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Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or CAAHEP, is the largest programmatic accreditation agency for health science. CAAHEP is responsible for the accreditation of over 2000 educational programs in twenty different health care occupations.

Institutional Accreditation versus Programmatic Accreditation

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs mentions the difference between institutional accreditation and programmatic accreditation. When aspiring health care workers are looking into respective health care education programs, they may encounter entire campuses or institutions that are accredited; and specific programs that are accredited.

CAAHEP does not offer institutional accreditation; only programmatic accreditation.

Programmatic accreditation is common for health care programs in schools that offer a wide variety of educational opportunities. This specialized accreditation allows a nursing program in a school with business degrees to receive individualized accreditation from a health care oriented accrediting body.

Eight Things You Should Know About CAAHEP

  1. CAAHEP is comprised of a commission and a Board of Directors, or BoD. The BoD is elected from the commission. The commission is divided up into smaller bodies that review specific aspects of health care, such as Accreditation Review Committee for Anesthesiologist Assistant and American Academy of Neurology.
  2. The Council for Higher Education, or CHEA, is the accreditation agency for CAAHEP.
  3. When an institution or program is first accredited by the CCAHEP, that institution or program is reviewed again in 3 or 5 years. If the institution or program passes the continuing accreditation, the institution or program then only requires review once every 10 years.
  4. If a program does not have CAAHEP accreditation, the student is advised to check if the institution has health care accreditation. Since CAAHEP is a programmatic accreditation agency, it may not be present in schools that receive institution-wide accreditation for health care.
  5. Students may or may not need to graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited program. Students should research their occupation to see if a CAAHEP-accredited program is required for licensure.
  6. CAAHEP does accredit a limited amount of online health care programs.
  7. CAAHEP does not provide scholarships or any other form of financial aid.
  8. Students may file a complaint with the CAAHEP if they believe they have received substandard education.