The defined clinical-education quality system
The operating system used to plan, govern, deliver, assess, evaluate and improve consequential clinical or professional education.
Specialty accreditation pathway · CHSPS-CEQ
Clinical Education Quality Accreditation
At a glance
- Total to get accredited
- $5,500all-in; includes the $1,250 application fee
- Every year after
- $1,500annual accreditation fee
- Eligibility answer
- 10 business dayswritten-outcome target after a complete inquiry
- Accreditation term
- 3 years
Eligibility review is free. You pay nothing until eligibility is confirmed and an agreement is signed.
For health systems, clinical education units and professional societies — independent review of whether your clinical education is designed, assessed and evaluated to change practice, not just record attendance.
501(c)(3) nonprofit · Standards published · Independent decision · Publicly verifiable
Fit and next steps
Who it’s for, and how it works
A good fit
- Health systems and clinical education units
- Professional societies and training organizations
- Safety-critical learning programs
Not the right fit
- A provider-wide education operating system — see EDP
- One standalone course — see Course Accreditation
- Employer competency authorization — see WCA
- Free eligibility reviewAbout 5 minutes to submit. CHSPS sends a written outcome, targeted within 10 business days after a complete inquiry.
- Scope & agreementCHSPS confirms the scope in writing. You sign the applicant agreement and pay the $1,250 application fee, credited toward the $5,500 total.
- Evidence & technical reviewYou submit evidence and the $4,250 review balance. Conflict-screened reviewers evaluate it, and you can answer any findings.
- Independent decisionA separate committee makes the decision, and accredited scope becomes publicly verifiable. The review timeline is stated in writing at scope confirmation, before you pay anything.
Step 1 · Find the right pathway
CEQ is for consequential clinical education systems.
Choose CEQ when the organization needs independent review of how clinical or professional education is designed, controlled, assessed and linked to competence, practice, quality or safety outcomes.
CEQ is not simply provider approval and it is not accreditation of one standalone course. It evaluates the quality system behind a defined clinical-education portfolio or operating unit.
Health systemsClinical education unitsProfessional societiesTraining organizationsSafety-critical learning programs
Clinical/professional education quality system
CEQNeeds, objectives, content, faculty, assessment, outcomes and improvement.
Education provider’s general operating system
EDPProvider-level governance and delivery infrastructure across offerings.
One named educational offering
COURSECourse-level design, delivery and assessment.
Structured learning through workplace experience
WBLWorkplace learning is itself part of the educational pathway.
Employer competency and authorization system
WCAQualification, competence, reassessment and authorization for assigned work.
Step 2 · Define the accredited scope
One explicit clinical-education quality system.
Accreditation applies only to the system, program family, operating unit and activities written into the approved scope and public verification record.
From needs through outcomes
Needs assessment, objectives, content control, faculty, delivery, simulation, assessment, completion, transfer to practice, outcomes and improvement.
No blanket institutional claim
Individual learners, the health system as a whole, unrelated education, professional licensure and degree-granting approval are outside CEQ scope.
CORE-100 + CEQ-510
Edition 2026.1 · continuous eligibility intake · 3-year accreditation term.
Step 3 · What reviewers evaluate
Fifteen domains test whether clinical education is controlled as a quality system.
The page summary supports decision-making; the controlled CEQ-510 standard remains authoritative.
Educational governance
Accountability, scope, quality oversight and program review.
Needs assessment
Documented gap and audience analysis that drives education design.
Objectives
Observable learning or performance objectives aligned to the identified need.
Content integrity
Current evidence, review cycles and control of outdated content.
Instructional design
Methods appropriate to objectives, learner level and delivery environment.
Faculty & SMEs
Qualification, orientation, performance review and conflict controls.
Commercial influence
Disclosure, mitigation and separation from promotional interests.
Simulation & skills
Scenario design, equipment, safety, debriefing and assessor consistency.
Assessment
Valid methods aligned with objectives and defined passing or completion rules.
Completion integrity
Reliable attendance, assessment and certificate issuance records.
Accessibility
Learner support and reasonable access to the educational experience.
Transfer to practice
Structured follow-up on application of learning in practice.
Outcome evaluation
Learning, competence, performance and safety outcomes as appropriate.
Data records
Auditable learner, faculty, assessment and outcome data.
Improvement
Use of data to revise content, methods and quality controls.
Operational audit
Reviewers trace education from design through evidence of impact.
The CEQ model combines document review with source evidence, interviews, demonstrations and end-to-end tracers.
Course tracer: needs assessment → objectives → content approval → delivery → assessment → outcome review.
Faculty tracer: qualification → disclosure → content review → delivery → learner-feedback follow-up.
Learner tracer: attendance → assessment → remediation → completion decision → certificate issuance.
Step 4 · Eligibility & fees
Confirm fit and scope before paying an application fee.
The eligibility review is free. Formal application begins only after CHSPS confirms that CEQ is the appropriate pathway and the proposed scope is reviewable.
✓
Accountable organizationA legal entity is responsible for the education system and its quality controls.
✓
Defined education scopeThe clinical-education system, program family, sites or operating unit can be clearly identified.
✓
Implemented controlsNeeds, faculty, content, assessment, completion and quality processes are operating now, not merely planned.
✓
Reviewable recordsActual education, assessment, outcome and improvement records are available for review.
Eligibility review$0
Pathway and scope fit confirmed first.
After scope + agreement$1,250
Application fee credited to the initial specialty review.
At evidence submission$4,250
Remaining initial-review balance.
Total initial CEQ review$5,500
You do not pay $5,500 upfront.
Step 5 · Accreditation process
One seven-stage CHSPS journey.
