Modifications to the National Dental Examining Board of Canada's certification process

Following a lengthy and intense consultation with stakeholders, and an analysis of the present certification process, the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) and the 10 provincial licensing authorities recently approved major changes to the certification process for dental licensure in Canada. As of January 1997, graduates of dental programs accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA Commission) must complete successfully the same examinations as graduates of programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) to be licensed to practice in Canada. In addition, NDEB's examination system for graduates of dental programs that are not accredited by CDAC or the ADA Commission (i.e. international programs) will be discontinued on December 31, 1999. As of January 1, 2000, graduates of non-accredited programs will be required to complete a CDAC accredited, university-based qualifying program to be eligible to participate in the same certification process as graduates of ADA Commission and CDAC accredited dental programs.     

An American's view of Canadian medical education

Undergraduate medical education in Canada and the United States is remarkably similar, except for the fact that Canadian medical schools are supported by their provincial governments. However, the systems diverge sharply at the postgraduate level. In Canada, the number and specialty mix of residents are negotiated by medical schools in response to educational and social needs; in the United States, these factors are largely determined by hospital service needs. The Canadian systems of accreditation, certification and payment for medical education after graduation are much simpler than those of the United States, and the accreditation and certification systems are more objective. In addition, the US system promotes subspecialization and a costly specialty imbalance, whereas Canada's system has achieved an appropriate balance of specialists and generalists. In general, Canadian medical education appears to be simpler, more accountable and more socially responsive.     

The Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs and Accreditation: A clarification.

Asserts that J. M. Byrne's (see record 1994-35123-001) comment regarding clinical program accreditation in Canada by the Council of Professional Psychology Programs is inaccurate. The Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs (CCPPP) advocated for Canadian accreditation standards but is not an accrediting body. Clinical psychology doctoral programs and internships are accredited by the Accreditation Panel of the Canadian Psychological Association. CCPPP's functions are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reaction of a participant observer.

Comments on an article by Conway about clinical psychology training in Canada (see record 1985-10567-001). The current author addresses issues regarding accreditation standards for applied psychology training programs in Canada. He firmly believes that the Canadian Psychological Association should develop a set of criteria for applied rather than clinical programs, in order to remain competitive with programs in the United States. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accreditation of Canadian psychology programs: Obstacles and opportunities.

There has been substantial debate over the value of concurrent accreditation of doctoral training programs and internships in Canada, both from the Canadian and the American psychological communities. Proponents of concurrent accreditation have argued that concurrent accreditation increases mobility for students and attracts foreign applicants to Canadian graduate programs. Advocates of sole accreditation by the Canadian Psychological Association have argued that there are substantial drawbacks in terms of divergent models, national differences in diversity, and the investment of time and money to maintain cross-national accreditation. In light of the recent decision by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association to stop accrediting Canadian programs, this article reviews the past, present, and future state of accreditation in Canada. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Certification and Accreditation in Civil Engineering

Certification has been common for technicians for many years but specialty certification is rapidly becoming important to engineering practitioners in addition to or as a substitute for licensure in some fields. Certification and accreditation are closely related but there are also important differences. International standards now exist for accreditation of certification programs and could provide the basis for mutual recognition of specialty certification worldwide. ASCE should seek international accreditation of its specialty certification programs and play an appropriate role in defining international standards related to specialty certification and assessment of conformity to those standards.     

The diversity of diversity: Canadian–American differences and their implications for clinical training and APA accreditation.

Reviews Canadian and US societies across indicators of well-being and social policy relevant to psychological practice, documenting significant differences. The author also reviews the different nature of minorities in Canada, and examines how these relate to Canadian clinical programs and accreditation. Finally, the author proposes a way of approaching diversity in Canada that avoids stereotyping while advancing cultural richness. The authors states that this article can assist Canadian programs preparing American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing dental care versus managed dental care: looking south from north of the 49th parallel

In the United States, aggregate expenditures on the largely private health care system, as a proportion of Gross National Product, exceed those of all other countries. Under private enterprise, the health care system in the United States grew as predicted by the underlying equation that more service volume equates to more revenue for hospitals and providers. Managed care is the response of for-profit health care organizations to meet the demands of U.S. corporations to contain the escalating costs of hospital, medical and other health care benefits for their employees. Managed health care has several models, but preferred provider organizations (PPOs) have been the model that has increased most rapidly. In contrast, managers of Canadian public dental programs plan, organize, direct and control more of the structures, processes and outputs to achieve desired outcomes for special groups. In Canada, the approaches to quality assurance, restraint of trade and the power of the professional lobby are different from the approaches in the United States. Nonetheless, the context of private dental care plans is very similar to the context that produced managed health care in the United States. Better management to meet demonstrated needs with evidence-based care can result in sustainable, adequately financed plans and avoid the deep-discount form of managed dental care.     

