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CAAHEP Accreditation FACTS
What This Means to
EMS
Question:
Why do we need Paramedic program accreditation?
Answer: The National EMS community asked for
accreditation as part of the EMS Education Agenda for the Future: A System’s
Approach (2000). The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) EMS At the Crossroads (2006)
also recommended a single national EMS accrediting agency for the country as
part of a process of standardization in EMS education. Additionally, several
current research articles published in peer-review academic journals indicate an
increased success rate on national certification exams from graduates of
nationally accredited Paramedic programs.
The
CAAHEP accreditation process is designed to support continual program
improvement. The peer review process is one essential element to the improvement
of the EMS profession.
Accreditation in all areas of education and in particular, medical education is
unique throughout the world. At the present time, EMS is one of the few, if not
the only, allied health care profession that does not require its educational
programs to be accredited. If the EMS professions are to ever enjoy the
stability, respect, and benefits of being considered an allied health care
profession, we must strive to meet nationally established standards of adult
medical education.
Question:
Who is CAAHEP?
Answer: The Commission on Accreditation of
Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) is the parent organization of the
Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions
(CoAEMSP). CAAHEP is a non-profit, non-governmental agency, who reviews and
accredits over 2000 educational programs in nineteen (19) health science
occupations.
CAAHEP issues accreditation to Paramedic education programs, based on the review
and recommendation of the CoAEMSP.
Question:
Is the CoAEMSP the only nationally accrediting agency
for EMS?
Answer: YES. Although CAAHEP is the actual
accrediting agency, the CoAEMSP represents the EMS profession and has over the
past 30 years when the Paramedic was recognized as an allied health occupation
by the American Medical Association in 1975. Currently, the CoAEMSP Board of
Directors is sponsored by the following organizations:
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
American College of Cardiology (ACC)
American College of Emergency
Physicians (ACEP)
American College of Osteopathic
Emergency Physicians (ACOEP)
American College of Surgeons (ACS)
American Society of Anesthesiologists
(ASA)
Commission on Accreditation of Allied
Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
National Association of EMS Educators
(NAEMSE)
National Association of EMS Physicians
(NAEMSP)
National Association of EMT’s (NAEMT)
National Association of State EMS
Officials (NASEMSO)
National Registry of EMT’s (NREMT)
These Sponsors represent the specialties and organizations of the EMS profession
and are all committed to the accreditation process. The members of each
sponsoring organization serve on the Board of Directors and perform duties as
program Reviewers and Site Visitors, in addition to their many other duties and
commitments. Currently, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC),
EMS Section is petitioning to become an additional sponsor.
Question:
I thought state EMS offices were responsible for
authorizing training programs in my state. Does the CAAHEP accreditation
process supersede our state EMS office?
Answer: NO. Individual state laws, rules and
requirements remain the central authority for who is authorized to provide EMS
education in each state. The accreditation process is designed to supplement
and support state EMS offices in providing clear guidelines and standards for
education.
The
CAAHEP process is not designed to be punitive and is not an enforcement tool.
The CAAHEP standards are relatively broad since they apply to all programs
throughout the United States. Individual states may have more specific
requirements, or implement standards related to issues in their locale.
Ultimately, the state EMS office remains the point authority in terms of
allowing programs to function. However, state EMS offices are informed of the
accreditation process of programs in their jurisdiction. This information
includes notification of applications, scheduling of site visits, and other
routine public matters throughout the accreditation process. Through the
CoAEMSP structure, input from state EMS directors and state EMS training
coordinators is solicited in the development of the CAAHEP standards.
Question:
What does it cost to accredit our program?
Answer: There are actually three components of
the costs of accreditation.
There is an Annual Fee of $1,200.00 per year to maintain the program’s
on-going accreditation and support the various services provided to programs by
both CAAHEP and CoAEMSP. CAAHEP also has an Institutional Fee ($450.00) that is
due annually for the program. If your institution has more than one CAAHEP
program this single fee is spread over all of the programs. Once every five (5)
years, a site visit by two CoAEMSP reviewers is conducted. The program is
responsible for paying the actual costs (travel, accommodations and meals) of
the site visit. Depending on specific travel arrangements, these costs can
vary. In most cases, the average cost of a site visit by two reviewers is
approximately $2500.00. Another cost associated with the 5 year review is a fee
of $500.00 for the executive review of the program’s self study.
