAHEP activities and/or programs; and,
- advancing ideas and/or new strategies to benefit the organization.
Dr. Long-Goding has a distinguished career in health professions education and is currently the Executive Director for four of CAAHEP's Committees on Accreditation - the Joint Review Committee on Cardiovascular Technology; Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee; the Committee on Accreditation for Education in Neurodiagnostic Technology; and the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Care.
In addition to her daily support of CAAHEP accreditation, she has volunteered to serve on and/or lead numerous committees and tasks forces. Dr. Long-Goding has presented at CAAHEP's annual meetings, leadership conferences, and CoA summer workshops over the years. She currently serves on CAAHEP's International Accreditation Review Committee.
As noted in the nomination letter from CAAHEP's Past President, Dr. Carolyn O'Daniel, "Jackie is always ready to volunteer when asked, and this spirit, as well as her knowledge and expertise in accreditation, certainly qualify her for this highest of CAAHEP honors."
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Webinar Recording Available
Understanding the Needs of Working Adult Learners in Allied Health
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By Darcy Monaghan, Senior Marketing Manager, Guild Education
As the healthcare field continues to grapple with an enormous talent exodus and resulting labor shortage, more organizations are re-examining how they approach employee retention.
One equity-centered intervention that is quickly gaining momentum is education benefits, which enable employees who already work for healthcare organizations to access the programs and skills they need to unlock career advancement.
For allied health programs, this means an opportunity to support the advancement of employer-backed students who are already working at some of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations.
Yet despite a certain amount of symbiosis that has long existed between local healthcare organizations and allied health programs, frontline workers in clinical and non-clinical roles are largely under-researched as a student group.
To better understand current and prospective working adult learners within allied health, Guild Education conducted a survey of over 550 allied health workers to learn about their perceptions toward education, career advancement in healthcare, and what characteristics of allied health programs they would find the most valuable to uncover prospective student needs and motivations.
Below are a few key takeaways stemming from the survey. Guild hosted a webinar focused on these insights on Thursday, February 17th. The recording is now available for viewing.
About the Survey Population
Of the individuals who took the survey…
- Over half of respondents work in hospitals, doctors or specialists offices
- 45% have a combined household income of $50,000 or less
- 60% have not earned a bachelor’s degree
Guild focused in particular on the needs of three key employee groups: non-medical frontline (e.g. entry-level office, environmental services, patient transport), technician (limited patient contact, e.g. ), and primary patient care (medical frontline allied health roles; below RN).
Key Insights
1. This prospective student population broadly lacks economic security and highly values personal fulfillment.
More than half of respondents indicated that they experienced housing insecurity in the last year. Close to 60% of respondents experienced food insecurity during that time. This underscores a need for tuition support to access a pathway to lasting economic mobility: Many non-medical frontline, technician, and primary patient care roles have limited upward mobility without additional education and training.
Given the connection between precarity and income, it would be easy to assume that the number one motivator for allied health workers to want to stay and advance in healthcare would be related to compensation. In reality, the primary motivator across the board is personal fulfillment. When asked to expound on this, many participants shared their desire to help others.
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CAAHEP kicked off 2022 with three back-to-back meetings - the CAAHEP Board Meeting, the Leadership Conference for Committee on Accreditation leaders, and the 2022 Annual Meeting, our first set of in-person meetings in two years.
The following are the highlights of the CAAHEP Board Meeting:
In addition, upon the recommendation of the Performance Oversight Committee, the Board approved the following revision of Policy 113 Innovative Education:
113 Innovative Education: CAAHEP encourages and supports innovation that promotes academic quality in health science education programs. Innovation and flexible process applied throughout the accreditation process allow the organization and the programs it accredits to meet existing and emerging needs of CAAHEP’s communities of interest.
The Leadership Conference attendees were updated on CAAHEP activities including:
- the accomplishments on the Strategic Plan;
- the reaffirmation of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's recognition of CAAHEP;
- the activities of the Distance Education Task Force, including the publication of a White Paper; the formation and activities of the International Accreditation Review Committee;
- a presentation by President Donald Balasa on the New California "Earn and Learn" Law and how will it affect CAAHEP, CoAs, and professions;
- a review of the Standard implementation process by members of CAAHEP's Standards Committee; and
- a panel presentation by program directors on How Uncertainty Grew Sustainable Innovative Practices.
The Annual Meeting was chock full of presentations on numerous topics including:
- the introduction of and presentation by CAAHEP's new Executive Director, Gina Scarboro;
- an Update on Washington from Jay Vaughan, J.D., Cooley, LLP;
- Project to Promote CAAHEP Professions to Underrepresented Communities, a panel discussion from the Recent Graduate Task Force, including Recent Graduate Commissioner Kevin Sloss, Ciera Price, and Jessica Pizzo Reyes;
- breakout discussions groups for Program Directors with the staff of CoAs from Diagnostic Medical Sonography, EMS-Paramedic, Medical Assisting, and Surgical Technology; and,
- Project Firstline: Infection Control in Community College Curriculum with CAAHEP Board Member Stacey Ocander.
In addition to the presentation, Project Firstline generously sponsored portions of the Annual Meeting. Project Firstline is a collaborative between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and diverse healthcare and public health partners that aims to provide engaging, innovative, and effective infection control training for millions of frontline US healthcare workers as well as members of the public health workforce. For additional information, visit the Project Firstline website.
CAAHEP appreciates all of the volunteers who worked on the planning committees and those who presented sessions at each of these meetings. The evaluations received were extremely positive, which is due in large part to your participation and support.
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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 on January 20, 2022. 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. Where available, links to each program's website is provided below. 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.
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 2025. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Medical Assisting
The following program was found to be in compliance with the accreditation Standards and Guidelines and was granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2026. This action requires no progress report and was 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 2027. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Anesthesiologist Assistant
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
Specialist Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine
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 2032. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Exercise Physiology
Exercise Science
Surgical Technology
The following programs were found to be in 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.
Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic
The following program was found to be in 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 program was granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2028.
Medical Assisting
The following program was found to be in 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 program was granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2030.
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 2027. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Cardiovascular Technology
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Exercise Physiology
Exercise Science
Medical Assisting
Pedorthics
Perfusion
Surgical Technology
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 2030. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.
Art Therapy
The following program was found to be in 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 program was granted initial accreditation with the next evaluation to occur no later than 2027.
Anesthesia Technology
The following programs had a transfer of sponsorship approved, which will be effective June 1, 2022, with a status of 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.
Cardiovascular Technology
Prisma Health, Greenville, SC (transferring from Clemson University, Clemson, SC - Noninvasive Vascular Study, Certificate)
Prisma Health, Greenville, SC (transferring from Clemson University, Clemson, SC - Adult Echocardiography, Certificate)
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Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 - 113th St. N, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775-7709
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