Board Meeting Scenarios Provided a New Approach to Learning
Last month, ARC/STSA held the second Accreditation Fundamentals for Educators (AFE) Workshop of 2019. Approximately 75 program directors, faculty and administrative professionals gathered in National Harbor, Maryland, for a full day of education and networking.
The AFE workshop was revised to include a mock Board of Directors meeting presented by five current ARC/STSA board members. The board members reviewed three citations resulting from a fictitious on-site visit and the program’s response to the subsequent Findings Letter, then deliberated on what citations would or would not be cleared based upon the evidence supplied. Meanwhile, the audience discussed each point in small groups as if they were the ARC/STSA Board of Directors and cast their votes to compare to that of the seated board members. Attendees were then asked to provide a review of the fictitious program’s Outcomes Tracking Tool (OTT) and prepare a Plan of Action The exercise helped participants understand how their files are reviewed at a board meeting and how important it is to provide a comprehensive, well-organized response. Look for an exciting expansion of this activity during the next AFE Workshop.
ARC/STSA’s next AFE Workshop will take place on Thursday, February 6, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. We encourage program directors, faculty and administrative leaders to join us. AFE registration will be posted in early fall at www.arcstsa.org. Check out some photos from the event below.
Left to right: ARC/STSA Board Member Dorothy Rothgery explained resource requirements in Standard III. Board member Janice Grewatz broke down Standard IV’s outcomes assessment reporting and the OTT into easily followed steps. Board member Karyn Songer walked participants through the requirements in Standard V and suggestions for best practice.
The group exercise included a brief added challenge when the hotel’s lights went out; but, resilient ARC/STSA Board of Directors and participants pulled out their cell phone flashlights without skipping a beat. Leave it to Surgical Technologists and Surgical Assistants to power on in the dark!
