JRCERT Accreditation

JRCERT Accreditation
For Academic Excellence, Health Care Quality and Patient Safety

• To establish educational standards for accreditation of educational programs in radiologic sciences.
• To establish and administer the periodic peer review accredition proocess.
• To accredit educational programs that substantially comply with the criteria set forth in the educational standards.

• You participate in a voluntary pogram of self-assessment and peer review that underscores your commitment to educational growth and excellence.
• You adhere to national standards developed by and for the profession.
• You are committed to uniform standards of quality and safety for patient care across the nation.
• You promote academic excellence and continuing program enhancement through ongoing assessment of curricula, academic practices, learning resources, human and physical resources, student services and student learning outcomes.
• You have a clearly defined process to establish and evaluate educational programs in the radiologic sciences.
• You have a process that evaluates the effectiveness of your educational programs on a regular basis.
• Your graduates in the radiologic sciences are competent to manage the delivery of radiation, a potentially dangerous substance, and possess the knowledge, skills and attributes to provide safe, high quality diagnostic and therapeutic radiologic services to patients.
• Your graduates will qualify for licensure or other professional credential in any of the 50 states.
• You enhance your institution's and your students' eligibility for government and private funding.

• Access to ongoing consultation by a professional staff with many years of experience in education and accreditation.
• Assessment and analysis of the effectiveness of your programs, including review and evaluation by the JRCERT Board of Directors, professionals in the radiologic sciences who volunteer their time to assure quality education for radiographers, radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists.
• A comprehensive site visit by professional peer reviewers, including experienced radiographers, radiation therapists, radiologists and radiation oncologists.
• Professional review of all didactic, laboratory and clinical components of your programs - including visits to clinical sites.

• Patient and Professional Safety
  JRCERT accreditation safeguards patients by setting high standards for the professionals who administer ionizing radiation, a potentially hazardous material.
  
  
• Educational Excellence
  JRCERT accreditation is your assurance that your programs will keep pace with the complex educational requirements of today''''s radiographers, radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists — including knowledge of modern principles of radiation exposure and delivery, radiation physics, radiation protection and radiation biology and studies in patient care, legal aspects of health care delivery, pathology, anatomy and physiology.
  
  
• Keeping Pace with Technology into the 21st Century
  Technology in the radiologic sciences is evolving at a rapid pace and professionals in the radiologic sciences require expertise in state-of-the-art imaging techniques, as well as the increasingly sophisticated use of radiation in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. JRCERT accreditation addressees competencies in radiography, radiation therapy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and medical dosimetry, and also offers a recognition process for programs in computed tomography (CT), mammography and interventional radiology.
  
  
• Meeting All Federal and State Licensure and Funding Requirements
  Many states require a credential for the individuals who apply ionizing radiation to humans and, in some states, only graduates of JRCERT-accredited programs are eligible for licensure or certification. JRCERT accreditation assures graduates that they will be eligible for licensure or certification in all 50 states.
  
  
• Sources of funding and student loans — including federal and state government, private foundation and corporate grants and scholarships — often look to JRCERT accreditation as a measure of quality and to establish eligibility for funding.
  
  
• Attracting the Best Students
  When they choose a JRCERT-accredited program, students know that they will have access to the knowledge, skills, attributes and clinical education necessary for entry into their chosen profession and to practice their profession anywhere in the United States.
  
  
• Providing Uniform Standards and Quality Control
  JRCERT standards are developed by a national consensus of professionals in the radiologic sciences who represent the areas of diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, radiation physics and radiation safety.

• Patients are assured of safe, high quality health care services.
• Educational administrators are assured of program quality to minimize institutional liability and increase their ability to compete for students and sources of funding.
• Students and graduates are assured of the knowledge and skills needed to competently practice their chosen profession.
• Faculty are assured their programs keep pace with the profession and meet nationally recognized standards.
• State licensing boards and other government agencies are assured that practitioners have met recognized educational standards.
• Employers are assured that prospective employees have the education and skills necessary to deliver quality care.
• Clinical settings are assured of a continuing source of competent employees to staff their radiology and radiation therapy departments