Pre-operative core biopsy of soft-tissue tumours facilitates their surgical management

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Since the mid-1980s, the number of osteopathic graduates has increased, and the number of osteopathic hospitals has decreased. This has led to an increasing number of osteopathic students seeking training in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) family practice residency programs. In response to these developments and to a declining pool of allopathic applicants in the early 1990s, at least 35 ACGME programs have completed the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accreditation process as approved internship sites. This article describes 1) the rationale for becoming accredited, 2) the AOA accreditation process, 3) a model osteopathic curriculum, 4) potential difficulties, 5) issues to consider in approaching a decision to become AOA accredited, and 6) future trends in osteopathic graduate medical education.     

APA-accredited predoctoral internships for doctoral training in psychology: 1988.

The Committee on Accreditation has accredited the predoctoral internship training programs in psychology offered by the agencies listed below. In accordance with Section 4.c of the APA "Accreditation Procedures" each program as required has provided evidence in an annual report of its continued compliance with the criteria at the level of its accredited status. Each program's accreditation status has been reaffirmed by the Committee at its fall meeting. The original date of accreditation, listed for each program, is the day on which the program's accredited status became effective. The criteria for evaluating these programs can be obtained from the Office of Accreditation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA-accredited doctoral programs in professional psychology: 1988.

The Committee on Accreditation has accredited the doctoral training programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology that are conducted by the institutions below. In accordance with Section 4.c of the APA "Accreditation Procedures," each program as required has provided evidence in an annual report of its continued compliance with the criteria at the level of its accredited status. Each program's accreditation status has been reaffirmed by the Committee at its fall meeting. The original date of accreditation, listed for each program, is the day on which the program's accredited status became effective. According to Section 9.c of the "Accreditation Procedures," accreditation is effective as of the last day of the initial site visit, the report of which was among the documents used in reaching the accreditation decision. Readers who desire information on training goals and approaches of specific programs are encouraged to write directly to the departments in which the programs are offered. The criteria for evaluating these programs can be obtained from the APA Office of Accreditation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA-accredited doctoral programs in professional psychology: 1994.

Lists the institutions whose doctoral training programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology were accredited by American Psychological Association's Committee on Accreditation in 1994. For each program, the date of accreditation and the date for the next regularly scheduled site visit are listed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specialty designation: An industrial/organizational perspective.

Agrees with the J. Service et al (see record 1994-35137-001) argument that Canadian psychology should have a system of specialties, and addresses the issue of how minimal standards of professionalism can be ensured for psychologists who work in nonacademic settings. The twin issues of program accreditation and professional certification are central to specialty designation. Examples are taken from the Canadian Psychological Association's Section for Industrial/Organizational Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Components of laboratory accreditation

Accreditation or certification is a recognition given to an operation or product that has been evaluated against a standard; be it regulatory or voluntary. The purpose of accreditation is to provide the consumer with a level of confidence in the quality of operation (process) and the product of an organization. Environmental Protection Agency/OCM has proposed the development of an accreditation program under National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) laboratories as a supplement to the current program. This proposal was the result of the Inspector General Office reports that identified weaknesses in the current operation. Several accreditation programs can be evaluated and common components identified when proposing a structure for accrediting a GLP system. An understanding of these components is useful in building that structure. Internationally accepted accreditation programs provide a template for building a U.S. GLP accreditation program. This presentation will discuss the traditional structure of accreditation as presented in the Organization of Economic Cooperative Development/GLP program, ISO-9000 Accreditation and ISO/IEC Guide 25 Standard, and the Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories, which has a biological component. Most accreditation programs are managed by a recognized third party, either privately or with government oversight. Common components often include a formal review of required credentials to evaluate organizational structure, a site visit to evaluate the facility, and a performance evaluation to assess technical competence. Laboratory performance is measured against written standards and scored. A formal report is then sent to the laboratory indicating accreditation status. Usually, there is a scheduled reevaluation built into the program. Fee structures vary considerably and will need to be examined closely when building a GLP program.     

