What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a multi-step process designed to ensure the quality of an educational program. It involves a detailed self-evaluation conducted by the program, followed by an in-depth assessment of the program’s review, then an on-site inspection conducted by peer specialists from the profession.
An accredited nuclear medicine technology program tells students, parents, employers, and the public that the program meets or exceeds nationally-accepted standards set by the professional community.
In some states, nuclear medicine technology programs may operate without accreditation. They reside within a college or university that is accredited, yet the program has not undergone the peer-review accreditation process.
To learn more about the value of accreditation and why it should matter to you please watch a video prepared by the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) or a video prepared by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Degree and Accreditation Mills
When searching for an educational program in nuclear medicine technology or any other field, beware of degree mills. These are questionable educational providers who offer degrees and certificates that are considered worthless by the professional community, often because degrees can be bought for little or no actual classroom and/or clinical education.
Such educational providers may invent an accrediting agency to list on their website in an attempt to give legitimacy to the institution or program or they may have paid an accreditation mill to give them accreditation without any evaluation process.
Always use online resources such as those available on the website of CHEA or the U.S. Department of Education to ensure the legitimacy of educational institutions and accrediting agencies.