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Owens Remains Nation’s Only Associate Degree MRI Program with JRCERT Accreditation

Owens MRI program earned JRCERT accreditation, remaining the only certified MRI associate degree program in the nation.

The Owens Community College Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) program has received an eight-year re-accreditation from the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT), the maximum term the agency grants.

Owens remains the only Associate Degree MRI program in the country to hold JRCERT accreditation. JRCERT is the only accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for educational programs in magnetic resonance and other radiologic sciences.

According to Dr. Denise Smith, Owens vice president of Academic Affairs and provost, the accreditation shows the program meets rigorous national standards related to curriculum, faculty qualifications, clinical education, institutional resources, student outcomes, patient safety and continuous improvement.

“The fact that we received an eight-year accreditation award is especially significant because it is the maximum accreditation period JRCERT grants,” Smith said. “It signals that the program is not simply meeting minimum expectations, but that it has demonstrated the quality systems, resources and outcomes necessary to sustain excellence over time.”

For Suellen Barnum, chair of the MRI program, and her team, the award represents the culmination of nearly a year of work. The renewal process began with a self-study completed six months ahead of a three-day site visit, during which a three-person review team met with MRI faculty, Owens administration, clinical partners, students and staff from advising and library services.

Barnum credited the faculty and staff in her department for their work, including Kathryn Callahan, the program’s clinical education coordinator and liaison to Owens’ clinical partners, instructor Sarah Pudlowski, adjunct instructor Jodi Hamilton and academic advisor Melanie Jackson, along with many others.

The JRCERT site visit team noted that the MRI simulation lab in the Healthcare Education Center is designed to mirror the clinical environment, giving students the opportunity to build confidence and competence before entering patient care settings. With dedicated workstations and a fully equipped MR scanner, the lab “encourages hands on practice, teamwork and collaborative problem solving,” the evaluation states. “Students learn to work together, apply critical thinking and strengthen their technical skills in a realistic and supportive setting.”

Smith said the achievement reflects work that extends well beyond the site visit itself.

“Their achievement of an eight-year award really solidifies that effort,” Smith said. “It shows that they have created and maintained a program with sustained attention to curriculum quality, student learning outcomes, clinical competencies, MRI safety, faculty expertise, clinical-site relationships, assessment data and continuous program improvement.”

Barnum said health care technology will keep evolving and the MRI program intends to evolve with it.

“Health care is always changing and updating with technology, so we will need to move with MRI imaging that includes safety for our patients and the professional health care staff while creating images that can assist with patient outcomes,” Barnum said.

For Barnum, the appeal of the field remains simple.

“MRI images are truly amazing to look at. You can see inside the human body without opening it, and still help the patient,” Barnum said. “I don’t know how you don’t get excited about that. We hope it’s contagious.”

For more information on the MRI program at Owens, visit owens.edu/academics/nursing-health.