What standards should a National EMS Certification body be expected to follow to ensure quality of a national certification process?
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), a certification accrediting agency sponsored by the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) establishes the Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The NCCA uses a peer-review process to establish accreditation standards, to evaluate compliance with these standards, to recognize organizations/programs which demonstrate compliance, and to serve as a resource on quality certification. NCCA Standards address the structure and governance of the certifying agency, the characteristics of the certification program, the information required to be available to applicants, certificants, and the public, and the recertification initiatives of the certifying agency. NCCA is a separately governed accreditation arm of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), a membership association of certification organizations providing technical and educational information concerning certification practices.
