Standards and Guidelines

for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in

Medical Assisting

Essentials/Standards initially adopted in l969;

revised in 1971, 1977, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2013

Adopted by the

American Association of Medical Assistants

American Medical Association

and

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredits programs upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

These accreditation Standards and Guidelines are the minimum standards of quality used in accrediting programs that prepare individuals to enter the medical assisting profession. Standardsare the minimum requirements to which an accredited program is held accountable. Guidelines are descriptions, examples, or recommendations that elaborate on the Standards. Guidelines are not required, but can assist with interpretation of the Standards.

Standards are printed in regular typeface in outline form. Guidelines are printed in italic typeface in narrative form.

Preamble

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the American Association of Medical Assistants and American Medical Association cooperate to establish, maintain and promote appropriate standards of quality for educational programs in medical assisting and to provide recognition for educational programs that meet or exceed the minimum standards outlined in these accreditationStandards and Guidelines. Lists of accredited programs are published for the information of students, employers, educational institutions and agencies, and the public.

These Standards and Guidelines are to be used for the development, evaluation, and selfanalysis of medical assistingprograms. Onsite review teams assist in the evaluation of a program's relative compliance with the accreditation Standards.

Description of the Profession: Medical assistants are multiskilled health professionals specifically educated to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties. The practice of medical assisting directly influences the public’s health and well-being, and requires mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills requiring both formal education and practical experience that serve as standards for entry into the profession.

I. Sponsorship

A.Sponsoring Educational Institution

1.A sponsoring institution must be a post-secondary academic institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and must be authorized under applicable law or other acceptable authority to provide a post-secondary program, which awards a minimum of a diploma/certificate at the completion of the program.

2.A foreign post-secondary academic institution acceptable to CAAHEP, and authorized under applicable law or other acceptable authority to provide a post-secondary education program, which awards a minimum of a diploma/certificate in medical assisting upon completion of the program.

B.Consortium Sponsor

1.A consortium sponsor is an entity consisting of two or more members that exists for the purpose of operating an educational program. In such instances, at least one of the members of the consortium must meet the requirements of a sponsoring educational institution as described in I.A.

2.The responsibilities of each member of the consortium must be clearly documented in a formal affiliation agreement or memorandum of understanding, which includes governance and lines of authority.

C.Responsibilities of Sponsor

The Sponsor must ensure that the provisions of these Standards and Guidelines are met.

II. Program Goals

A.Program Goals and Outcomes

There must be a written statement of the program’s goals and learning domains consistent with and responsive to the demonstrated needs and expectations of the various communities of interest served by the educational program. The communities of interest that are served by the program must include, but are not limited to:

  1. Students
  2. Graduates
  3. Faculty
  4. Sponsor administration,
  5. Employers
  6. Physicians
  7. Public

Program-specific statements of goals and learning domains provide the basis for program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Such goals and learning domains must be compatible with the mission of the sponsoring institution(s), the expectations of the communities of interest, and nationally accepted standards of roles and functions. Goals and learning domains are based upon the substantiated needs of health care providers and employers, andthe educational needs of the students served by the educational program.

B.Appropriateness of Goals and Learning Domains

The program must regularly assess its goals and learning domains. Program personnel must identify and respond to changes in the needs and/or expectations of its communities of interest.

An advisory committee, which is representative of at least each of the communities of interest named in these Standards, must be designated and charged with the responsibility of meeting at least annually, to assist program and sponsor personnel in formulating and periodicallyrevising appropriate goals and learning domains, monitoring needs and expectations, and ensuring program responsiveness to change.

C.Minimum Expectations

The program must have the following goal defining minimum expectations: “To prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.”

The above statement should be included verbatim in one or more publications such as, but not limited to, the catalog, student handbook or syllabi, or other documents used to convey programmatic information to current and prospective students.

Programs adopting educational goals beyond entry-level competence must clearly delineate this intent and provide evidence that all students have achieved the basic competencies prior to entry into the field.

The above Standard does not restrict programs from formulating goals beyond entry-level competence, provided the students achieve all entry-level competencies found in the MAERB Core Curriculum, Appendix B.

III. Resources

A.Type and Amount

Program resources must be sufficient to ensure the achievement of the program’s goals and outcomes. Resources must include, but are not limited to:

  1. Faculty
  2. Clerical andsupport staff
  3. Curriculum
  4. Finances
  5. Offices
  6. Classroom
  7. Laboratory
  8. Ancillary student facilities
  9. Clinical affiliates
  10. Equipment
  11. Supplies
  12. Computer resources
  13. Instructional reference materials
  14. Faculty/staff continuing education.

“Clinical affiliates” is defined as practicum sites.

The Resource Matrix is a tool used to document that sufficient resources are available. Equipment and supplies should be representative of those used in ambulatory healthcare facilities.

