Mock Assessors: How to Pick Them
Mock assessments are the dress rehearsal that prepares you and your staff for the real assessment.
You want assessors who will look over every detail of your files, identify potential issues, and make recommendations for areas with room for improvement.
…As the old saying goes, these are the people you want to tell you if your baby is ugly—or better yet, needs a diaper change…
You want assessors who have a reputation for being thorough, objective, and problem solvers. That last one is especially important because if something isn’t up to par, you want them thinking outside the box to help your agency maintain the integrity of the process while finding practical solutions.
So where do you find the right assessors for the job? Keep reading.
Get a current list of assessors from the accrediting body you are accredited through.
This will be the most accurate list of who is eligible and available, so start there.
Look for assessors with a decent amount of experience and who have completed recent assessments.
The reason recent experience matters is because it tells you they are more likely to be current on the standards. As you know, standards can change every year—and sometimes multiple times within a year—so current knowledge matters.
Reach out to accreditation managers you know and trust.
Ask if they have recommendations or firsthand experience with particular assessors. Compare those recommendations against the list you narrowed down in Tip #2.
A strong reputation among peers carries weight.
Sometimes using assessors from neighboring agencies isn’t always advisable.
Why?
Because it may be difficult for them to remain fully objective in their review.
That said, if your agency is working within budget limitations, looking at assessors geographically close to your agency can help reduce costs—just be sure to still apply Tip #2 when narrowing your choices.
Be cautious about making a blind request in open forums, PAC channels, listservs, or similar networks.
That approach can bring a lot of uncertainty because you may know very little about who responds—their experience level, how thorough they are, or what kind of reputation they have as an assessor.
For something as important as your mock assessment, that’s a big gamble.
Who do you know that could benefit from these accreditation-friendly tips and resources? Consider sharing this link with a colleague so they can sign up:https://www.accreditationacademy.net/signup
Areaka P. Jewell
Accreditation Academy
areaka@accreditationacademy.net
(305) 360-1075