Why is college accreditation important for healthcare programs, especially in addressing the current healthcare shortage?
To answer this question, it is important to understand the purpose of college accreditation. Accreditation of colleges began in the late 1800’s to distinguish colleges which held higher academic standards from those which, although called themselves a ‘college’, were only providing high school level education. Evaluation of institutions to determine accreditation focused on the institution itself, such as the size of classrooms, number of books in the library, credentials of their educators.
In the 1930’s evaluation to determine accreditation shifted to focus on the students, the learning and instruction. Colleges were evaluated on meeting their stated purpose, as opposed to a set of standards. Accreditation’s evaluation process changed from colleges meeting a set of standards to colleges meeting a pattern of criteria, which included a broad range of overall effectiveness. In 1952 federal funds became tied to accreditation. At this point veterans were increasingly using the GI Bill, which allowed federal funds to pay for their education. Accreditation was used to assure educational quality for veterans. Private sector accreditors were selected to ensure minimum quality standards were being met. Accreditation has since been a requirement for all colleges to receive federal financial aid.
College accreditation has continued to evolve and ensures students get a quality education by meeting a variety of criteria. There continues to be a minimum threshold needed to meet the required criteria, but it also establishes limits to the number of credit hours for each type of degree, as well as the number of general credit hours for each degree. For example, an institution meets the commonly accepted minimum program length of 60 semester credits for associate’s degrees, with 15 of those credit hours being general education coursework. This is where the problem lies. The determination of one credit hour or one contact hour has been the same since the 1960’s. In addition, it is the advancement of technology which impacts every field of study and profession, which requires students to learn more to keep up with the changing technology.
“My advice to healthcare professionals and employers is to encourage credentialing agencies to adapt to our changing environment by considering other pathways to obtaining the skills and knowledge needed for each profession.”
For example, Polysomnography is a relatively new field of medicine. The profession of Sleep Technologists (Polysomnographers) was founded in 1978. At that time sleep was recorded using a machine which scrolled through 1000 pages of data per night using 17 ink pens to record the electrical data from the patient to the paper. In the late 1990’s computers replaced paper machines, which required additional knowledge about sampling rates, hardware, software, networking, and data file management and the list goes on. Using this as an example, a community college providing an associate’s degree for Polysomnographic Technologists in 1978 would consist of 60 credit hours, along with the same degree in the year 2000 despite the additional technical knowledge needed to work in the field. This is where accreditation is hurting healthcare professional’s education. Educators must decide if they are going to decrease pre-requisite coursework for entry into the program, which was established to ensure successful graduates, or not provide education on more technically advanced practices and equipment, which leads to unprepared healthcare professionals entering the workforce.
Currently healthcare is experiencing a shortage in all professions. There are several factors, but the predominant ones include the aging population going into retirement, burnout, policy changes related to Covid-19, and lack of faculty. Accreditation impacts only one of these factors: faculty. Program accreditation, as opposed to college accreditation, typically dictates the degree required for its educators, and the ratio of faculty to students. For example, nursing educators are required to hold a graduate degree in nursing. Unfortunately, the faculty pay is often too low to attract qualified professionals. With fewer faculties on staff, students are often turned away or put on a waitlist, all of which contributes to the healthcare shortage.
In your experience, how does college accreditation contribute to attracting and retaining qualified faculty in healthcare programs?
College accreditation does not seem to be a contributing factor to hiring and retaining qualified faculty in my perspective. It is common to find graduates from healthcare programs making more money annually right out of school than what a first-year faculty member will makes. This imbalance in pay makes it difficult to attract qualified staff. I should mention, this is typical for most technical professions.
What are some of the challenges faced by colleges and universities in maintaining accreditation for their healthcare programs?
Program accreditation is challenging if the program does not have qualified, dedicated faculty and leadership. This is especially true when a high faculty turnover occurs. College accreditation typically ensures that all the components are present to meet program accreditation.
How does college accreditation impact the employability and marketability of graduates from healthcare programs?
Most healthcare professionals must be credentialed in their field to obtain employment. Credentialing agencies require applicants to be a graduate from an accredited program. ‘Is the program and college accredited?’ should be the first question a student should answer before considering pursuing an education at that college. Accreditation impacts their ability for financial aid, as well as credentialing upon graduation.
What advice or recommendations would you give to aspiring healthcare professionals who are considering enrolling in accredited programs to address the healthcare shortage?
Anyone going to college should pursue a school, which is accredited. If they are going into a technical field, they also want to make sure their program is accredited.
My advice to healthcare professionals and employers is to encourage credentialing agencies to adapt to our changing environment by considering other pathways to obtaining the skills and knowledge needed for each profession. Our ability to educate in a variety of formats and times should coincide with our advances in technology and meet the needs of the learners. Online education is an example of adapting with technology and should continue to evolve.
