Accreditation and the enhancement of the quality of professional education.

The postsecondary accreditation process is a unique system that attempts to evaluate and enhance the quality of higher and professional education in the United States. Critics of accreditation see the process as coercive and a deterrent to academic freedom while others call for accreditors to exercise greater authority. The origination of the process was a result of a number of coinciding events involving the development of educational and professional standards and concern over access. The current focus on assessment of educational outcomes has further established the credibility of postsecondary accreditation and its role in protecting the public interest.

The residency in podiatric medicine. A brief historical overview.

The author provides a general overview of the development of postgraduate residency training in podiatric medicine since 1956. The evolution of residency standards and requirements of the Council on Podiatric Medical Education are discussed. Integration of specialty organizations in the residency evaluation process also are reviewed. The author notes that the current positive number of entry level residency positions available to graduates of colleges of podiatric medicine may be a dubious facade in view of increasing college enrollments and the potential conversion of rotating podiatric residencies to residencies in primary podiatric medicine. He cautions the profession not to overlook these events as it considers the development of the PGY-1 concept in the restructuring of entry level residency training.