It
is important to put these costs in context over a 5-year period, if your program
serves 25 paramedic students per year X 5 years (125 students), the total costs
for accreditation services would be:
Annual Fee ($1,200.00 X 5 years)
$6,000.00
CAAHEP Institutional Fee ($450.00 X 5 years)
$2,250.00
Technology Fee (paid only once)
$ 250.00
Site Visit every fifth year
$2,500.00
Self Study review every fifth year $
500.00
Total
$11,500.00
Per student costs over five (5) years $
92.00
Per cost average per contact hour
$ 0.084
Generally, CAAHEP accreditation costs approximately 8.4 cents for each
student. Since the average Paramedic course is between 1000-1200 hours
(1100 average)
$92.00 per student ÷1100
hours = 0.084 cents per contact hour, a minimal cost to the program for their
accreditation investment.
Question:
What is the process to become accredited and how long
will it take?
Answer: One size DOES NOT fit all. Every
educational program is different and they will each have unique areas that
require attention by CoAEMSP. There is no way to say for certain “how long” each
school will take to gain accreditation through the CAAHEP process but clearly
some are faster than others.
The
process begins with the institutions submission of its self-study and fees to
the CoAEMSP. The CoAEMSP Executive Director will read each Self-Study and
complete an Executive Summary. The Summary will be sent to the Reviewer (a
CoAEMSP Board member) and the Site Visitors, along with a copy of the
Self-Study.
The
Site Visit will be scheduled with input from both the program and the site
review team. Once the site review takes place, the site review team completes
their report and shares their findings with all the principal participants at an
exit conference. The Site Report is returned to the Reviewer and Executive
Director and the Reviewer will make a formal recommendation to the Board of
Directors. Once approved, the recommendation will be sent to the CAAHEP Board,
which meets every other month, for a final vote and approval. Accreditation
certificates, recommendations and correspondence will be sent directly from
CAAHEP once action is taken by the group.
Each application for accreditation receives individual attention by the CoAEMSP,
and time lines vary, the general experience is that CAAHEP accreditation is
granted within 6 – 12 months of initial receipt of the self-study.
Question:
The whole process looks pretty intimidating. How do
we get started?
Answer: JUST DO IT. As mentioned in the famous
advertisement, getting started is the hardest thing to do.
As
you prepare for accreditation it is be important that you take time to become
familiar with the process and required materials. The CoAEMSP website at
www.coaemsp.org has many resources, including, Standards and Guidelines, an
Initial Accreditation link that details all of the tabs you will fill in your
accreditation notebook, as well as the Site Visitor Report (the actual document
and questions asked by reviewers) and many other documents required for
accreditation.
Contact the CoAEMSP office at (817) 330-0080 for more details or to get your
questions answered.
Question:
Is the Program Director required to possess a
Bachelors degree?
Answer: Yes.
The
CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines require the Program Director hold a Bachelors
degree to run the program.
Recognizing this may impact programs seeking accreditation, the CoAEMSP Board of
Directors in February, 2008 stated that ANY NEW program that submits their
Self-Study and Fees to the CoAEMSP for evaluation prior to January 1, 2011 will
allow the Program Director to demonstrate continual enrollment and progress (as
defined by 15 semester hours per year) toward a Bachelors degree until
successfully completed. This progress will be monitored by the CoAEMSP annually.
Failure to meet the mandate will result in probation and loss of CAAHEP
accreditation. There is NO mandate that requires PD’s to possess a Master’s
degree, however it is recommended if they oversee a Paramedic educational
program.
Question:
Is it mandatory that our program be affiliated with a
college or university?
Answer: NO. However, the program MUST
meet one of the sponsorship requirements outlined in the Standards and
Guidelines.
