Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

Allen N. Gustin Jr., MD, FCCPChair, CoARC Accreditation

Policies/Standards/Bylaws Committee

Update on the 2015CoARC Standards for Entry into Respiratory Care Professional

Practice

Conflict of InterestI have no real or perceived conflict of

interest that relates to this presentation. Any use of brand names is not in any way meant to be an endorsement of a specific product, but to merely illustrate a point of emphasis.

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Attendees will be provided with an update of the proposed 2015 accreditation standards and its implications for programs and the profession.

Strategies for implementing programmatic changes to address compliance with the new standards will also be discussed.

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Presentation Overview

Objectives

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Purpose of Accreditation StandardsBrief History Overview of Revision ProcessThe 2015 CoARC Standards – The Most

Significant ChangesRevised Transition TimelineOngoing ReviewQuestions and Answers

Purpose of Standards

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Outlines the minimum requirements to which an accredited first-professional (entry into practice) respiratory care program is accountable.

Used for the development, evaluation, and self-analysis of first-professional respiratory care programs.

Provides the basis on which the CoARC confers or denies program accreditation.

History of Standards

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Initially adopted in 1962

Revisions in 1972, 1977, 1986, 2000, 2003, and 2010

(JRCRTE in 1970; CoARC in 1997)

The Revision Process

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As part of its 5-year review cycle, CoARC developed progressive drafts of its 2015 Standards over the past two years.

Comments were received from a variety of communities of interest and have been used to develop the first draft of the Standards in 2012.

Additional drafts following input from this meeting were published for further feedback from the communities of interest..

General Changes

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A number of Standards have been eliminated or combined with existing Standards resulting in a lower total number of Standards;

Evidences of Compliance have been revised and made more applicable to measuring compliance with the relevant Standards;

Interpretive Guidelines have been revised and are now embedded in the Standards document.

Standard I – Program Administration and Sponsorship

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Institutional AccreditationConsortiumSponsor ResponsibilitiesProgram LocationSubstantive Changes Affiliate Agreements

Standard II – Institutional and Personnel Resources

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Institutional ResourcesPersonnel ResourcesKey Program PersonnelProgram DirectorDirector of Clinical EducationMedical DirectorInstructional Faculty (sleep and satellite)Administrative and Support StaffAssessment of Program Resources

Standard III – Program Goals, Outcomes, and Assessment

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Statement of Program GoalsAssessment of Program GoalsAssessment of Program ResourcesStudent EvaluationAssessment of Program OutcomesReporting Program OutcomesClinical Site Evaluation

Standard IV– Curriculum

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Minimum Course ContentCore CompetenciesLength of StudyEquivalencyClinical Practice

Significant Changes to Standard IV

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CoARC will continue its outcomes-centered approach to the accreditation review process;

Given the significant shifts to a competency-based approach to accreditation, revisions in the 2015 Standards reflect an increased emphasis on student learning outcomes that focus on the competencies and attainment levels reached by respiratory care students upon completion of their first professional degree program.

Why the Emphasis on Competencies?Increasing shift from a traditional, curriculum-centric

approach of defining required courses to an outcomes-centric approach that establishes requisite competencies as the primary means to assess the achievement of expected student learning outcomes.

Increased demand for allied health professionals who offer a wider range of clinical skills, greater experience in independent practice, more flexibility in adapting to various practice settings, and who are culturally sensitive, team-focused, and possess interpersonal and listening skills (O' Neil & Pew Health Professions Commission, 1998, p. 47).

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Why the Emphasis on Competencies?Increasing shift from a traditional, curriculum-centric

approach of defining required courses to an outcomes-centric approach that establishes requisite competencies as the primary means to assess the achievement of expected student learning outcomes.

Increased demand for allied health professionals who offer a wider range of clinical skills, greater experience in independent practice, more flexibility in adapting to various practice settings, and who are culturally sensitive, team-focused, and possess interpersonal and listening skills (O' Neil & Pew Health Professions Commission, 1998, p. 47).

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Standard V– Fair Practices and Recordkeeping

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DisclosurePublic Information on Program OutcomesNon-discriminatory PracticeSafeguardsAcademic GuidanceStudent and Program Records

2015 Entry Standards Revision Process

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Standards Committee of the Board met several times monthly via web-based Go-To-Meeting.Reviewed the data collected from all evaluation

instruments and all correspondence received by CoARC regarding the 2010 Standards and first-draft of the 2015 Standards;

Identified Standards determined to have greatest concerns;

Made recommended revisions to the drafts.

2015 Entry Standards Revision Process

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Following March 2014 CoARC Board meeting:

Disseminated a call for comment (with May 15, 2014 deadline) to all communities of interest and outline the procedure for those wishing to provide input on the fourth draft of the Standards;

Reviewed the data collected from all evaluation sources (correspondence, e-mails, or telephone calls received by CoARC regarding needed changes);

Revised Standards, Evidence of Compliance, and Interpretive Guidelines (incorporated into document);

Recommended revisions to the fourth draft will be reviewed by Full Board at July 2014 meeting;

Anticipate final draft approval in July 2014 with effective date of June 1, 2015.

2015 Entry Standards Revision Process

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Following July 2014 CoARC Board meeting:

Send the final version of the Standards to the CoARC’s collaborating organizations (AARC, ATS, ASA, and ACCP) for endorsement;

The endorsed 2015 Standards will be posted on the CoARC web site and will go into effect on June 1, 2015;

CoARC Committees will revise accreditation documents;Provide webinars to key personnel and site visitor retraining on

implementing the revised Standards;Begin assessing compliance with the new Standards as part of the

regular on-site and annual report of current status process (July 2015). Programs with self-studies due on or after November 1, 2015 will be required to demonstrate compliance with the 2015 Standards.

Ongoing ReviewThe ongoing review of the Standards will occur

as needed, but no less than every five (5) years.

Review process/public notice will be the same.

CoARC Executive Office

Questions and Answers1248 Harwood RoadBedford, TX 76021

(817) 283-2835 ext 101tom@coarc.com

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