Is MedQuest College Accredited?

One of the main questions the admissions advisors are asked, and understandably so, is “Is MedQuest College accredited?” and each time we answer that question with a confident and proud YES!  MedQuest College is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), a national accreditation commission recognized by the United States Department of Education. MedQuest College is additionally licensed by the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education. ABHES is a national accrediting agency that serves institutions that provide health education and programs. This accreditation serves the Lexington and Louisville campuses at MedQuest. We take this so seriously that we even have dedicated members on our staff such as our Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects, Larisa Crawley, who is responsible for ensuring MedQuest College maintains our accreditation.

What is Accreditation?

Accreditation is a large set of strict standards that an educational institution must up keep. These standards revolve around every aspect of the school or program. The school is tested, judged, and examined to determine if they meet the high standards of the accrediting institute. This process happens once a year, meaning the school must continuously keep the high standards expected of them. An ABHES accreditation assures the student that they can trust the school and the information that is being provided to them. MedQuest College is accredited meaning we have passed the strict test of high standards and received the “seal of approval”  and our team takes pride in being institutionally accredited.

What are Accreditation Standards?

MedQuest College meets a high level of standards in order to maintain accreditation. Due to this students can be assured they are receiving top-tier education. These standards include:

• Maintain a 70% or higher retention rate: Retention refers to a school’s ability to promote students throughout the degree objective up to graduation. This means at least 70% of our students who begin their degree course work, graduate.  A 70% retention rate is higher than most public educational institutes. In fact, almost all universities and public institutions are not required to meet this standard. MedQuest College works hard to ensure each student has the tools and support needed to complete their program and graduate on-time. 

• Maintain a 70% job placement: Entering the job market can be a scary time for students who are graduating, we understand this at MedQuest.  Against educational industry standards, we provide job placement assistance that places our graduates on the right track to a new career. This helps maintain a high rate of job placement among graduates.

•  Obtain Approval from ABHES: New programs offered and new courses brought into existing programs must be approved by ABHES. This gives students a guarantee that they are in a course that is meaningful for their education.

• Program-specific Advisory Boards: The advisory boards are made up of members within the community. These members include doctors, dentists, previous graduates, current students, and potential employers. The advisory board creates standards and gives input that MedQuest uses to create courses and degree objectives. The advisory board members help us know what an ideal professional in their chosen field would look like and what skills would be required to meet these standards. We are constantly improving our programs and catalog of courses and we consider input from our surrounding community to be vital in this process. 

• Annually submit reports: The reports we must submit are our progress reports that give proof and show evidence to the ABHES that we continue to meet these standards each and every year. These reports cover retention rates, financials, job placement, and other factors that go into our accreditation. 

MedQuest College maintains these standards among a vast array of standards that gives students trust in us that they are receiving a quality education to put them on the right track towards their healthcare career.

How Does Accreditation Improve Quality?

Accreditation allows potential and current students to make the right choices and feel confident in the decisions they make. It allows students to know that schools like MedQuest are trustworthy. Accreditation institutions take the time to do extensive research and background investigations to evaluate the school. This is a big workload and no student could do it alone and accreditation makes it accessible so students can receive this information with ease.

Why Does Accreditation Matter?

MedQuest College being institutionally accredited through Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools is a big deal. MedQuest wants potential, current, and past students to feel confident in the quality of education they are receiving or have received. This applies to all our degree programs offered, Dental Assisting, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Practical Nursing,  and Biomedical Technology are all reputable programs with rewarding fields of work. Through this accreditation, we know students can trust that we meet vigorously high standards to ensure they can be prepared for the careers ahead of them. But students don’t have to take our word for it, we will let our accreditation speak for itself. 

As a student enters the job market in search of employment it is important for employers to know who they are hiring has a  standard set of skills and broad knowledge in their field. A diploma or degree from an accredited college or university shows a potential employer that a candidate has shown knowledge and has proven skills within their industry. Not only that but it can also show the hard work and commitment the candidate has for their chosen specialization. If a college is not accredited and a student receives a diploma or degree from that institute there is no clear way to prove that the student has earned the necessary skills or even displayed knowledge or hard work. This diploma in the eyes of an employer could be seen as useless and a risky hire. At MedQuest College we are dedicated to creating professionals in the healthcare field that are hireable to not only improve the lives of employers and patients but the student themselves. To do so we must maintain our status as an accredited institute. 

If you would like more information on starting your healthcare career you can request more information or schedule a tour of our campus!