February 2009

What You Need to Know About the 1996 vs. 2007 Standards

The 2007 Standards are in place after years in the making! Prior to implementation of the 2007 Standards on October 1, 2007, JRC-DMS sent information to all programs regarding the differences and similarities between the 1996 and 2007 versions.

Below is a refresher of these differences, and some new tips for using and interpreting the 2007 Standards.

Board Members In The News

Daniel Breitkopf, MD, Vice Chair, was featured in the September 2008 American Institute for Ultrasound Medicine newsletter for his development of an interactive multimedia computer-based educational tool to aid in the training of pelvic sonographic examinations.

Kerry Weinberg, MPA, RDMS, RDCS, RT(R), Past Chair, was elected to the CAAHEP Board of Directors and began her first term in 2008.

Updated Policies

JRC-DMS updated its policies on October 1, 2008. Revisions include: requests for accreditation presentations at local or national meetings; grievances/complaints; accepted credentials; outcomes reporting; definition of a “class;” outcomes thresholds; review process; and the addition of clinical sites. Some of the revised policies are included below. Click here to download a complete list of updated policies.

Any of the following credentials from ARDMS, ARRT, and CCI, are accepted for clinical instructors in the following areas:
  • Abdomen: RDMS (AB), RT(S)
  • OB/Gyn: RDMS (OB), RT(S)
  • Breast: RDMS (AB), RDMS (BR), RT(S)
  • Neurosonology: RDMS (AB), RT(S), RDMS (NE)
  • Adult Echocardiography: RDCS (AE), RCS
  • Pediatric Echocardiography: RDCS (AE), RDCS (PE), RCS
  • Fetal Echocardiography: RDMS (OB), RT(S), RDCS (PE), RDCS (FE), RCS
  • Vascular: RVT, RVS

Policy 5.18 Outcomes Reporting
JRC-DMS uses a number of criteria for outcome measures, which includes, but is not limited to, employer surveys, graduate surveys, student surveys, and student attrition. JRC-DMS also evaluates the number of graduates taking and passing national credentialing exams. The current accepted credentials include: RDMS (AB, OB), RVT, RDCS (AE, PE), RT(S), RCS, RVS. Validation of credentialing examinations must include analysis by psychometricians using current psychometric guidelines. Programs must use the forms provided by JRC-DMS to report outcomes.

Policy 5.18a Class Definition
The following definition of class must be used by programs when reporting outcomes:

A unique group of students per year, per learning concentration, with eligibility for the same credentialing examination(s).

Policy 9.00 Recognition of Additional Clinical Affiliates
Request for recognition of additional clinical affiliates from accredited programs may only be submitted with the annual report, self-study, or findings response, and must include the current JRC-DMS clinical affiliate spreadsheet, signed affiliation agreement, clinical affiliate request form, clinical instructor credentials, and appropriate fee.

The program may use clinical sites prior to recognition by JRC-DMS if the site satisfies the criteria outlined in the Standards and Guidelines. If a site is used prior to recognition, it must be submitted with the next annual report, self-study, or findings response, whichever comes first. Failure to submit clinical sites for recognition may result in an adverse action. If the clinical site is not recognized by JRC-DMS, the student(s) must be removed and placed at an alternate clinical site that satisfies the CAAHEP Standards, immediately upon notification from JRC-DMS.

Updated Forms and Templates

In response to the updated outcomes-based review methods, JRC-DMS will be releasing a number of updated and new forms for use by accredited programs. Please check the JRC-DMS Web site prior to submitting any requested documents to JRC-DMS to ensure that you are using the most current form or template. If information is submitted on an outdated form, or in an incorrect format, it will be returned, which may delay your review process. Forms provided by JRC-DMS, including evaluations, must be used during program review.

In addition to the new and revised forms, JRC-DMS will release tools and templates to help programs complete the accreditation process. Templates for a findings response, progress report, additional information responses, complaint responses, and others will be released in 2009-2010. JRC-DMS will also launch the JRC-DMS Procedure Manual, which will include information needed for the accreditation process, as well as JRC-DMS required forms and templates.

Accreditation Duration Change

In 2007, the Board of Directors voted to eliminate the three-year accreditation duration option. Programs received three-year accreditation for either initial accreditation, or if a citation remained following a continuing-accreditation review. All programs with a three-year status after August 2007 were automatically moved to a five-year accreditation status and were notified in September 2007.

The Board chose to eliminate a three-year accreditation period based on a subcommittee recommendation. It was determined that three years was not adequate time for a new program to gather outcomes. Also, three years between accreditation cycles was not sufficient for initial program review. The program’s accreditation would expire if the comprehensive review process was not completed prior to the given initial expiration date. Because of this, programs with initial accreditation will still be required to submit their self-study approximately 36 months prior to the expiration of their initial accreditation. This is to ensure adequate time for a comprehensive review.