Examples include:
a) a post-secondary academic institution accredited
by an institutional accrediting agency or equivalent recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education and authorized to provide a post-secondary program or to
approve college credit which awards a minimum of certificate of completion for
the program (example - a college or university accredited by a regional
institutional accreditor such as the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools)
b) foreign post-secondary academic institution
approved by CAAHEP
c) a hospital, clinic, or medical center accredited
by a healthcare accrediting agency or equivalent recognized by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, authorized to provide healthcare, which
is affiliated with a post-secondary educational institution or equivalent, or an
accredited graduate medical education program, which awards a certificate of
completion for the program (example - an accredited residency program,
accredited nursing school or accredited allied health school in a hospital and
owned by a hospital)
d) a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces or other
governmental educational or medical service which is affiliated with an
accredited post-secondary educational institution or equivalent which awards a
minimum of certificate of completion for the program or approved national
organization able to approve college credit (example - U.S. Public Health
Service, U.S. Indian Health Service, or United States Army).
Question:
Our program does not meet any of the current
sponsorship requirements. Are there any options available to continue our
Paramedic education program?
Answer: Yes.
The
Standards and Guidelines permit the development of a CONSORTIUM.
The Consortium allows a minimum of two (2) or more members, with an interest in
operating an educational program to work together to meet the needs of their
community.
At
least one (1) member MUST meet the requirements of Sponsorship as defined by the
Standards and Guidelines. The CoAEMSP provides a template for the Consortium
which defines the roles and responsibilities of each member including governance
and lines of authority?
Question:
What about programs that are not “traditional” in the
sense that they are not conducted within a school? Can they be accredited?
Answer: Yes.
There are currently accredited educational programs that are not within
colleges, universities or major medical centers. Programs have been accredited
in hospitals, private for profit institutions as well as free standing
FIRE-based and EMS based institutions. Each program is evaluated by the CoAEMSP
to ensure they meet the Sponsorship requirements set forth in the Standards and
Guidelines.
Question:
Is there a difference in institutional and
programmatic accreditation?
Answer: Yes.
The
terms both refer to accreditation however INSTITUTIONAL refers to the
institution that holds accreditation of the university, community college, or
hospital where various allied health care programs are taught. Organizations
that provide institutional accreditation include the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools, the Western Association of Colleges and Schools as well as
many others. These accrediting agencies are interested in the entire institution
and its educational offerings.
PROGRAMMATIC accreditation refers
specifically to the profession, in this case, the Paramedic educational program.
Question:
What are some of the MAJOR areas that create issues
for programs applying for Initial Accreditation?
Answer: It varies but many of the more common
areas include:
a) lack of PD holding a Bachelor’s degree,
b) lack of sufficient Medical Direction and
oversight,
c) lack of sufficient clinical and field internship
opportunities where students see patients of varying ages, pathologies,
complaints, gender and interventions
d) lack of preceptor training programs
e) lack of tracking mechanism to assure students
progress
f) use of only “canned” materials from publishers
for curriculum as well as testing and measurement.
EACH PROGRAM will be evaluated based on their compliance with the CAAHEP
Standards and Guidelines. It is important to note that the goal of the
accreditation process is to assist and support programs in becoming successful.
When issues are identified, the CoAEMSP works closely with applicant programs to
develop strategies that improve student outcomes. Programs are always given
ample opportunity to address these, or any other issues identified through the
review process. The CAAHEP accreditation process is designed to be an inclusive
system, bringing programs into compliance through collegial communication,
sharing of ideas, and supporting the growth and improvements of adult education
systems throughout the United States.
Question:
How will the accreditation process help me and my
community?
Answer: The accreditation process promotes
continual self analysis and is in place to make the program, its graduates, and
ultimately, the care they deliver to the public, BETTER.
As
in other professions, the accrediting agency helps identify opportunities for
improvement from an outside perspective and then assists you, your faculty, and
your program in finding solutions for them. Simply stated, it’s harder for those
in your organization to ignore the recommendations of an outside, independent
agency that is recommending improvements in the educational process.
