The "labor pains" have been and are being felt as the annual review forms, affectionately or not so affectionately, known as the "ARFs", have been completed and processed over the past several years. Reports indicate that they are being met with mixed reviews.

During the recent meeting of the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (CRB-AAMAE), the ARF was reviewed to address concerns voiced by you, the educators, about the form and the process. Changes were formulated and are being presented as follows:

1. Time Lines
   
   
   1. Two reporting options
      
      
      1. Calendar window for those programs that have more than two cohorts (class start) per year. This report will be sent out in September of each year, and due to the Accreditation Department in November.
         
         
      2. Academic window - required for those programs that have one or two cohorts (class start) per year. This report will be sent out in February of each year, and due back to the Accreditation Department in April.
         
         
      Rationale: This will allow the programs to determine the time frame(s) in which they are responsible for reporting, consistent with the institutional reporting period. It will also provide for more timely response from the CRB-AAMAE, as they will be dealing with a smaller number of program reports at a given time.
      
      
   2. Report formats will depend on the reporting period. The primary difference will be the number of reporting rows on the Part 1 form, 2 or 12 per year.
      
      
2. Tabs
   
   
   1. General
      
      
      1. Instructions will provide a clearer explanation of how to navigate through the ARF.
         
         
      2. Clearer definitions of requested information required will be provided.
         
         
   2. Part 1 - Enrollment/Attrition
      
      
      1. The term "Retention" will be used instead of "Attrition".
         
         
      2. The Retention Rate has been changed to ≥70% instead of Attrition Rate ≥50%.
         
         
      3. Column A - Enrollment Date: Date is to be set by the program director for when student actually enrolled in the Medical Assisting program.
         
         
      4. The number of graduates for each year reported and the total number of graduates will be calculated and automatically flow to other sections of the report.
         
         
      5. Column B - "On Time Graduation" has been deleted.
         
         
      Rationale: Retention has a more positive sound. Programs will set their applicable date of admission for medical assisting students. The threshold has been raised as medical assisting programs calculate an admission cohort based on when students first officially enter the program, not when they take their first class at the school.
      
      
   3. Part 2 Form - Graduation
      
      
      1. This tab has been removed.
         
         
   4. Part 3 Form - Positive Placement and Credentialing Examination Results will become Part 2 Form.
      
      
      1. Employer Survey Data will be removed from this form and become Part 4 Form.
         
         
      2. Remove the yellowed columns (F-H).

Another major change is that the dialogue questions that were sent separately this year, will automatically appear at the end of each part, if they are required. You should answer them at that time, while the information is fresh in your memory.

The Graduate and Employer Surveys that are the resource assessment tools with mandatory questions used to compile the results are being revised and will be much shorter in length. (See article regarding this in this newsletter.)

The Annual Report Form (ARF) is a work in progress. The committee has listened to the concerns of all sides of the reporting process. It is our hope that these changes will be a positive effort to address the issues at hand. As we work through this process, we welcome your comments and concerns and will address them.

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