The Accreditation Committee will regularly publish communiqués, which summarise important issues discussed at Committee meetings and the decisions made. It will also publish other updates to stakeholders here.
The Podiatry Accreditation Committee (Committee), together with the Accreditation Councils and Committees for all professions regulated within the National Scheme, has adopted the collective position of the Health Professions Accreditation Collaborative Forum with respect to accredited programs and the impact of COVID-19.
Ahpra and the National Boards, together with the Australian Government and the Health Professions Accreditation Collaborative Forum, have set national principles for clinical education to guide decisions of professions, Accreditation Authorities, education providers and health services about student clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
As foreshadowed in its update released on 20 March 2020, the Committee now provides an update on site visit schedules and other accreditation activities.
The Committee has decided to:
Ahpra’s Program Accreditation Team will provide written advice to each education provider about proposed changes to their accreditation and monitoring activities.
The Committee and the Program Accreditation Team look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all education providers during this challenging time, and for the remainder of 2020.
Ongoing ability to meet the accreditation standards
The Committee’s focus at this time is on ensuring that accredited programs continue to produce graduates with the knowledge, skills and professional attributes necessary to practise as a registered podiatrist.
The Committee and Ahpra recognise the need for short-term creativity and flexibility in the way accredited programs meet the accreditation standards, including delivery methods and learning and teaching approaches. The Committee’s outcomes-based accreditation standards enable this because they provide a level of flexibility for education providers to demonstrate their ongoing ability to meet the standards, and to address the professional capabilities in a range of ways.
The Committee and Ahpra understand that education providers may need to make short-term changes to elements of the delivery of accredited programs as a result of COVID-19. Education providers have been advised that it is not necessary for them to advise the Committee of temporary changes to their accredited programs if the changes will cease when the crisis period relating to COVID-19 subsides, unless the changes may impact on the ability of the programs to produce graduates with the knowledge, skills and professional attributes necessary to practise as a registered podiatrist.
Education providers are required to advise the Committee and Ahpra of:
Accreditation activities for the remainder of 2020
At this stage the Committee has postponed any accreditation site visits scheduled before 30 June 2020. The Committee and Ahpra will monitor the COVID-19 situation and provide an update on site visit schedules in mid-May 2020.
The COVID-19 situation is escalating rapidly, but at this stage all other accreditation activities will proceed as scheduled including routine annual monitoring.
The Committee and Ahpra will continue to work with education providers and provide updates if the Committee’s approach needs to change.