SELF-STUDY REPORT DIVIDERS

SELF-STUDY REPORT DIVIDERS Outlined below are the supporting documents that are required to be submitted with the Self- Study Report. These additional details are designed to provide the Program Director with more details about the specific information needed within the divider. You will note that several of the answers are very dependent upon the specific program, so you will find options outlined, explaining how institutions have covered it in the past. Even if you do not need to submit anything in the folder (for example, if you do not have a multiple campus program nor belong to a consortium), you will need to include the folder and the divider with a simple statement that it is not applicable. See the Program Director Handbook for more information about how the information should be organized. STANDARD I DIVIDERS Divider A-1 Copy of most recent institutional accreditation letter or certificate The accreditation letter, certificate, or Statement of Affiliate Status (SAS) from the sponsoring educational institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education indicating the accrediting agency and the dates of accreditation. It is required, as part of Standard I, that the program be sponsored by an institution that is institutionally accredited. Divider A-2 A brief narrative describing the history and development of the medical assisting program The program history (medical assisting program length, credit hours and practicum hours) provides the context for the current program. Divider A-3 Organizational Chart(s) including all of the above positions [CEO/President, Dean/Supervisor of Program Director, Program Director, Practicum Coordinator] and the position of the medical assisting program within the sponsoring institution A flow chart displaying or depicting the school s management structure and the academic decisions comprising Executive officers to the clerical level, with specific attention paid to the medical assisting program s place in the institutional structure. Divider A-4 Consortium agreement, including governance and lines of authority and responsibilities of each member of the consortium (if applicable) 1

Consortium Sponsor - A consortium sponsor is an entity consisting of two or more members that exists for the purpose of operating an educational program. In such instances, at least one of the members of the consortium must meet the requirements of a sponsoring educational institution, as described in Standard I.A. Each folder must have an exhibit, even if a consortium is not part of your program. You can put down N/A. Divider A-5 Institutional accreditation documentation for multiple campus authority, if applicable The accreditation letter, certificate, or Statement of Affiliate Status from the sponsoring educational institution indicating the approval of multiple campuses. Each folder must have an exhibit, even if your program has no multiple campus arrangement. You can put down N/A. STANDARD II DIVIDERS Divider B-1 Copy of the sponsor's Mission Statement The sponsoring educational institution Mission Statement Divider B-2 Statement of Program Goals and Expected Learning Outcomes for each of the 3 learning domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective Language from Standard II.A (excerpted and paraphrased): Written statement of the program s goals and learning domains that corresponds to the needs of the communities of interest served. The program must regularly assess its goals and learning outcomes and identify and respond to the changes in the needs and/or expectations of its communities of interest. The program must publish verbatim the following Statement of Minimum Expectations: To prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. Analysis: As is outlined in the Standard, every program needs to develop goals in order to best evaluate the specific needs for program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Every program responds to this requirement differently. The goal can be the minimum expectation that is outlined in Standard II.A. Divider B-3 Description of how the needs and expectations have changed and how the program has responded to each change (if applicable) This narrative should outline how the needs and expectations of the communities of interest have changed, and the manner in which the program has responded to those changes. As a general rule, programs rely upon the Advisory Committee meeting 2

minutes, surveys of students and employers, and other assessment documentation. These documents provide the background for how the needs and expectations of the communities of interest are gathered in order to guide the program in its changes. Divider B-4 Copies of Advisory Meeting minutes for past 3 years The Advisory Committee meeting minutes serve several different purposes: a record of an annual meeting; a demonstration that the advisory committee plays a role in helping the Program Director formulate and revise program goals related to the learning domains; a monitor of the needs and expectations that the program has and fulfills; and an indicator of the program s responsiveness to change. STANDARD III DIVIDERS Divider C-1 Program Director's Job Description A job description outlining the program director s responsibilities. The program director must meet the qualifications and fulfill the responsibilities stated in the current CAAHEP Standards. (MAERB Policy 3.3 and CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines III.B.) Divider C-2 Program Director documentation of certification (or Faculty member with credentials) Copy of certificate showing an appropriate and current medical assisting credential for the Program Director or a full-time medical assisting faculty member Divider C-3 Medical Assisting Faculty Job description(s) A job description outlining the faculty responsibilities. The faculty must meet the qualifications and fulfill the responsibilities stated in the current CAAHEP Standard III.2. Divider C-4 Practicum Coordinator Job Description A job description outlining the Practicum Coordinator responsibilities. The Practicum Coordinator must meet the qualifications and fulfill the responsibilities stated in the current CAAHEP Standard III.3. Divider C-5 Grading policy, including grading scale and pass score for cognitive domain objectives List the specific grading scale (such as A = 93-100% or A = 550-600 points) and specifically indicate the passing grade for the student. In addition, it is important to list the grading value, such as, for example, the tests are worth 40% of the grade and so on. 3

