Programmatic accreditation ensures that students in medical assisting programs receive an education consistent with standards for entry into practice. Medical assistants who graduate from accredited programs are eligible to sit for the CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination.

Generally speaking, accreditation is a process by which the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (CRB-AAMAE), a Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), reviews medical assisting programs to determine if they meet certain criteria. These are set forth in the Standards and Guidelines for an Accredited Educational Program for the Medical Assistant.

If the CRB finds that a program does meet these criteria, it recommends the program for accreditation to CAAHEP. Then CAAHEP makes the final decision on accreditation.

Accreditation assists students in identifying quality programs that will provide a pathway to becoming CMAs (AAMA) and facilitate transfer to another institution for additional education. The CMA (AAMA) credential represents a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) who has achieved certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

For programs, accreditation is designed to stimulate self-improvement by providing a review of the program based on student outcomes.

Institutions and programs are responsible for providing clear, accurate and complete information and for involving key faculty and administrators in the review process. The institution/program must keep the CRB-AAMAE apprised of program changes and outcomes. The process is based on the Standards as well as the Policies and Procedures, which provide the AAMA and CRB-AAMAE with guidelines for making decisions on accreditation.

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, via the CRB-AAMAE, is responsible for assigning an accreditation team that is well-informed and prepared to determine that the Standards are being consistently applied within the program. In programmatic accreditation, the primary focus is on the curriculum and instruction, including assessment of student learning, and the resulting outcomes of students and graduates. These include, but are not limited to, admission, retention, graduation, employment rates, as well as employer and graduate satisfaction.

Working together, the institutions, programs, CAAHEP and CRB-AAMAE are responsible for providing useful evaluation to through cooperation and open exchange of issues and concerns in creative variations for accreditation, and for promoting efficient use of resources.

The steps of the accreditation process are:

1. Application. The program applies to CRB-AAMAE for accreditation. Download an application.
   
   
2. Preparation of the self-study. The program conducts a self-evaluation of its curriculum, instruction, and student outcomes.
   
   
3. Selection of surveyors. Qualified, trained surveyors are assigned to conduct the survey.
   
   
4. Coordination of the visit. The program and surveyor team establish an agenda and arrange travel to the site for the survey.
   
   
5. Submission of the self-study. Four months prior to the survey, the program submits its self-study.
   
   
6. On-site survey. The surveyors travel to the program site and conduct the on-site survey to verify and clarify the program's compliance with the Standards.
   
   
7. CRB-AAMAE recommendation to CAAHEP. The CRB-AAMAE reviews the surveyors' findings and makes an accreditation recommendation to forward to CAAHEP.
   
   
8. CAAHEP decision. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs makes the accreditation decision.
   
   
9. Monitoring of progress reports. Once a program becomes accredited, the CRB-AAMAE maintains a system of monitoring the program outcomes and responses to identified deficiencies.
   
   
10. Annual report. Each year, the accredited program must submit a report, which includes a review of its outcomes.
    
    
11. Ongoing notification. The accredited program must maintain a system for notifying the CRB-AAMAE of all personnel, curriculum or other program changes.
    
    

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