Starting your accreditation process – Tip #1: Get Connected
We hear from a lot of people who are frustrated with the pace of their accreditation projects. It’s hard to keep energy and interest levels high over a longer time period, and costs increase as momentum slows.
We’ve worked with several institutions now who have managed to stay on track with both their timeline and budget. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share with you some of the things we’ve learned. We’ll try to address a new topic each week, so be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed to stay on top of things!
A lot of people tell us that they feel isolated and alone as they travel the path to accreditation. Many people are reluctant to ask AAHRPP for help because they are afraid it will “raise a red flag”, causing additional scrutiny when they submit their application. These same people usually tell us that they don’t want to reach out to colleagues because they are afraid of looking silly, or they simply don’t know where to start to get help.
Talk to people at already-accredited institutions. The good news is that there lots of people out there who have been through this process before and have already learned valuable lessons. Most are happy to talk with others and are eager to share their lessons learned. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. If you want to talk to people who have already “been there, done that”, you can look on the AAHRPP website to view the list of organizations that have already been accredited. It can be really helpful to find out what these people wish they had known when they were first starting out.
Go to the AAHRPP Conference. If you’re looking to commiserate with someone feeling the same pain that you are, it can be a little harder to make a connection. Due to the culture of confidentiality surrounding this process, AAHRPP does not publish the information of institutions seeking accreditation for the first time. The best place to meet people is at the AAHRPP conference, held every year in February. It’s a great opportunity to talk to people at all stages of the process, and to make a personal connection with reps from AAHRPP who will help guide you.
Contact Us. Finally, feel free to contact us - we’re happy to act as “matchmakers” to help people find the resources they need to get (and keep) things moving!