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Opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities

MEAC welcomes volunteer board members, accreditation review committee members, and continuing education reviewers. If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please see the volunteer handbook.

Board Members

Qualifications

Board Members are individuals who have an interest in maternity care, the education of health care professionals and in serving the public through participation in the accreditation process of midwifery schools. They should have previous service on community, state or national boards.

Board members have knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to make high-stakes accreditation decisions including the following: general understanding of board policy and procedures; respect for the confidential, fair and impartial nature of accreditation decisions; and prior service on a community, state or national board. Specifically, MEAC Board members must be qualified in at least one of the following categories:

  • current or recent practitioner (midwife),
  • postsecondary educator (clinical preceptor, didactic faculty),
  • academic (engaged in postsecondary teaching and/or research)
  • administrator (engaged in postsecondary program or institutional administration)
  • member of the public (must not be a midwife, or associated with a midwifery school)
Personal Characteristics

Personal characteristics include the ability to: work and make decisions in a close collegial relationship; strive for consensus within a group but take responsibility for actions based on a vote by the quorum; express individual questions and concerns and hear the perspectives and opinions of others; consider information and data impartially and make rational and timely decisions; and communicate decisions effectively in written decision reports. In addition, candidates must be willing and able to serve a three-year term.

Responsibilities

The MEAC Board of Directors has the primary charge of rendering accreditation decisions. The Board is a self-managing group, with clear structure, policies and procedures that support the accreditation decision making process. Board Members have vested responsibility for the accreditation decision-making process. The Board of Directors also contributes to the accreditation policies and procedures, and the revision of professional standards.

MEAC is guided by its own founding principles and mission as well as guidelines for strong education accreditation practice as defined by the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) and the U.S. Department of Education.

Board members commit to attend monthly telephone conference calls and one in-person board meeting in the fall of each year; to actively serve as a member of committees or work groups if assigned; and to participate in accreditation training and orientation sessions. Preparation for Board meetings includes review and critical assessment of written reports and accreditation materials. MEAC covers a significant portion of travel expenses for the fall in-person board meeting.

Apply

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, send an email to: Director of Operations at info@meacschools.org. To apply, please submit:

Accreditation Review Committee Members

Qualifications

At this time, MEAC is particularly in need of individuals with experience in distance education, Title IV administration, and administration/management of educational institutions. Qualified volunteers will be selected from this pool to form the Accreditation Review Committees (ARC) for each school being considered for accreditation or re-accreditation.

Responsibilities
  • The ARC is responsible for the detailed review of the applicant’s Self-Evaluation Report (SER) and related documentation. This review generally takes six to eight hours to complete. ARC members then convene via conference call to share their findings and prepare recommendations.
  • These calls can take as long as ten hours (over a series of meetings). The ARC also conducts a two or three day site visit to verify the information provided in the SER. Travel and lodging expenses related to site visits are paid by MEAC. The ARC then sends a report of their findings to the MEAC Board of Directors, which makes all final decisions regarding accreditation.
  • ARC members must adhere to the ethics policy of MEAC, which includes revealing any potential conflicts of interest and maintaining confidentiality.
  • Participating in the accreditation process requires a commitment of time as well as objectivity, accuracy, and attention to detail. When invited to join our pool of volunteers, you will receive training in the application of MEAC Standards for Accreditation and the accreditation process.
Apply

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, contact amari@meacschools.org. To apply, please submit:

Continuing Education Reviewers

Qualifications

Our reviewers are midwives who maintain an active practice, stay abreast of current best practices, and are interested in the quality of midwifery education.

Responsibilities

MEAC receives approximately 80-100 continuing education unit (CEU) applications per year. The applications come in electronic format and follow very specific guidelines. MEAC CEU reviewers receive access to applications and a review form to complete; evaluation results are to be sent back to MEAC within 30 days. CEU Reviewers are asked to access approximately 2-3 applications per month. Some of the applications can be evaluated in an hour, while others could take 5 or more hours.

Apply

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, contact Jessica at ceu@meacschools.org. To apply, please submit: