January 2010 Commission Actions
MEMORANDUM
January 14, 2010
At its December 2009 meeting, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) took a number of actions as described below. These actions are separated by final revisions to accreditation standards, previously distributed for comment; request for comment to proposed accreditation standards; and an informational section that does not affect accreditation standards but is, instead, are policy related.
All final changes to the Accreditation Manual apply to the new 16th Edition, and are effective July 1, 2010. The effective date of proposed changes, if and when approved, will be determined by the Commission at a later date. All revisions contained on the attachments are in red.
APPROVAL OF REVISED ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
The Commission approved as final revisions to the Accreditation Manual, 16th Edition, the standards as described below.
1. Pharmacy Technician Program-Specific Standards
Following a period of consideration by both the ABHES Standards Review Committee and the Commission, including careful review of comments received from its accredited institutions and programs and other interested parties, the attached program-specific standards were approved for institutions offering Pharmacy Technology education programs. The Commission anticipates these standards will allow graduates of ABHES-accredited Pharmacy Technology programs greater career opportunities in the profession, including professional credentialing. The standards are effective July 1, 2010. See attachment A, Program Requirements and Evaluation Standards for Pharmacy Technician.
CALL FOR COMMENT
The Commission requests comment on the following proposals regarding proposed changes to accreditation standards. Comments are due by February 25, 2010, and should be emailed to me at cmoneymaker@abhes.org or mailed to the ABHES office.
1. Degree Standards
The Commission proposes changes to Chapter VI of the Accreditation Manual, Degree Program Standards. The proposed amendments are suggested to ensure consistency in format with the new Chapter V, Evaluation Standards Applicable to All Educational Programs (effective July 1, 2010) and to add a heightened focus on college-level and general or applied education. See Attachment B, Chapter VI, Proposed Degree Standards.
2. Externships and Clinical Internal Experiences
The Commission considered revisions to Chapter V, Evaluation Standards Applicable to All Educational Programs, Section A, and Chapter VII, Program Evaluation Standards for Surgical Technology, Section B, of the Accreditation Manual. Both sections are entitled Curriculum, Competencies, Externship, and Internal Clinical Experience. The changes are proposed to better distinguish between externship and internal clinical experience requirements. See Attachment C, Program Evaluation Standards for Surgical Technology.
3. Surgical Technology Program Standards
Based upon recommendation by the Programmatic Committee on Surgical Technology, the Commission considered additional revisions to Chapter VII, Program Evaluation Standards for Surgical Technology. These proposals reflect commonly accepted requirements in surgical technology education. See Attachment D, Program Evaluation Standards for Surgical Technology.
INFORMATION ONLY
1. Amendments to Policies and Procedures in Response to the Higher Education Act
In response to amendments to the Higher Education Act (HEA), the Commission acted to amend a number of policies and procedures governing its process as found in Chapters I-III of the Accreditation Manual. These amendments are necessary to fully comply with U.S. Department of Education Recognition Requirements. See Attachment E, Revisions to Chapters I-III.
2. Programmatic Accreditation Eligibility Requirements
The Commission considered the current requirements for eligibility to apply for programmatic accreditation through ABHES for medical assisting, medical laboratory technology, and surgical technology. Specifically, it reviewed the current eligibility criteria governing the percentage of the program that must be completed prior to an initial evaluation team site visit. The new requirement increases the percentage and type of courses required to be completed. See Attachment F, Program Eligibility Requirements.
3. Surgical Technology Program Applications
ABHES occasionally receives applications for new program approvals for surgical technology programs. In an effort to assure consistency in public awareness of ABHES requirements and expectations for this program, any application for a Surgical Technology program approval will require the completion of a Self-Evaluation Report and a site visit. Any institution offering a Surgical Technology program will automatically receive programmatic accreditation upon a successful initial or recycle application.
4. Evaluator Honorarium
The Commission acted to increase the honoraria provided to its on-site evaluators (team leaders and subject specialists) effective immediately, as follows:
Previous Current
$125 per day $200 per day
5. Electronic Submission Requirements
The Commission acted to require electronic submissions for all responses to Commission actions, effective immediately. Hard-copy responses will not be considered. Visit www.abhes.org, Forms link, Guidelines for Preparing Your Institution’s Response for specific information.
6. Elimination of Requirements for Financial Statement Submission
As a reminder, the procedural requirements for obtaining and maintaining programmatic accreditation by ABHES have been amended, as outlined in the 16th edition of the Accreditation Manual. One amendment is to eliminate the requirement for submission of annual financial statements to ABHES from programmatically-accredited members (medical assisting, medical laboratory technology, and surgical technology). The oversight of administrative and operational compliance is handled by the recognized institutional accreditor, a prerequisite for programmatic accreditation by ABHES. The Commission believes continuing to require redundant submissions and initiate redundant reviews to be an unnecessary duplication for programmatically-accredited members.
7. National Conference on Allied Health Education – Don’t Miss It!
The 7th Annual National Conference on Allied Health Education hosted by ABHES is being held February 10-12, 2010, at the NEW ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Visit the ABHES website at www.abhes.org to register and click the Events tab found on the homepage to view the Program Preview (note hotel change since printing!) that contains information on sessions, speaker and times, as well as available sponsorship opportunities.
Note that the hotel sleeping rooms at the conference rate have sold out. Due to the overwhelming response and increased attendance at the conference, additional exhibitor tables have been added. Contact ABHES staff member Kelli Blocher at kblocher@abhes.org or 703.917.9503, or visit the website for more details!