Accreditation of Training Posts

Accreditation of Training Posts
Approval Date: November 2016
Review Date: November 2019
Review By: Education and Training Committee


1. Purpose

College’s accreditation of the Training Post is a requirement for the Candidate to continue with training towards Fellowship. The Training Organisation will complete Application for RACMA Accreditation of Training Post documentation and submit to the College for review and if found suitable for subsequent site-visit.

RACMA Candidates who move into another position, rotate or change training posts are required to notify the College. The new posts will require accreditation unless it has been provided accreditation before and the duration of the accreditation has not yet expired.

The Regulation sets compliance requirements, standards and continuing obligations for the health setting of the training posts and the College that must be met for the RACMA accreditation of training posts.

2. Scope

The College accredits all training posts within health service organisations for the purpose of training in the RACMA Fellowship Training Program.

3. Policy

Candidates seeking entry to the RACMA Fellowship Training Program must be in a College accredited training post in medical management to be able to commence and continue their training towards Fellowship.

Accreditation of training posts is subject to the review of the Accreditation Review Panel and the College site-visit panel that assesses the post’s suitability for training with RACMA.

Granting of accreditation by the College (or re-accreditation) will be subject to the training post in a health setting being/having the following:

• A training post for RACMA training in the scope of medical management within an appropriate medical management structure that is conducive to experiential training against the role competencies as defined in the RACMA Medical Leadership and Management Curriculum.
• Appropriate infrastructure enabling the candidate in training access to organisational resources and support, library, organisational information networks and technology.
• Consistent and appropriate supervision where a Supervisor (line-manager) is a senior medical administrator with an appropriate reporting line within a senior medical management framework.
• Stable supervision that fosters a steady and consistent training environment and appropriate support system to the Candidate for the duration of his/her training with RACMA.
• A Policy framework around HR/IR support and employee welfare, that is accessible to Candidates in training and provides support and resolution mechanisms as required.

Compliance requirements and stakeholder responsibilities are outlined below.

The College standards are in accordance with the AMC Implementation of Standards for Assessment and Accreditation of Specialist Medical Programs and Professional Development Programs 2016 section 8.2.

4. Definitions

• Application for Candidacy: an application to become a Candidate in the RACMA Fellowship Training Program
• Continuing Candidate: a candidate that is currently enrolled in the RACAM Fellowship training Program and is continuing their training
• Fellowship Training Program (FTP): the training program candidates are enrolled in to be eligible to become Fellows of the College
• Training post: the supervised employed position from which a RACMA Candidate undertakes the workplace based component of medical management training in the Fellowship Training Program.
• Training organisation: the health service organisation wherein the training post is located and where supervision, support and training responsibilities are agreed between the Candidate, RACMA and the training organisation.
• Workplace experiential opportunities: training and study opportunities in the workplace that provide the skills and experience in medical management required to satisfy the RACMA competencies.
• Accreditation Outcomes: the outcomes that are applicable to training posts after an accreditation site visit has been completed
• Education and Training Committee (ETC): the education and training committee is a committee of the College that makes decisions regarding training and makes recommendations to the board.

5. Responsibilities

The process of accreditation requires key stakeholders to fulfil a set of obligations and responsibilities as per following:

• The Candidate: responsible for ensuring that RACMA receives appropriate accreditation paperwork to accompany his/her candidacy application for commencing Candidates; participation in the accreditation and re-accreditation process and compliance with all RACMA policies and regulations.
• The Health Setting: responsible for facilitating an appropriate training post that satisfies RACMA accreditation standards and the curriculum framework requirements. The health Settings are responsible for supporting the candidate in the post and compliance with relevant RACMA policies and regulation
• The RACMA National Office: is responsible for the review of applications for a accreditation, coordination of the accreditation process and maintenance of records of site-visits and panel recommendations for the training posts that are being or have been accredited.
• The Supervisor: responsible for supporting the Candidate in the training program and providing opportunities for training, evaluating candidate progression and enabling for fulfilment of training and knowledge gaps, as well as for appropriate reporting to the College and Candidate Preceptor.
• The Jurisdictional Coordinator of Training (JCT): responsible for the oversight of Candidate’s progression and liaising with the Candidate’s preceptor and/or supervisor to ensure the Candidate is getting sufficient training and support. The JCTs are also involved in the accreditation process and advise the College on accreditation or supervision issues if applicable.
• The Preceptor: responsible for supporting and guiding the Candidate’s training and progression through the Fellowship Training Program. The preceptor should liaise with the Supervisor and/or the JCT on Candidate related matters.
• The RACMA Accreditation Site Visit Panel is responsible for assessing the viability of a training post for accreditation. They conduct the workplace site-visits and make recommendations to the Accreditation Review Panel (ARP) regarding the accreditation of posts – suitability for the RACMA training, gaps and improvements.
• The ARP reviews the recommendations of the Accreditation Site Visit Panels reports and determines on the accreditation of posts, and makes recommendations to the Education and Training Committee ETC) for endorsement to the Board for approval.
• The RACMA Board on the recommendations of the Education and Training Committee, will approve recommendations for accreditation of training posts and any recommendations for improvement contained therein.

