Did You Know?
This new section of the newsletter addresses some of the commonly held misbeliefs and frequently asked questions about accreditation. In this edition, we address a statement ACHENA has heard in various forms over the years;
Misbelief:
"Accreditation squeezes out and shuts down small homeopathy schools, especially now that the CHC requires its applicants to graduate from an accredited school."
Truth:
All homeopathy schools (training professional homeopaths) are "small." The nature of homeopathy lends to an educational structure usually encompassing one to two principal administrators or directors, a few staff, and handful of core faculty members. Cohort sizes are often less than thirty students and curriculum is carefully curated by each individual school. This is the trend for all homeopathy schools, accredited and non-accredited. The ability of a school to become accredited has nothing to do with its size and everything to do with the way it values accreditation and the will of its directors, faculty, and staff to pursue that accreditation.
Yes, it is true the CHC now requires applicants to have graduated from an ACHENA accredited school, but this does not mean students cannot still study at a non-accredited school of their choice. ACHENA fully supports academic freedom and understands how the unique profession and practice of homeopathic medicine lends to variations in educational pace and delivery. Many non-accredited homeopathic training programs exist which provide quality education and experience. Schools that opt out of accreditation can still support their students’ pathway toward Board Certification by encouraging students to transfer into an accredited school after completing their studies. This allows students the freedom to study homeopathy at any school they choose, then finish up their training at an accredited school and be eligible for CHC Board Certification. This also supports non-accredited schools and does not force them to become accredited.
All accredited schools have the ability to accept transfer students and offer advanced placement for previous homeopathic training if they choose. ACHENA is currently working with accredited schools to identify best practices in transfer and advanced placement processes in order to better facilitate these pathways for students.
ACHENA strongly encourages dialog and cooperation between accredited and non-accredited schools to create these pathways for students who wish to pursue Board Certification through the CHC. Students are strongly encouraged to reach out to
accredited and candidate schools
individually to learn about their transfer and advanced placement processes.