Initial programs may choose to request an extension; however, the program must acknowledge, in writing, that the extension is being requested with the understanding that its accreditation may expire due to the delay in submission. In the event of expiration, JRC-DMS will not be held accountable. Programs are strongly encouraged to plan to submit their self-study at the requested time. Extension requests are granted at the Board’s discretion, and must include the reason for the extension and an anticipated submission date.

An example of the duration change is provided below:

Three year initial accreditation Five year initial accreditation
  • Granted 2007
  • Expires 2010
  • Self-study due 2009
  • Granted 2007
  • Expires 2012
  • Self-study due 2009-10

Sponsoring Institution Accreditation

JRC-DMS has voted to recognize The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) as an institutional sponsor for hospital-based programs on a case-by-case basis until the next revision of the Standards. The next review is scheduled to begin in 2012. If your program is meeting Standard I.A. through hospital accreditation by the Joint Commission, you are strongly encouraged to begin exploring other accepted institutional sponsorship prior to JRC-DMS’ 2012 review of the Standards. It is anticipated that institutional accreditation by the Joint Commission will be under discussion and may not continue to meet compliance with Standard I.A.

Some other acceptable sponsoring institutions for compliance with Standard I.A. include the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Technology, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Programs will be notified individually if additional documentation for compliance is needed.

Program Question: Does the program director have to be credentialed for all concentrations offered in a program?

This question is answered in Standard III.B.4. Faculty and Instructional Staff, which states that if the key personnel do not have all of the appropriate credentials for the learning concentrations offered, then there must be another faculty member with the appropriate credentials who will assume the didactic instruction and clinical evaluation responsibilities specific to that concentration.

The Standard further states that all faculty must be familiar with program goals, be able to demonstrate the ability to develop an organized plan of instruction and evaluation, and have appropriate credentials for the learning areas they teach.

NEC-Now Available! http://www.jrcdms.org/nec.htm

The National Education Curriculum for Sonography (NEC) is the product of a national consensus conference involving eighteen sonography-related professional organizations. These organizations, working collaboratively and representing the sonographic professional community, produced a national sonographic educational curriculum guide for use by developing and existing sonographic educational programs. The objective of this project was to produce a curriculum outline that, when implemented, may assist in the achievement of educational objectives to produce an entry-level sonographer.

The outlines within the curriculum may be used collectively or independently. Curriculum outlines have been developed for the following:

Common Curriculum

Specialty Curriculum

The NEC was developed to support and expand competencies included in the current sonography Standards and Guidelines, which are developed for the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS) and the Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology (JRC-CVT). It is important to note that the use of these curriculum outlines by a program seeking accreditation does not guarantee program accreditation. Further, the objectives contained in the NEC curriculum guide are broad-based, general in nature, and do not address clinical competency. The NEC is not intended to be prescriptive, and should only be used as the foundation from which a comprehensive sonography education curriculum may be built. Sonography programs may choose to include additional information or objectives not contained in the NEC documents.

Increase in Fees, October 1, 2009

JRC-DMS will implement a new fee structure effective October 1, 2009. The revised fees are listed below. The last JRC-DMS fee increase occurred in 2004. Since its last fee revision, JRC-DMS is proud to announce the following accomplishments:

Application Fee
Concentration Initial Accreditation Continuing Accreditation Annual Fee
One Concentration $900.00 $600.00 $1,200.00
Two Concentrations $1,200.00 $800.00 $1,300.00
Three Concentrations $1,500.00 $1,000.00 $1,400.00
Addition of Clinical Sites for Recognition
1 - 5 clinical sites $50.00 total
6-10 clinical sites $100.00 total
11-15 clinical sites $150.00 total
16 + clinical sites $200.00 total

Please contact the JRC-DMS office at (651) 731-1582 or jrc-dms@jcahpo.org with any questions.

Site Visitor Corner

How will I know which version of the Standards to use on a site visit?

JRC-DMS will notify you of the Standards version to use when evaluating a program during a site visit. The JRC-DMS staff will also ensure that the appropriate evaluation documents are sent to the site visitors prior to all site visits. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the JRC-DMS office before, or during, the site visit.

Site Visitor Policies

The JRC-DMS Policies and Procedures have been revised. Many of the policies relate specifically to site visitors. Please review the policies and procedures prior to participating in your next site visit.

Please Update Our Records!

If you are a JRC-DMS site visitor, but you no longer wish to remain a visitor on the JRC-DMS roster and receive periodic e-mails requesting participation, please contact Amanda Glassing and request to be removed. Also, if your contact information has changed, please contact the JRC-DMS office as soon as possible.

Are You Still a Site Visitor? We Need to Hear From You.

All site visitors who have not contacted JRC-DMS since January 1, 2008, will automatically be removed from the site visitor list March 1, 2009. If you wish to remain a site visitor, but were unable to participate in 2008, please contact Amanda Glassing.

Seeking Qualified Site Visitors

JRC-DMS invites qualified professionals to consider becoming site visitors to evaluate programs in the accreditation process. Qualifications for site visitors can be found in the Policies and Procedures, Policy 7.01. The policies and site visitor application are available at www.jrcdms.org.