Accreditation as a Measure of Excellence: Understanding NCCA Accreditation and the Renewal Process
CBMT is proud to announce that its accreditation with NCCA was recently renewed for demonstrating its continued compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is the accreditation arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). CBMT looks to ICE for best practices in credentialing and latest trends in certification, test development and delivery.
It was Vince Lombardi who is quoted as saying “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we will catch excellence.”
The original intent of the congressional legislation that led to ICE and NCCA accreditation was to develop standards of excellence for voluntary certification programs in healthcare. Initially created in 1977 and updated in 2016, these standards have evolved to include all professional occupations and ensure certification programs adhere to modern standards of practice. Currently, over 315 personnel certification programs have been accredited from approximately 130 professional organizations.
Understanding the NCCA Accreditation Renewal Process
NCCA was founded as a commission whose mission is to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of a variety of certification programs that assess professional competence. NCCA uses a peer review process to establish accreditation standards, evaluate compliance with these standards, recognize organizations/programs which demonstrate compliance, and serve as a resource on quality certification.
NCCA accreditation offers independent affirmation that the program has met accepted standards regarding various elements of a personnel certification program, including:
- Governance structure (protection from undue influence)
- Testing practices and psychometric analysis (ability to withstand legal challenges)
- Policies and procedures (transparency)
- Ongoing maintenance (continued focus)
- Ethical practice (integrity of program)
- Financial sustainability (value for certificants)
NCCA and CBMT
CBMT has always been committed to unconditional compliance with stringent testing and measurement standards required by all major accreditation programs. Rigorous competency testing supports our vision and yours. Since 1986, our Music Therapist-Board Certification (MT-BC) program has been formally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Click here to learn more about CBMT’s involvement with NCCA and ICE.
See our recent article on Board certification in music therapy.
For a helpful recap on the value of accreditation, check out the video below from NCCA:
