Candidacy Reviewer Training

August 31, 2009

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Definition: Candidate for Accreditation

It is a pre-accreditation status, awarded prior to enrollment of students in the technical / professional phase of the program, which indicates that the physical therapy education program is progressing towards accreditation

– Provides reasonable assurance that program could, with continued development, be able to obtain accreditation

– However, attainment of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure accreditation by CAPTE

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Purpose of Candidacy Status

• Ensure that institutions implement program following adequate planning and with necessary resources

• Offers developing programs opportunity to establish formal relationship with CAPTE

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Resources for Candidacy Reviewers (CR)

• Accreditation Handbook– Part 7: Candidacy– Appendix: Additional Information Regarding the

Candidacy Program• Comparison chart: Accreditation vs Candidacy– Delineates candidacy expectations– Shows difference in evidence requested

• Candidacy Visit Report– Includes expectations and evidence list

• Staff: feel free to contact us!– dougclarke@apta.org– ellenprice@apta.org

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Candidacy Process

• Institution notifies Department of Accreditation that program director (PD) is hired

• PD submits form that identifies timelines and institutional contacts

• PD and at least 1 other appropriate institutional administrator must attend Developing Program Workshop prior to AFC submission– Institutional rep can attend prior to hiring PD

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Candidacy Process

• Program submits Application for Candidacy: AFC• Staff determines if bona fide application• Candidacy Reviewer (CR) assigned– Reviews AFC– Does on-site visit– Emails written report

• Candidacy decision made by CAPTE– Grant Candidate for Accreditation status– Deny Candidate for Accreditation status

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After Candidacy is Granted

• Program submits Annual Accreditation Reports (AAR) including compliance questions

• Initial accreditation decision made in last term of charter class– OSV in last semester of charter class

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Candidacy Cycles

• CAPTE makes Candidacy decisions 4 times/year

• 4 cycles with specific timelines for the program, for staff, for candidacy reviewer and for CAPTE– Program must meet deadlines if to maintain

candidacy cycle

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Candidacy TimelinesA B C D

AFC & fee due March 1 June 1 Sept 1 Dec 1

Staff determine AFC is bona fide March 10 June 10 Sept 10 Dec 10

AFC to Candidacy Reviewer March 15 June 15 Sept 15 Dec 15

Candidacy Visit between April 15-30 July 16-31 Oct 16-31 Jan 16-31

Report of Candidacy Visit due May 15 August 15 Nov 15 Feb 15

Institutional Response to Candidacy Visit Report

June 15 Sept 15 Dec 15 March 15

CAPTE decision Late July Late Oct Late Jan Late April

Students can matriculate on / after August Nov Feb May

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How is the review the same?

• Role is to verify and clarify Application for Candidacy (AFC)– Triangulation of data– Not your role to do their job

• Provide consultation at end if they want it• E-mail written report within 2 weeks of visit:

– Respond to every criterion– Include:

• General Information Form• Person’s Interviewed Form• Materials Reviewed On-Site Form

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How is the review the same?

• Program submits conflicts– When assigning, staff confirm CR not in conflict

• Program provides Travel Information Form directly to CR

• Program makes hotel reservations– Reviewer pays hotel bill

• All CR expenses related to visit are paid by Department of Accreditation

• Can request travel advance of up to $500– Allow 2 weeks for processing

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How is this review different?• Only 1 reviewer• Honorarium; paid in one check– $175 to review the AFC– $350 for the two-day Candidacy Visit

• Visit is 2 days– No Saturday night stay over is required– Some differences in who meeting with

• Date of visit is negotiated between program and reviewer within a 2 week window– Inform APTA staff of final dates

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How is this review different?

• SSR/OSV– Looking for evidence of compliance with all aspects of

all criteria

• Candidacy– Program only has to make satisfactory progress

towards compliance– Candidacy expectations are delineated in rules (Part

7) & included in Candidacy Visit Report– Evidence of compliance listings relate directly to

Candidacy expectations

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Visit Schedule Overview• Sample schedule in Appendix: – Additional Info Regarding Candidacy Program– Can provide list of folks & times & let them organize

• Tell ‘em no: PDs tend to think need to take you to dinner

• Day 1: – Tour facilities– Interviews: have written questions

• Day 2– Finish writing report– Exit Summary (late morning)

• Meet with PD first

– Consultation session (if requested) 14

• Tour Facilities– Proposed or assigned classroom & labs– Faculty & staff offices– Library & independent study space

• Are renovations needed? – If so, what are the timelines– Is there a backup plan

• If fits your schedule, could tour day before– Suggest: leave something for day 1 so can get up and

move around!

Tour Facilities

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Interviews• Program Director/Administrator

– multiple meetings– some brief to get questions answered & request additional materials

• Administrators– How program fits with institution

• Specific questions related to mission, strategic plan, community partners, research agenda (PT), etc

– Plans for program– Often ask if see any deal breakers

• Reiterate CR role vs CAPTE• Honest assessment of problem areas, especially if not aware

• Students: if already accepted into program• Advisory Committee

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Interviews• Core Faculty: without PD present; individual interviews

– Clarify expertise in assigned areas– Discuss responsibilities: teaching/advisory/administrative – Role in program development– If no ACCE/DCE met with individual developing clin ed– Opportunities for professional development

• Adjunct / associated & basic science faculty– Support faculty are good source of info on faculty governance, quality

of support services, budgeting process, etc

• Clinical Education Faculty– Role in planning experiences– Communication to date with program

• Responsibilities; privileges; timing of experiences

– Development of CIs about this program17

Exit Report & Consultative Session

• Exit Report– PowerPoint presentation– Read Overview from Candidacy Visit Report

• Consultative Session– If they want; they decide who attends– Request submit questions / topics prior to visit– Refrain from consulting during interviews!– Balance between curriculum/program

development & faculty development18

Candidacy Visit Report

Similar to ROSRT (Now Visit Report)• Overview• Must respond to each criteria, including each– including each curriculum content criterion

• Last page: list any materials requesting that program submit to CAPTE with their response to your report

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Overview of the Quality of the Program• Gestalt: provides sense of quality • Includes

– Brief description of history of program development– Brief description of program– Summary relative to each section/subsection

• MUST include all areas in which insufficient progress towards compliance is noted

– List significant strengths: areas well developed/supported– List deficiencies, weaknesses or inadequacies: areas in need of

most attention/support• Avoid extreme or excessive use of analogies or comments not

grounded in fact as described in the findings related to the specific criteria

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Visit Report Comments in 2 CategoriesComments related to:• Satisfactory progress towards achievement of candidacy

– Rules delineate expectations • 82 expectations for PTA• 99 expectations for PT

– Use evidence list to confirm inclusion of requested materials– Comment on quality– Required to comment in this category

• The continued development of the program– Sufficient progress towards compliance but development to date or

planned development appears to be insufficient to meet all aspects of the criterion

– Not required to comment in this category

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Red flags that must be included in Visit Report

• Missing or incomplete information• Poorly constructed responses– Didn’t answer the question

• If minor, can include or clarify in your report– E.g., Ie: have credentials not evident on CVs

• Not your responsibility to do their job though!– Significant missing info regarding curriculum

content (PT: CC-5’s; PTA: 3.3.2.7 [1-29] or 3.3.2.8 [1-35]).

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Red flags that must be included in Visit Report

• Program plans on admitting > 1 cohort per year or teach the program at >1 site (prior to achieving initial accreditation)

• Print or web materials do not accurately describe their pre-accreditation status– Expect programs to avoid any implication that

accreditation is guaranteed in any way – Minimum language to describe program is

delineated in §7.3 (c)

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Red flags that must be included in Visit Report

• Program has changed its timelines and is scheduled to graduate students prior to CAPTE decision

• Course syllabi are not fully developed for the first year of the curriculum

• Have not identified first year faculty; 2nd faculty member not employed; first year faculty not qualified– PT: faculty assigned to teach basic science course that

don’t have credentials to teach content• Ie: pharmacology; anatomy, pathology

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Red flags that must be included in Visit Report

• Insufficient clinical education written agreements– Minimally must have signed contracts for 125% of

expected # of students to be enrolled in 1st class• PTA: with sufficient variety to meet objectives of the

clinical education experiences in the first year of the technical program• PT: with sufficient clinical placements to meet the

needs of the first full-time clinical experience and any experiences that may precede it.

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Other Red Flags

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Visit Report Examples

• PTA• PT

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Travel

• Must be booked through Garber Travel, but will be able to book online through Garber Travel once APTA staff notifies you– Directly billed to APTA

• Call Garber if have difficulty• Take Garber’s phone #s with you in case of flight

problems during the trip– M-F, 8-5: – 24 hour emergency # (only for when office is closed):

800-

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Travel

• As with on-site visits, can:– Arrive the evening before– Stay over the second night: near the school or at

an airport hotel– If unable to get flight all the way home after the

visit, can fly part way, stay at an airport hotel and then complete travel

• Rental cars need APTA Department of Accreditation staff prior approval

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Questions

• Can CR act as consultant to developing program it is reviewing?

• Can CAPTE withdraw Candidate for Accreditation status?

• Your questions?

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