“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Walt Disney
Today I want to talk a little bit about accreditation. Whatever type of schooling you choose, whether it is a certificate program, or an associate degree it is very important that the school you attend is accredited by CAAHEP. The Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Why is this so important you ask? Because in order to sit for the national examination the school must be accredited by CAAHEP.
What is accreditation and what does it mean? It basically is a way to determine the quality of the schools, the service, and programs as they are measured against accepted standards. Schools and institutions can be accredited but not individuals. CAAHEP has accredited over 2100 schools in 30 health science occupations.
The website is easy to use. Pick a program you are interested in from the drop down menu, and then choose a specific state, degree and it will list all the schools in the state that are accredited. It includes a link to school with contact information also being provided.
There is another accreditation board Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools. I did a quick search and found 46 schools listed for surgical technology. They mostly looked like the for profit schools not actual colleges. I won’t get into anything about these for profit schools other than I would avoid them. I know very little organization about this but here is a link:
Operating Room Tech 