B.Personnel

The sponsor must appoint sufficient faculty and staff with the necessary qualifications to perform the functions identified in documented job descriptions and to achieve the program’s stated goals and outcomes.

1.Program Director

a.Responsibilities: The program director must be responsible for program effectiveness, including:

1)outcomes

2)organization

3)administration

4)continuous review

5)planning

6)development

  1. Qualifications: The program director must:

1)be a full time employee of the sponsoring institution

2)have a minimum of an associate degree

3)have completed a minimum of 10 contact hours in educational practices

4)be currently credentialed in medical assisting by a credentialing organization accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Currently approved program directors who do not hold a credential from an accredited credentialing organization will have 2 years from the effective date of these Standards to achieve one of the credentials.

5)have a minimum of three (3) years of employment in a healthcare facility, including a minimum of160 hours in an ambulatory healthcare setting performing administrative and clinical procedures as performed by medical assistants

6)have a minimum of 1 year teaching experience in postsecondary and/or vocational/technical education. Currently approved program directors who do not have a minimum of 1 year teaching experience will have 2 years from the effective date of these Standards to acquire the teaching experience

7)maintain knowledge of current medical assisting practice by completing medical assisting continuing education annually, including a minimum of:

  1. 5 contact hours in clinical, and
  2. 5 contact hours in administrative

Program directors approved under previous CAAHEP Standardswith the following qualifications will continue to be approved provided theyremain continuously employed as the program director with the same program:

  1. part time employment
  2. less than an associate degree
  3. less than 160 hours of medical assisting practice or observation

Maintaining knowledge of current medical assisting practice should include continuing education in administrative and clinical areas as indicated in the MAERB Core Curriculum Appendix B of these Standards (documented annually).

Educational practices may include documentation of the program director’s completed college courses, seminars or in-service sessions on topics such as learning theory, curriculum design, test construction, teaching methodology, or assessment techniques.

2. Faculty and/or Instructional Staff

  1. Responsibilities: Medical assisting faculty must:

1)Utilize instructional plans

2)Direct student learning

3)Assess student progress in achieving requirements of the program

a)Theory (Cognitive Domain)

b)Practice (Psychomotor and Affective Domains)

  1. Qualifications: Medical assisting faculty must:

1)Be current and competent in MAERB Core Curriculum objectives the individual is teaching, as evidenced by:

a)Education

b)A minimum of one year work experience related to the course content

2)have completed a minimum of 10 contact hours in educational practices at the time of employment or during the first 2 years of employment

3)maintain current knowledge of course content by completing continuing education annually

Medical assisting faculty approved under previous CAAHEP Standards with the following qualifications will continue to be approved provided they remain continuously employed as faculty with the same program:

  1. less than one year work experience related to the course content
  2. fewer than 10 contact hours of in educational practices

Medical assisting faculty include only those individuals who report directly to the program director.

Educational practices may include documentation of the medical assisting faculty members’ completed college courses, seminars or in-service sessions on topics including, but not limited to learning theory, curriculum design, test construction, teaching methodology, or assessment techniques.

  1. Practicum Coordinator
  1. Responsibilities: The Practicum Coordinator must:

1)select and approve appropriate practicum sites;

2)provide orientation for the on-site supervisors;

3)provide oversight of the practicum experience,

4)ensure appropriate and sufficient evaluation of student achievement

The responsibilities of the Practicum Coordinator may be fulfilled by the program director, faculty member(s), or other qualified designee.

  1. Qualifications: The Practicum Coordinator must be:

1)knowledgeable in the MAERB Core Curriculum

2)effective in evaluating student learning and performance.

C.Curriculum

The curriculum must ensure the achievement of program goals and learning domains. Instruction must be an appropriate sequence of classroom, laboratory, and clinical activities. Instruction must be based on clearly written course syllabi, or addendum to the syllabi, that include course description, learning objectives, methods of evaluation, topic outline, and competencies required for graduation, which must be provided prior to implementation of each segment of the curriculum

Program length should be sufficient to ensure student achievement of the MAERB Core Curriculum.

1.Content and Competencies

The program must demonstrate that the content and competencies included in the program’s curriculum meet or exceed those stated in the currentMAERBCore Curriculum (Appendix B). All psychomotor and affective domain competencies must be achieved prior to the practicum.

2.Practicum

An unpaid, supervised practicum of at least 160 contact hours must:

  1. be completed prior to graduation
  2. be in an ambulatory healthcare setting
  3. include performance of psychomotor and affective competencies (clinical and administrative)

On-site supervision of the student must be provided by an individual who has knowledge of the medical assisting profession.

The program should ensure that the practicum experience and instruction of students are meaningful and parallel in content and concept with the material presented in lecture and laboratory sessions. Sites should afford each student a variety of experiences.

The practicum that is split into more than one component should ensure that all applicable cognitive objectives and psychomotor and affectivecompetencies be achieved prior to the start of the practicum component.