Divider C-6 Grading policy documenting inclusion of the requirement for successful completion of all psychomotor and affective domains objectives (competencies) List the specific grading policy that applies to the courses for psychomotor and affective domains objectives and how the competencies are being conducted. Include the documentation that informs students that they must successfully achieve every psychomotor and affective domain in the specific course. Divider C-7 Syllabi for courses in which the MAERB Core Curriculum objectives are taught and assessed Each syllabus or addendum documentation should contain the following: Grade determination Requirement(s) needed to progress Announcement that all psychomotor and affective competencies must be successfully completed MAERB Core Curriculum cognitive objectives and psychomotor and affective competencies taught within that course Divider C-8 Description of how practicums are established and students evaluated for both on site and distance education, as appropriate (Provide Policy). Provide the program s policy and affiliation agreements with each practicum site. Provide the policies and requirements for students to complete the Practicum requirement, such as the following: Review of course syllabi Weekly on-campus meeting schedule and/or practicum site schedule Attendance policy Uniforms Professionalism (Appearance, Attitude, Behavior) Weekly journals Weekly evaluation of the student by the Practicum site Final Practicum Evaluation Form by Practicum Preceptor Divider C-9 Inventory of equipment for the Medical Assisting Program. List of the equipment (include specific amounts) available for use in the classroom, lab room, exam room, and so on, if applicable. Divider C-10 Inventory of supplies for the Medical Assisting Program. List of supplies available in the clinical lab Divider C-11 Inventory of computer resources available to the Medical Assisting program. 4

List of computers, electronic equipment (include specific amounts) in classrooms, library, labs and student-use areas. Divider C-12 Inventory of the instructional reference materials (e.g., books, periodicals, databases) available to the Medical Assisting Program. List any academic database, audio-visual, books, e-books and library references that pertain to the medical assisting program. Divider C-13 Faculty Workbooks for all faculty teaching MAERB Core Curriculum Provide faculty workbook for full-time, part-time, and adjunct Medical Assisting faculty who teach core medical assisting curriculum, along with supporting documentation: Transcripts documenting qualification by either education or work experience Course outline or syllabus Education in theory and techniques STANDARD IV DIVIDERS Divider D-1 Instrument/tool used for Practicum Evaluation of Students Provide a copy of the tool that you give to the Practicum Supervisor to evaluate the practicum students. MAERB provides an optional useful template for programs, which could be found at the MAERB website www.maerb.org under Documents and labeled Practicum Evaluation of Student. It is a resource that can be adapted or changed. Divider D-2 Instrument/tool used for Practicum Evaluation by Students Provide a copy of the instrument/tool that you provide to the students in order for them to evaluate the Practicum site. MAERB provides an optional useful template for programs, which could be found at the MAERB website www.maerb.org under Documents and labeled Student Evaluation of the Practicum Site. It is a resource that can be adapted or changed. Divider D-3 Instrument/tool used for data collection to determine graduate satisfaction with program MAERB provides a mandatory template for programs to use, which can be found at the MAERB website www.maerb.org under Documents and labeled Graduate Survey Divider D-4 Instrument/tool used for data collection to determine employer satisfaction with program 5

MAERB provides a mandatory template for programs, which can be found at the MAERB website www.maerb.org under Documents and labeled Employer Survey. Divider D-5 Description of process used to determine retention and graduation data Outlines how the program determines the correct date for an admission cohort, and it can be one or more of the following: The program s Trigger Course, based on MAERB policy 1.16 Institutional Policy: Formal Entrance into the program This information validates for the surveyors the Retention figures in the ARF by providing an explanation. MAERB provides a useful template for programs, which can be found at the MAERB website www.maerb.org under Documents and labeled Outcome Assessment Tracking Tool. Divider D-6 Policy and procedure for placement of graduates from medical assisting program Each institution has different resources available for students to guide them in their job hunt. This section allows the program to discuss, if applicable, what resources are available to students and what steps the program takes, if any, to help place students. Options for Responses Defines positive placement, taken directly from Standard IV.B.1 Discusses the different types of jobs available in the locality and where students are typically placed Discusses the relationship of the practicum to the job placement Discusses what resources (job placement center, career services, program director network, online job search service) are available to the students Indicates if any job readiness skills (writing resumes, cover letters, interview practices) are part of the curriculum Indicates if the medical assisting department actively participates in the placement of graduates, or if they just share information Explains what types of follow-up the program does to keep in contact with the graduates Provide PDFs of handouts, brochures, and other materials to guide students in their job search STANDARD V DIVIDERS Divider E-1 Copy of announcements, catalogs, publications, handbooks, and advertising pertaining to the Medical Assisting program The documents usually include the following, among others: 6

The college s Student Handbook, in PDF format and/or embedded website link The Medical Assisting Program Handbook The college s Course Catalog, with selected pages referencing college services Divider E-2 Copy of the Faculty grievance policy/procedure You can either PDF the page related to the grievance policy/procedure or list the page number found in the Student Handbook. Divider E-3 Copy of the Student grievance policy/procedure You can either PDF the page related to the grievance policy/procedure or list the page number found in the Student Handbook. Divider E-4 Sample copy of the affiliation agreement or memorandum of understanding used for practicum sites Provide a copy of a blank affiliation agreement that is used to set up the relationship between the program and the practicum site. Divider E-5 Copy of admissions policy Include the program s policy regarding admission into the medical assisting program, including pre-requisites, if any. It may be that the medical assisting program uses the institutional policy; if so, that policy should be included. Divider E-6 Copy of advanced placement policy(ies) via transfer of credit, experiential learning or other method The program s policies regarding transfer of credits and credit for experiential learning need to be included. If your program does not provide transfer credit or credit for experiential learning, there needs to be a policy that explains that to the students. Divider E-7 Copy of tool(s) used to document consistency in awarding advanced placement Provide the type or example of prior-learning assessment for awarding advanced placement to students. Each folder must have an exhibit, even if the granting of advanced placement is not part of your program. You can put down N/A. 7