Legislative approaches to the regulation of the chiropractic profession

Traditional and complementary health care services have a growing and significant role in both developed and developing countries. In the United Kingdom the British Medical Association (BMA) has identified five complementary approaches to health care that should now be regarded as "discrete clinical disciplines" because they have "established foundations of training and have the potential for greatest use alongside orthodox medical care". These are acupuncture, chiropractic, herbalism, homeopathy and osteopathy. The BMA recommended that there should be legislation to regulate these disciplines and the Chiropractors' Act enacted in the U.K in 1994. The chiropractic profession was founded in the United States in 1895, and the practice of chiropractic has been regulated in the United States and Canada since the 1920s, in Australia since the late 1940s, in New Zealand and South Africa since the 1960s, and more recently in Asia, Europe, Latin America and elsewhere. Figure 1 lists the countries which currently recognize and regulate the chiropractic profession. Many countries, such as Japan with approximately 10,000 chiropractors with different levels of education, and Trinidad & Tobago with 5 chiropractors who are graduates of accredited chiropractic colleges in North America, are considering legislation. Croatia, with 3 chiropractors, is preparing legislation. Cyprus, with 6 chiropractors, has legislation. Even in countries such as these, where the profession is small, there are compelling public interest arguments for regulation. This is especially true in the 1990s. One reason is the growing incentive for lay healers and others without formal training to use the title "chiropractor" as chiropractic practice gains increasing acceptance. The majority of chiropractic practice involves patients with non- specific or mechanical back and neck pain. The chiropractic approach to management, which includes spinal adjustment or manipulation, other physical treatments, postural advice, rehabilitative exercises and early return to activities, formally only had empirical evidence of success. Now there is firm scientific support. Recent national, evidence- based, multi-disciplinary guidelines in Canada (neck pain), the United Kingdom (back pain), and the United States (back pain) support these methods as a first line of management for most patients. Another reason for regulation is that international standards of chiropractic education and scope of practice have been established by appropriate chiropractic organizations, including the World Federation of Chiropractic which represents national associations of chiropractors in 63 countries. This paper now reviews current legislation worldwide.     

APA-accredited predoctoral internships for doctoral training in psychology: 1995.

The American Psychological Association's (APA's) Committee on Accreditation presents the list of agencies with accredited predoctoral internship training programs in psychology. The programs are given 1 of 3 accreditations: full, provisional, or probation. The original date of accreditation, and the date of the next regularly scheduled site visit are provided. Those programs visited in 1994 or 1995, but for which the Committee had not completed its review at the time of print, are listed as having the next visit scheduled for 1994 or 1995. The current criteria no longer make a distinction between clinical and counseling internship programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA-accredited doctoral programs in professional psychology: 1986.

The Committee on Accreditation has accredited the doctoral training programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology that are conducted by the institutions below. The original date of accreditation, listed for each program, is the day on which the program's accredited status became effective. According to Section 9.c of the Accreditation Procedures, accreditation is effective as of the last day of the initial site visit, the report of which was among the documents used in reaching the accreditation decision. Any student enrolled in a program as of the date accreditation becomes effective is considered a graduate of an accredited program. Readers who desire information on training goals and approaches of specific programs are encouraged to write directly to the departments in which the programs are offered. The criteria for evaluating these programs can be obtained from the APA Office of Accreditation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA-accredited doctoral programs in professional psychology: 1985.

The Committee on Accreditation has accredited the doctoral training programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology that are conducted by the institutions below. The original date of accreditation, listed for each program, is the day on which the program's accredited status became effective. According to Section 9.c of the Accreditation Procedures, accreditation is effective as of the last day of the initial site visit, the report of which was among the documents used in reaching the accreditation decision. Any student enrolled in a program as of the date accreditation becomes effective is considered a graduate of an accredited program. Readers who desire information on training goals and approaches of specific programs are encouraged to write directly to the departments in which the programs are offered. The criteria for evaluating these programs can be obtained from the APA Accreditation Office. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA-accredited doctoral programs in professional psychology: 1995.

Lists the institutions whose doctoral training programs in clinical, counseling, school, and combined professional-scientific psychology have been accredited by the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Committee on Accreditation. The programs are given 1 of 3 accreditations: full, provisional, or probation. The original date of accreditation as well as the date of the next regularly scheduled site visit are provided. Those programs visited in 1994 or 1995, but for which the Committee had not completed its review at the time of print are listed as having the next site visit scheduled for 1994 or 1995. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accredited internship and postdoctoral programs for training in psychology: 2003.

Presents the official listing of accredited internship and postdoctoral residency programs in psychology. It reflects all committee decisions through June 29, 2003. Included are accredited internship training programs, accredited postdoctoral residency training programs, substantive specialty practice programs, and internship programs withdrawing from accreditation or closing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)