D.Resource Assessment

The program must, at least annually, assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of the resources described in these Standards. The results of resource assessment must be the basis for ongoing planning and appropriate change. An action plan must be developed when deficiencies are identified in the program resources. Implementation of the action plan must be documented and results measured by ongoing resource assessment.

The format for resource assessment matrix should be: Purpose Statement, Measurement Systems, Dates of Measurement,Results, Analyses, Action Plans, and Follow-up.

IV. Student and Graduate Evaluation/Assessment

A.Student Evaluation

1.Frequency and purpose

Evaluation of students must be conducted on a recurrent basis and with sufficient frequency to provide both the students and program faculty with valid and timely indications of the students’ progress toward, and achievement of, the competencies and learning domains stated in the curriculum.

“Validity” means that the evaluation methods chosen are consistent with the learning and performance objectives being tested. Methods of assessment are carefully designed and constructed to measure stated learning and performance objectives at the appropriate level of difficulty. Methods used to evaluate skills and behaviors are consistent with stated practicum performance expectations and designed to assess competency attainment.

2.Documentation

Student records must document that the achievement of programmatic summative measures, including all psychomotor and affective competencies, have been completed prior to practicum and graduating from the program.

All is defined as 100% of the competencies as found in the MAERB Core Curriculum, Appendix B.

Records of student evaluations must be maintained in sufficient detail to document learning progress and achievements.

Documentation should include, but is not limited to: appropriate written, practical and/or oral evaluations of student achievement that are based on all components of the MAERB Core Curriculum.

B.Outcomes

1.Outcomes Assessment

The program must periodically assess its effectiveness in achieving its stated goals and learning domains. The results of this evaluation must be reflected in the review and timely revision of the program.

Outcomes assessments must include, but are not limited to:

a)programmatic retention,

b)job (positive) placement,

c)graduate participation and satisfaction,

d)employer participation and satisfaction, and

e)performance on national credentialing examination(s).

“Positive placement” means that the graduate is employed full or part-time as a medical assistant or in a related field; or continuing his/her education; or serving in the military.

A related field is defined as a setting in which the individual is performing psychomotor and affective competencies acquired as part of completion of a medical assisting program.

“National credentialing examinations” are those accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Participation and pass rates on national credentialing examination(s) performance may be considered in determining whether or not a program meets the designated threshold, provided the credentialing examination(s), or alternative examination(s) offered by the same credentialing organization, is/are available to be administered prior to graduation from the program. Results from said alternative examination(s) may be accepted, if designated as equivalent by the same organization whose credentialing examination(s) is/are so accredited.

2.Outcomes Reporting

The program must periodically submit to the MAERBthe program goal(s), learning domains, evaluation systems (including type, cut score, and appropriateness), outcomes, its analysis of the outcomes, and an appropriate action plan based on the analysis.

Programs not meeting the established thresholds must begin a dialogue with the MAERB to develop an appropriate plan of action to respond to the identified shortcomings.

V. Fair Practices

A.Publications and Disclosure

A.Publications and Disclosure

1.Announcements, catalogs, publications, and advertising must accurately reflect the program offered.

All forms of communication media describing the program should provide consistent information.

2.At least the following must be made known to all applicants and students:

  1. the sponsor’s institutional and programmatic accreditation status
  2. name, mailing address, web site address and phone number of the accrediting agencies
  3. admissions policies and practices, including technical standards (when used)
  4. policies on advanced placement, transfer of credits, and credits for experiential learning
  5. number of credits required for completion of the program
  6. tuition/fees and other costs required to complete the program
  7. policies and processes for withdrawal and for refunds of tuition/fees.

The required language for publicizing the CAAHEP status of accreditation for a medical assisting program should be consistent with the current status. The language can be found in the Policy Manual on the MAERB web site.

A program seeking initial accreditation should refer to the CAAHEP policy, Procedure for Notification of Accreditation Actions, for information regarding advertising of accreditation.

3.At least the following must be made known to all students:

  1. academic calendar
  2. student grievance procedure
  3. criteria for successful completion of each segment of the curriculum and for graduation
  4. policies and processes by which students may perform clinical work while enrolled in the program

practicum experience must be supervised with no compensation

4.The sponsor must maintain, and provide upon request,current and consistent information about student/graduate achievement that includes the results of one or more of the outcomes assessments required in these Standards.

The sponsor should develop a suitable means ofcommunicating to the communities of interest the achievement of students/graduates.

B.Lawful and Non-discriminatory Practices

All activities associated with the program, including student and faculty recruitment, student admission, and faculty employment practices, must be nondiscriminatory and in accordance with federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations. There must be a faculty grievance procedure made known to all paid faculty.

C.Safeguards

The health and safety of patients, students, and faculty associated with the educational activities of the students must be adequately safeguarded.