For a more detailed outline of the stakeholder responsibilities please see Appendix 3.

6. Procedure

• The College Receives Applications for Accreditation of Training Post and assesses the suitability of training posts to the Fellowship Training Program (FTP) by reviewing the application for accreditation and accompanying documentation to determine granting of the Provisional Accreditation.
• If provisional accreditation is granted, the College will then coordinate an accreditation site visit by the Site-Visit Accreditation Panel.
• The Panel will meet with the training organisation to review supervision, training opportunities for the Candidate and will develop recommendations for improvement, as required, in the training post and determine on the suitability and duration of the accreditation for the post.
• The report with the recommendations will be endorsed by the Accreditation Review Panel (ARP), comprising Faculty involved in the accreditation process. The report will then be forwarded to the Education and Training Committee (ETC) for endorsing the recommendations of the panel to the Board for final approval.
• Training posts are assessed based on the College accreditation standards, evaluating quality of supervision, support framework for the Candidate’s training and study, infrastructure, access to training and experiential opportunities available at their workplace in line with the role competencies defined in the RACMA Medical Leadership and Management Curriculum.

For a more detailed outline of process and procedures please refer to Appendix 2 below.

7. Accreditation Outcomes

Outlined below are the RACMA accreditation outcomes and processes with the set of obligations and responsibilities for the College, training settings and individuals involved in the process of accreditation, as per following:

There are 4 outcomes of the College’s accreditation process:

1. Provisional Accreditation
2. Full Accreditation
3. Accreditation with Recommendations – this outcome has 3 review process over a 6 month period to confirm recommendations are being implemented
4. Withdrawn Accreditation – the key reasons behind the College’s decision for withdrawing accreditation are:
   • The training post’s failure to meet the minimum requirements for accreditation
   • Recommendations made by the panel post the site-visit have not been met in the timeframe specified by the Panel, or no demonstrated improvement had been made
   • A report by the Panel with an unsatisfactory result and outcome following the site visit of the training post
   • Insufficient or lack of consistent, stable and appropriate supervision or medical management structure to support the training post for the FTP

These outcomes of accreditation are described in more detail in the Appendices 1 and 4.

8. Reconsideration, Review and Appeals Process 

The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) is committed to providing advice to its membership and other individuals and organisations about those of its decisions which are able to be reconsidered, reviewed, and formally appealed under established mechanisms.

It is intended that these processes enable the College and those who have been subject to a decision which they consider unsatisfactory, to embark upon a defined pathway to enable resolution. The College currently has an established appeals process, which involves the appointment of an Appeals Committee. This provides a very structured, formal approach to conflict resolution.

The Policy for Reconsideration, Review and Appeal against decisions made by College committees and officers can be downloaded from the College website.

9. Privacy

It may be necessary for RACMA to collect personal information from Candidates or about Candidate’s health when application for Accreditation of training post is submitted to the College. In accordance with the Privacy Act 198 (Cth) (Australia) and the privacy Act 1993 (NZ), and the RACMA Privacy Policy, the College will not disclose personal information about the Candidate except for the purpose authorised by this policy in the review of the accreditation of training posts.

10. Related Documents

• Application for RACMA Accreditation of a Training Post
• RACMA Accreditation of Training Post Site Visit Report Template
• RACMA Accreditation Risk Assessment Framework
• Policy for Supervised Practice
• Supervisor Manual
• Supervisor Position Description
• Preceptor Position Description
• Jurisdictional Coordinator of Training Position Description
• Privacy Policy
• Policy for Reconsideration, Review and Appeal against decisions made by College committees and officers
• Implementation of Standards for Assessment and Accreditation of Specialist Medical Programs and Professional Development Programs 2016.
• RACMA Medical Leadership and Management Curriculum
• College Handbook
• RACMA Constitution (as amended 2016)