When a Healthcare School Loses Accreditation
For students in medicine and allied health professions, attending an accredited school is even more significant than being eligible to receive financial aid or transfer credits easily from one institution to the next. Accreditation is intended to be a measure of educational quality, and in the healthcare professions, educational quality is quite literally a matter of life and death. Choosing a properly accredited school and program is not only a smart career move. It means that you will have the resources to learn what you need to learn so that your future patients can trust you with their very lives.
Students in healthcare, therefore, have even more reason than average to be careful about their school's accreditation status. While it is a simple matter to check the Department of Education database for accreditation status before choosing a school, it is not always as easy to know what to do if your school loses accreditation. Attending a school that has lost accreditation can mean that students are ineligible for financial aid and professional licenses, and may also have trouble transferring credits to a new institution.
Will I Be Informed of Changes in My Schools Status?Students may be surprised to learn that they might not even be informed if their school loses accreditation; there have been cases of schools that continue to operate without notifying students of their change in status. If you have suspicions that your school may be on the verge of losing accreditation, you can check with the accrediting body to see if your school is on probation or warning status. Although not every school on probation ultimately loses accreditation, it can be a signal that allows you to investigate matters further and change schools if necessary.
Can I Get My Money Back?Students who are left out in the cold when their school loses accreditation status may wonder if they can get their money back easily. Unfortunately, it is not so simple. As unfair as it is, you may not be able to receive any compensation for the time and trouble you took over classes that are ultimately worthless professionally. In some cases, students have brought lawsuits against their schools for deceiving them about accreditation status or program quality, but it can be difficult to win such cases. In other words, there is no guarantee that you will be able to recoup any financial or professional losses if your school loses accreditation.
How to Avoid the SituationIn order to avoid finding yourself in this situation, always check to make sure that your school is accredited by the proper institutional and specialty accrediting bodies for your field (such as the American Medical Association or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools). Check to make sure that your program of choice is not on probation, and be alert for signs of diminishing educational quality as you pursue your program. If you plan to transfer, review all credit transfer policies carefully.
Although having your school lose accreditation can set you back years in your career, it is fairly uncommon. Once you are aware of the issue, it is much easier to focus on other aspects of your education and your career.
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