The same institutional separation applies across CHSPS accreditation: scope first, evidence next, independent decision after technical review.
- 01Free Eligibility Review
Confirm that CEQ fits the education system and proposed scope before fees are due.
- 02Scope & Agreement
Define the clinical-education system, program family, sites or operating unit included in review.
- 03Self-Study & Evidence
Submit needs analyses, objectives, content controls, faculty records, assessments, completion records, outcomes and improvement evidence.
- 04Technical Review
CHSPS reviewers test implementation through documents, source records, interviews, demonstrations and tracers.
- 05Findings & Corrective Action
Address any gaps with documented correction and evidence of implementation.
- 06Independent Decision
The final accreditation decision is made independently from applicant support and technical review.
- 07Public Verification & Maintenance
Approved scope is published and maintained through annual reporting, material-change duties and renewal.
Step 6 · What CEQ accreditation gives you
Independent assurance that clinical education is built to change practice, not just record attendance.
Independent education-quality review
External evaluation of the controls behind consequential clinical and professional education.
Beyond attendance
Review links identified needs to objectives, assessment, practice transfer and outcome evidence.
Clinical relevance & integrity
Faculty, evidence currency, commercial influence, accessibility and assessment controls are tested.
Public verification
The exact accredited CEQ scope can be inspected through CHSPS public verification.
Before you decide
CEQ or a general education pathway?
Choose CEQ when the central question is whether a clinical/professional education system reliably changes competence, practice, quality or safety. Choose EDP for a provider-wide education operating system, COURSE for one offering, WBL for structured workplace learning, or WCA for employer competency authorization.
Step 7 · After accreditation
Maintaining CEQ accreditation
Accreditation is a continuing relationship. ACC-109 governs the common maintenance cycle while CORE-100 + CEQ-510 continues to govern the accredited scope.
Keep the record current
Annual reporting confirms continuing operation and relevant changes.
- learner and education activity volumes
- needs, objectives, content and faculty changes
- simulation, assessment and completion activity
- accessibility and commercial-influence controls
- practice-transfer and outcome evidence
- data records and improvement activity
Report material changes
Notify CHSPS before changes that could affect conformity.
- education scope or governance
- needs, objectives or substantial content model
- faculty/SME or simulation model
- assessment or completion integrity
- commercial-influence controls
- data architecture or outcome-evaluation model
Revalidate the living system
Renewal confirms current implementation and performance, not a blank restart.
- governance and needs assessment
- objectives, content and instructional design
- faculty, simulation, assessment and completion
- accessibility and commercial influence
- practice transfer and outcome evaluation
- records and improvement
For clinical education, learning & quality leaders — Measures & quantitative reference criteria+
Interpretation safeguard. CHSPS reference criteria are controlled technical references, not observed market averages and not automatic accreditation thresholds unless a normative CHSPS clause expressly incorporates a value.
CEM-01 · Objective-to-Assessment Alignment
Sampled objectives with a directly aligned assessment method.
Preferred ≥95.0%Watch 90.0–94.9%Review <90.0%
CEM-03 · Content Review Currency
Active educational content reviewed within the defined currency interval.
Preferred ≥98.0%Watch 95.0–97.9%Review <95.0%
CEM-05 · Completion Record Accuracy
Sampled completion records agreeing with source attendance and assessment data.
Preferred ≥99.5%Watch 98.0–99.4%Review <98.0%
CEM-06 · Accommodation Fulfillment
Approved learner accommodations delivered as authorized.
Preferred ≥98.0%Watch 95.0–97.9%Review <95.0%
CEM-08 · Practice Transfer Follow-Up
Eligible learners included in a structured practice-transfer assessment.
Controlled measureContext dependentNo adopted band
CEM-11 · Improvement Closure
Education quality actions closed with documented effectiveness review.
Preferred ≥90.0%Watch 80.0–89.9%Review <80.0%
Published standard
Read CEQ-510 before formal application.
The controlled standard defines the normative requirements. Preparation resources are optional and do not affect findings or decisions.
Optional preparation
Prepare on your terms.
CHSPS education is optional, separately operated and has no influence on accreditation findings or decisions.
Before you apply
Questions buyers ask first
What does it cost, all-in?
$5,500 for the initial specialty review: the $1,250 application fee when you sign the applicant agreement, then the $4,250 review balance when you submit evidence. After that, $1,500 a year and a $3,500 renewal review every 3 years. A concurrent additional specialty scope in the same organization is $2,750. The eligibility review is free.
How long does it take?
The free eligibility review targets a written outcome within 10 business days after a complete inquiry. CHSPS does not publish a single planning target for this pathway; the review timeline is stated in writing at scope confirmation, before you pay anything.
What do we need to start, and what evidence comes later?
Nothing to upload. Step 1 asks only for your name, email and organization; the rest of the form covers scope, operating status and readiness, in about 5 minutes. Formal evidence comes after the agreement is signed: needs analyses, objectives, content controls, faculty records, assessments, completion records, outcomes and improvement evidence.
Can organizations outside the United States apply?
Yes. CHSPS is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit; organizations in any country may apply.
What if we are not eligible?
Every eligibility review ends in a written outcome: Eligible, Potentially Eligible — Additional Information Required, or Not Eligible, with the specific thresholds not yet met. There is no charge for the review, and if a different CHSPS pathway fits better, the review says so.
Ready to test fit?
Start with a free CEQ eligibility and scope review.
Confirm that Clinical Education Quality Accreditation is the right pathway and define the reviewable scope before application fees are due.
CHSPS is an independent accreditor. CHSPS is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit; organizations in any country may apply.