Preparation for an ACPE Precandidate, Candidate, and Full Accreditation site visit is normally a nine-month process. The timeline for the upcoming accreditation visit starts after receipt of the Board of Director’s prior accreditation decision and the determination of the next accreditation site visit date. The site visit for the 91ɫƵ School of Pharmacy normally occurs in the months of April or May.
Nine to Five Months Prior to ACPE Visit:
The Assistant Dean for Curriculum convenes the Self-Study Committee, typically comprised of the School of Pharmacy Governance Committee Chairs (Academic Standing, Admission, Assessment, and Curriculum) and staff from the Office of Academic & Student Affairs. During this meeting, the committee creates a timetable that identifies and assigns work groups for each of the 25 ACPE Standards, the Committee Liaison for each work group, and the deadline by which the work group must complete its initial draft. The Committee also discusses any special monitoring requirements identified in the Accreditation Action and Recommendations report that must be addressed.
After the work group assignments have been made and announced, the Committee Liaison meets with their respective work groups to provide general guidance about the process and answer any preliminary questions. After that, the Committee Liaison is available to meet or consult with the work group as it prepares its section of the accreditation document.
During this period, the Dean receives the following information from ACPE for action:
- Proposed site visit dates; and
- List of site team members for review and approval; and
- Site visit sample itinerary and meeting instructions.
Five to Two Months Prior to ACPE Visit:
The work groups submit their initial drafts by the predetermined deadline. Shortly after the deadline, community meetings are held where presentations on each of the 25 Standards occur. These presentations provide qualitative and quantitative data to support how well the School of Pharmacy is meeting or exceeding each of the Standards. The meetings also provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions, seek further clarification, and suggest additions to the report that may have been omitted.
Two Months Prior and Immediately Preceding ACPE Visit:
The report editors take the final drafts for every Standard and develop a comprehensive report. The final draft is then reviewed by the Self-Study Committee and final edits are made. The final report, along with any accompanying supporting materials are submitted to the site team members no later than six weeks prior to the scheduled visit date.
The School of Pharmacy holds several update meetings for faculty, staff, preceptors, and students to review program accomplishments and challenges prior to the site visit.
The Self-Study Committee holds a rehearsal meeting with each of the groups or committees that will meet with the site visit team.
The meeting itinerary and other required documents are submitted to ACPE for review by their stated deadlines.