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JRCERT Update

Accreditation Resources: Help Is Available

Debra J Poelhuis, MS, R.T.(R)(M)

n e-mail from the Joint Review Committee on  Uses multiple measures and methods to deter-
Education in Radiologic Technology mine whether the Standards are achieved.
(JRCERT) has just arrived. Your interim  Involves all program faculty, clinical educators,
Areport or self-study is due, and whether this is and administrators in the planning process.
your first or your fifth time, you are probably asking  Engages program and community resources.
yourself where to find help. The JRCERT’s systematic  Involves input from all communities of interest
review of programs is designed to focus on excellence and areas of expertise (ie, students, advisory com-
in education, quality of patient care, and safety of mittees, clinical department directors).
patients and students. This assessment is verified  Uses results to help improve the program.
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through programs’ compliance with the JRCERT  Evaluates the success of self-study measures and
Standards. Documenting your program’s quality and methods.
compliance is the goal, and the JRCERT has many  Is ongoing and builds on previous self-study or
resources to assist you. interim report results.

Defining Accreditation Resources
Accreditation is intended to strengthen and sustain Many resources are available for assistance in writing
higher education and make it worthy of public confi- an interim report or self-study. The JRCERT provides
dence. Continuous self-study and improvement are interim report modules on the JRCERT Web site for
integral to a quality educational program. A program programs in radiography, radiation therapy, medical
should proactively engage in an ongoing process of dosimetry, and magnetic resonance. These video mod-
discovery and analysis to successfully identify program ules explain what an interim report is and the particular
strengths, weaknesses, and gaps and, most importantly, objectives that need to be addressed when composing
demonstrate program improvement. this report. An interim report checklist also is provided
A successful programmatic review: on the Web site to allow programs to confirm the inclu-
 Is planned and includes set objectives and a sion of all required documentation. This checklist also
schedule for completion. discusses the difference between an interim report and a
 Measures compliance with the JRCERT continuing accreditation self-study in both the required
Standards, achievement of program goals, and responses to certain objectives and in the accreditation
level of success in meeting community needs. awards that can be granted following review by the

RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY, September/October 2014, Volume 86, Number 1 87
Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists for educational purposes. ©2019. All rights reserved.