COMMENTARY ON ACCREDITATION:

 

Almost every organization or effort eventually decides that their credibility will be greatly enhanced if they become "accredited."

Unfortunately, not every organization or effort is worthy of "accreditation," and the dishonest people among us realize the truth of that statement and have  endeavored to make a buck off the situation!

For example, if one is a physician, his potential value to a prospective patient is enhanced greatly if he is "Board Certified," and many physicians in the ads on line or in telephone books or elsewhere often proclaim that they are "Board Certified."

The trick for the patient is to ascertain if the "Board" is certifiable!  And by that I mean that one should check very carefully on the credentials of the certifying entity.

Too often the "certifying Board" is comprised of the very people or their allies that the Board is certifying!

As it turns out, there is really only ONE Board that certifies physicians that really matters.  The rest are knock-offs.  Watch out for THAT ploy. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the Board that indicates expertise in a medical specialization.  Certification involves a stringent process of testing and peer evaluation that is designed and administered by specialists in the specific area of medicine.

Taking a cue from the doctors, other entities have also decided that they can be certifying organizations in other fields of endeavor.  Examples of such subterfuge follow.