Allied Health Education
Program Accreditation
What does it mean?

Many students are facing graduation at this time of year - some from colleges and universities and others from high schools. Collegiate students in allied health professions will be facing the starting point of their career, while high school students may be considering which allied health career path to follow.

These Allied health careers are made up of the professions that function in support of medical personnel, primarily physicians. Examples of allied health professions include physician assistants, medical assistants, perfusionists, medical illustrators, surgical technologists, blood bank technologists, diagnostic medical sonographers, EMT-paramedics, respiratory care specialists, and many others. Both college and high school graduates should be concerned about what impact accreditation of specialized programs in allied health education has on their educational preparation.

This is intended to provide an overview of accreditation and its importance, as well as the structure of allied health education programs. Please remember that just as the allied health professions are different in their responsibilities and function, so are the educational programs different.

What is an accredited program?
In order to understand what an accredited program is, you must have an understanding of what accreditation is. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) says: "Accreditation in higher education is a collegial process based on self- and peer-assessment for improvement of academic quality and public accountability." Although the process is continuous, there is usually a review of each program or institution that occurs every five to ten years. This process includes preparation of a self-study by the faculty of the institution, a review of the program by a team of peers, and finally a judgement by an accrediting agency, based on a predetermined set of standards, and communicated to the institution or program. That judgement includes not only decisions on compliance or non-compliance to the defined set of standards, but recommendations for improving the program.

Why is this process important? As American higher education has evolved over its 350-year history, it has emerged as a diverse, competitive, decentralized educational system with rather high autonomy. Accreditation allows for this diversity and autonomy, while at the same time assuring quality through the peer review process.

What are the benefits of completing an accredited program?
A basic philosophical base for accreditation in any field of study is the nurturing of quality education in an effort to serve the public interest. The concept of providing quality service to the public is especially true in the allied health care professions, where the health of the patient is the responsibility of the practitioner.

First then, what are the benefits of accreditation to the profession? Accredited educational programs assure the profession of a supply of qualified professionals. Since accreditation is based on a set of 'standards', employers and professionals in the field are assured that a student graduating from an accredited educational program has a basic knowledge base that provides the graduate with the skills to function as an entry-level professional within that given profession.

Second, what are the benefits of accreditation to the public? Similarly, the public can be assured that a practitioner graduated from an accredited program has been trained to perform the tasks necessary for a given allied health profession. Accreditation provides accountability to the public sector. It can be assumed that an accredited allied health education program produces students who are qualified to perform as safe and knowledgeable professionals in the field.

Finally, what are the benefits of accreditation to the student entering or graduating from an accredited allied health education program? The graduating students are also assured that they will learn the knowledge and skills necessary to make them a quality professional. Schools that meet accreditation standards are held to a higher measure than those not accredited. Professional credentialing and state regulatory agencies (i.e. certifying and licensing boards) recognize graduates from accredited programs. Many of these boards require graduation from an accredited educational program as the only way to qualify for their credential.

How is an accredited allied health education program structured?
The structure of allied health education in the United States is as varied as the professional roles. Programs are housed in four-year colleges and universities requiring baccalaureate or masters degrees, or in two-year community colleges requiring an associates degree. Some are hospital-based, or in proprietary institutions that offer certificate programs with no degree. Each discipline determines the appropriate educational level relevant to their program.

Some allied health programs are profession-based, and some are skill-based - the difference being that some disciplines have a distinct 'body of knowledge' that is separate and different from other allied health professions. These programs stand by themselves, producing professional practitioners within that field. Other disciplines have skills that may be incorporated as a part of another profession, usually taught individually as a stand-alone skill. At the completion of training, the student receives a certificate, certifying completion of the training for that skill.

Although the programs vary in content, there are certain structural components that are similar. Being health- and medical-related, the programs have a strong science base; in some instances, that science may be anatomy and physiology, in others it may be chemistry and/or physics. Some degree of math is included as a component of the program, too. There is a clinical education component to the program, as well as the traditional classroom activities. The clinical education component is a vital part of all allied health education programs, since that is where 'hands-on' training occurs. The ability to transfer classroom knowledge to clinical action and decision-making is critical to the student's education - therefore the programs are task oriented, and teach both the intellectual knowledge of the discipline and the practice of the profession.

Accreditation respects the core value of institutional autonomy while assuring academic quality. It is an expense to the institution and the profession that both voluntarily choose to accept. Although accreditation has been criticized in recent years, it continues to be the primary mechanism through which institutions, professions, government regulatory agencies, students, and the public are assured quality of both educational programs and the professionals those programs produce.

Author
Larry J. Leverenz, Ph.D.
President, Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
Clinical Associate Professor of Kinesiology,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA