1. Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care The Site Visitors Are Coming! Transitioning from Successful Self- Study to Successful Site Visit Bradley A Leidich, MSEd, RRT, FAARC

2. Objectives www.coarc.com How to prepare for an accreditation site visit under the new standards Planning ahead to ensure participation by key individuals Gathering and organizing essential documentation Preparing your students, faculty, and administrators for the site visit Questions and Answers

3. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com

4. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com The site visit is the most complex aspect of the accreditation process. It is also the most visible function of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

5. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com Site visitation teams usually have two members, one of whom may be (and in some cases, must be) a physician. Site Visitors are on-site objective observers and gatherers of the “ facts ” that are reported back to the CoARC Referee as a part of the ongoing process of accreditation and reaccreditation.

6. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com During one to two days at a campus, site visitors interact with all of the communities of interest, review pertinent documents, and, when appropriate, inspect program facilities.

7. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com Through this process, the CoARC ensures that each program’s documentation supports the analysis and action plans related to its resources and outcomes. Further, the visit offers an opportunity to document the degree to which the program meets the Standards Standards

8. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com Prior to your site visit, the Referee assigned to that program (a Referee is a CoARC Commissioner assigned to a program to review and assist with a program’s accreditation process) will communicate with you and the program regarding specific concerns or requests regarding the data submitted by the program in their self-study report, annual report, or progress report.

9. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com The Site Visitor will review the Program's Self Study and the Referee's Analysis of the Self Study prior to the site visit.

10. Budget for the Site Visit www.coarc.com Budget actual cost Average approximately $2,500 Air fare and lodging largest variables It is preferred that you allow the site visitors to assume all costs during the visit. The Executive Office will then bill the college for the entire cost afterwards.

11. Budget for the Site Visit www.coarc.com Consider any hospitality arrangements that need to be made Advisory committee luncheon Water, coffee, light snacks

12. Before the Site Visit www.coarc.com No gifts!

13. Before the Site Visit www.coarc.com Reserve a room where the site visitors can work from Schedule the following meetings for this room Graduates Students Faculty (didactic and clinical) Key personnel Possibly advisory committee luncheon if it works Medical Director

14. Before the Site Visit www.coarc.com Move relevant files to the room in advance so site visitors can do all their file reviews Any documents that the Referee or team Captain requests should be made available in this room Label all files so that it is obvious what they are Flag any relevant information requested so that your team doesn’t have to search

15. Before the Site Visit www.coarc.com Meet with your advisory committee, administration, key faculty and medical director to prepare them for the visit.

16. Before the Site Visit www.coarc.com Review all relevant files to be sure that they are in order and complete You want to make a good impression during the visit Under the new Standards you should be prepared to show files for the past five years

17. Before the Site Visit www.coarc.com You may be asked to present an example of a few students who had issues and how those issues were resolved (i.e. grading issues, disciplinary problems, academic dishonesty) Think about this in advance and have 2- 3 student files tagged for review

18. Attendance www.coarc.com It is important to have good attendance at your meetings.

19. Student Attendance www.coarc.com This should be easy since they are students and yes, you do have control over their schedule. Do not tell site visitors that they are not available because they are in class or clinical!

20. Graduate Attendance www.coarc.com Invite past graduates from at least the past three years but not necessary to go beyond five years. More important to have grads there who are 1-3 years out versus 3-5 years Ensure a good representation of grads to meet with the site visitors

21. Didactic/Clinical Faculty Attendance www.coarc.com Be sure that they are available and prepared Be sure they have an opportunity to read your self study

22. Advisory Committee Attendance www.coarc.com Be sure that they are available and prepared Be sure they have an opportunity to read your self study

23. Medical Director/Co Medical Director Attendance www.coarc.com Be sure that they are available and prepared Be sure they have an opportunity to read your self study

24. Evidence of Compliance www.coarc.com Following each Standard, there are items of evidence that need to be available to demonstrate that the program meets that Standard.

25. Evidence of Compliance www.coarc.com Instructional Faculty Standard 2.15: In addition to key personnel, there must be sufficient faculty to provide effective instruction in the didactic, laboratory, and clinical setting. In clinical rotations, the student to faculty ratio cannot exceed 6:1.

26. Evidence of Compliance www.coarc.com Evidence of Compliance Results of annual resource assessment as documented in the CoARC resource assessment matrix (RAM) Institutional student surveys of instruction (e.g, course evaluation) Course class lists and faculty teaching schedules

27. Evidence of Compliance www.coarc.com Assessment of Program Goals Standard 3.06: Programs that include distance education components must document and report instructional effectiveness and program outcomes separately for base programs and program options.

28. Evidence of Compliance www.coarc.com Evidence of Compliance Results of student outcome assessments by cohort groups separately for base programs and program options. Results of student course and faculty evaluations by cohort groups separately for base programs and program options.

29. Interpretative Guidelines www.coarc.com Available on the CoARC website

30. Opening Session With Administrators www.coarc.com At the beginning of your site visit, both program personnel and representatives of the administration will be clearly informed about the purposes, function, and mechanics of the on-site evaluation and its relationship to the accreditation processes of the CoARC (opening statement).

33. Opening Session With Administrators www.coarc.com President and/or VP Division Dean and/or Chair Not necessary to attend: Advisory Committee Chair Medical Director

34. Opening Session With Administrators www.coarc.com Do all students have the same privileges and status as other students enrolled in the educational institution? (Standard 5.02) Do all students receive the same type of credit for course work as other students in the educational institution? (Standard 5.02) Do the students receive a minimum of an associate degree upon completion of required curriculum? (Standard 1.01)

35. Opening Session With Administrators www.coarc.com Are the Program Director and Director of Clinical Education of the program appropriately appointed as faculty of the educational institution? Does the Medical Director have a formal relationship with the institution/program? (Standard 2.03) Are the Program Director and Director of Clinical Education full time according to and consistent with the educational institution's policies? (Standard 2.03)

36. Opening Session With Administrators www.coarc.com Are the financial resources of the program adequate to enable achievement of the program goal(s) and outcomes? (Standard 2.01) Are all students appropriately enrolled in the educational institution? (Standard 5.02)

37. Site Visit Process www.coarc.com The Site Visit Team will endeavor to gather program information relative to the Standards and to address any questions or concerns from the Referee. This information can be obtained from: On-site inspection of records, facilities, etc. Interviews of faculty, students, and graduates Discussions with the Administration, Dean, Program Director, Director of Clinical Education, Medical Director and the Advisory Committee.

38. Lab and Classroom www.coarc.com Take the time to clean and make sure everything is orderly No need to get out sample of supplies or equipment. The site visitors will simply look around and if there are questions regarding anything they will ask

39. Closing Session www.coarc.com After the Site Visit team has completed their report, they will arrange to meet with the Program Director and Director of Clinical Education to confirm their data and to discuss their conclusions. The team will also provide informal ideas and suggestions to help the program personnel address any shortcomings in their program. Team members will then provide program personnel and administration officials with an objective oral review of the findings of the team during the on-site evaluation.