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JRCERT Update

Accreditation Standards Revision Process

Bette Schans, PhD, R.T.(R), FASRT

he Standards for an Accredited Educational standards permit interpretation of specific objectives
Program document provides the guidelines such as Title IV compliance or program support servic-
necessary for the radiography, radiation thera- es that might be applicable to 1 sponsoring institution
Tpy, magnetic resonance, and medical dosimetry but not another. Subsequently, all objectives were
educational programs to function at their highest levels reviewed, edited, deleted, or moved to clarify and dem-
and to maintain their programmatic accreditation. onstrate compliance. New titles and descriptors were
The last comprehensive revision to the Standards provided for each standard. Below is an overview of the
occurred in 2011, with additional revisions occurring proposed changes to each standard.
in 2014. The Joint Review Committee on Education in
Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) board of directors Standard One
in 2015 voted to open the Standards to a comprehensive Standard One: Accountability, Fair Practices, and
revision. Although these Standards typically undergo Public Information addresses institutional and pro-
revision every 10 years, the directors voted for an early gram accountability and fair practices in relation to
revision to clarify language. 1 students, faculty, and the public. Key changes involve
For 15 months, the JRCERT staff analyzed feed- the requirement to provide accreditation status, includ-
back collected from surveys sent to all communities of ing the length of the award, on the program’s website
interest in the radiologic technology education profes- and the definition of a student educational record.
sion. Staff and board members addressed the feedback The Crosswalk for Standard One for the Radiography
at various educational seminars and conferences and Degree Draft Standards is in the Table.
solicited input from attendees. After gathering the
data, the Standards Committee, composed of JRCERT Standard Two
board members and staff, met to compose a draft of Several objectives were combined in Standard Two:
the new Standards document. The draft was posted on Institutional Commitment and Resources to ensure
the JRCERT website in December 2017 to solicit com- institutional support of the program in the areas of
ments. academic, fiscal, personnel, and physical resources. A
The most significant change is the separation of the notable revision in the Standards for degree programs
standards into certificate and degree programs for all is the reclassification of program support services from
4 disciplines (ie, radiography, radiation therapy, mag- clerical support to teaching and learning centers, advis-
netic resonance, and medical dosimetry). Individual ing, or testing centers.

396 RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY, March/April 2018, Volume 89, Number 4
Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists for educational purposes. ©2019. All rights reserved.