In
reality, the accreditation process for educational programs is no different than
the trauma center designation process, the review and accreditation process for
air ambulance services, or the accreditation process for ground ambulance
services. It is designed to support a philosophy of on-going improvements
within your program that will ensure the highest quality education for EMS
professionals throughout the country.
Question:
Once the Initial Accreditation is conferred, what are
the steps to maintain accreditation?
Answer: A key component to future success is a
continual assessment of what the program is accomplishing as it relates to the
CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines. Accredited programs will submit an Annual
Report that includes a summary of job placement, student attrition
/retention; pass rates on the State and or National Registry of EMT’s written
and practical examinations as well as graduate and employer survey return rates.
These data points are collected and evaluated by the CoAEMSP Board of Directors
to determine compliance with the Standards and Guidelines as they relate to
minimum thresholds for success. Programs that fall below standard thresholds are
required to analyze these areas and develop action plans to improve future
performance.
Additionally, the program must submit a new Self-Study and undergo a new Site
Visit at the end of a five (5) year period to ensure compliance with the CAAHEP
Standards and Guidelines. Programs that continue to critically examine
themselves do not have difficulty achieving re-accreditation as part of the
CAAHEP process.
Question:
We are interested in Accreditation in our state. Will
you be coming to visit us in the future to answer any questions that we may
have?
Answer: The Executive Director and members of
the CoAEMSP Board will be visiting states throughout the nation at their request
to talk more about the accreditation process and answer questions and concerns
as they arise.
The
goal is to assist states, Program Directors and educational leaders in learning
more about how their program can meet the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for
accreditation.
Question:
I have a concern that someone from my state be doing
our site-visit?
Answer: That WILL NOT happen.
The Site Visitors will be chosen from the pool of Physician and Paramedic
Educators from outside your state and will travel to your program in order to
ensure that the program meets the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines as published.
In
fact, during the CoAEMSP Board of Directors meetings where program actions are
taken, members of the CoAEMSP Board of Directors who live in a state where a
program is being considered, leave the room while program actions are taken.
This extra effort is designed to ensure that each and every program receives a
fair and unbiased evaluation and recommendation for accreditation by CAAHEP.
Question:
EMS is a big community. How do I know that the Site
Visitors won’t spread what they have seen and heard about my program to others
they know?
Answer:
ALL Site Visitors are required to sign a confidentiality statement for each
visit they attend. This is done to ensure they are constantly aware of the
confidentiality clause and the Site Visitor requirements. CoAEMSP takes these
requirements seriously. If it happens, they will no longer be part of the
CAAHEP process.
Question:
I graduated from Paramedic school before the program
was accredited. What does the lack of accreditation of my program then mean to
me now?
ANSWER: Other than pride in your school, NOTHING. The move towards programmatic
accreditation for Paramedic educational programs only impacts graduates of those
programs after December 31, 2012. After that date, the Board of Directors for
the National Registry of EMT’s has indicated that PARAMEDIC GRADUATES ONLY
will become ineligible to take their certification exam if they did NOT graduate
from a nationally accredited paramedic program. Additionally, it has NO bearing
or impact on your current recertification for continuing education. Only
students who have yet to be trained will be impacted by the National Registry’s
requirement in 2013.
Question:
Final thoughts about the EMS community and the CAAHEP
accreditation process.
Answer: The road to accreditation is a long but
worthwhile venture. In the development of every profession, gaining greater
credibility is tied to higher educational requirements. Accreditation, like any
quality improvement process is a journey, not a destination. One mile marker is
the achievement of initial accreditation which may be your longest mile.
However, once the first mile is passed, the map becomes clearer for you in your
continuous journey.
EMS is at a defining moment in its history and the move toward programmatic
accreditation is necessary step in our evolution. The fact is, with hard work,
determination, and tenacity, programs across the country can gain the CAAHEP
recognition. Like many things in life it will not be easy and will require your
best effort and perhaps an opportunity to look at things from a fresh
perspective. We welcome the opportunity to work with EMS educators, states and
those
interested in accreditation and stand ready to assist in the years ahead.
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