Find Accredited Healthcare Degrees
If you are looking to begin a career in the healthcare industry, you will want to first find a quality healthcare education program that is accredited by a reputable agency. Healthcare schools are held to similar standards for accreditation as educational programs in other areas, however are usually accredited by different, more specialized agencies.
Who Accredits Healthcare Schools?The government does not regulate accreditation for educational institutions in the US, and therefore respected private agencies accredit the colleges, universities and vocational programs in this country. The most widely known accrediting agencies are the six regional accrediting bodies that mainly accredit the large and leading schools in their geographic area. However, these agencies are usually not the best contenders to accredit healthcare schools since they mostly work with generalized educational programs and the healthcare industry typically requires highly specialized training.
As a result of this there are many specialized accrediting agencies who accredit specific healthcare programs. These specialized healthcare accrediting agencies know exactly what standards need to be met in their field and how to hold schools to those standards.
For example, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) focuses on accrediting medical assistant, medical laboratory technician and surgical technology programs. Even more specialized is the Council on Accreditation of (COA) Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs whose scope of accreditation solely includes institutions and programs of nurse anesthesia at the post master's certificate, master's or doctoral degree levels.
There are several other reputable healthcare accreditation agencies, here are just a few:
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy EducationAccredits only those programs leading to a doctoral degree in pharmacy.
American College of Nurse-Midwives, Accreditation Commission
Accredits all types of nurse-midwifery education programs, including free-standing centers and distance education programs.
American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation
Accredits only those dental education programs leading to a doctoral degree in dentistry (a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree).
American Dietetic Association, Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education
Accredits all types of dietetic educational programs, including dietetic technician vocational programs, distance education programs, internships and degrees at the associate's level.
American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
Accredits occupational therapy educational programs at the master/doctoral level as well as certificate and occupational therapist assistant programs.
American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
Accredits optometry educational programs at all levels, including optometric technician and residency programs.
American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
Accredits physical therapy education programs from the associate's to doctoral degree levels, including distance education programs.
American Psychological Association, Committee on Accreditation
Accredits only doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and combined professional-scientific psychology.
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Accredits schools offering nursing degrees at the bachelor and graduate level, including distance education programs.
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
Accredits only graduate programs in healthcare management and administration.
Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
Accredits programs in radiography, magnetic resonance, radiation therapy, and medical dosimetry at all levels, including associate's and technician's degrees for distance education programs.
Is the Accreditation Reputable?
With all the specialized accrediting agencies for healthcare programs, it is important to make sure that you are health school is not only accredited but accredited by a reliable authority. As aforementioned, the US government does not regulate accreditation but the US Secretary of Education as well as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation(CHEA) do recognize the best private accrediting agencies. You will want to make sure you are school is accredited by an agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education or CHEA. The easiest way to do this is to visit the US Department of Education's website as they have a complete list of these agencies.
If you are an international student or attending a distance education program that is based outside the US, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation also recognizes accrediting institutions throughout the world. CHEA is the international authority on accrediting agencies and also maintains a list of recognized agencies on its website.
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