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Site Visitor Program

Every ICPCAS review is conducted by trained volunteers who practice or teach in the discipline they review. They are the reason accreditation means something. If you have five years in the field and a careful eye, we would like to train you.

Apply to be a reviewerHow it works
2reviewers on every team
3–4reviews a year, typical
16 hof training before first assignment
$0paid by programs; honorarium from ICPCAS only
Reviewers examining documents and charts together — the ICPCAS Site Visitor Program trains volunteer accreditation reviewers
Three roles

Where you fit

Role 1

Document reviewer

Reads self-studies and evidence against the rubric, scores each criterion independently, then reconciles with a co-reviewer. Fully remote. The entry role for every new reviewer.

Commitment: 20–30 hours per review, 2–3 reviews a year.

Role 2

Site visitor

Leads or joins the review visit: interviews leadership, instructors, students and graduates; observes instruction; inspects records. Virtual by default, on site when the standards require observation.

Commitment: 1–2 days per visit plus preparation, after at least two document reviews.

Role 3

Team chair

Leads a review team, drafts the consolidated report, presents the file to the Accreditation Review Committee. Experienced reviewers with at least four completed reviews and chair training.

Commitment: 40–50 hours per review, 2 reviews a year.

The reviewer journey

From application to first review

ApplyCV, discipline, languages, conflicts disclosure, two references.Rolling
ScreenStaff check eligibility, references and conflicts; a short interview with a team chair.Within 30 days
Train16 hours: the standards, the rubric, evidence evaluation, interviewing, bias, confidentiality, report writing. Assessed.2 cohorts a year
ShadowJoin an experienced team as an observer on one full review, including the visit.First 6 months
ReviewAssigned as a document reviewer, then site visitor, always screened for conflicts, never in your own market.From month 6
RenewAnnual conflict disclosure, 4 hours of refresher training, evaluation by programs and chairs.Every year
Instructor presenting to adult learners — ICPCAS reviewer training is 16 assessed hours on the standards, rubric and interviewing.
Instructor presenting to adult learners — ICPCAS reviewer training is 16 assessed hours on the standards, rubric and interviewing.
Three professionals working at a conference table — new ICPCAS reviewers shadow a full review before their first assignment.
Three professionals working at a conference table — new ICPCAS reviewers shadow a full review before their first assignment.
Colleagues focused on a shared screen — document reviewers score each criterion independently before reconciling.
Colleagues focused on a shared screen — document reviewers score each criterion independently before reconciling.
Who we are looking for

Qualifications and conflicts

You qualify if you have

  • ✓Five or more years practicing or teaching in an eligible discipline (doula, newborn care, lactation, childbirth education, perinatal mental health, pregnancy fitness, or a planned division), or in program evaluation or accreditation
  • ✓A current credential in that discipline from a recognized body, or equivalent documented experience
  • ✓Experience reading curricula, assessing competence or supervising students
  • ✓The ability to write clearly and to disagree with a co-reviewer on the evidence
  • ✓Fluency in the language of programs you would review; Spanish and Mandarin reviewers are especially needed
  • ✓Two references from people who have seen your professional judgment

Conflicts that rule out an assignment

  • –Employment, teaching, ownership, consulting or board service with the program in the prior 36 months
  • –A family relationship with program leadership or instructors
  • –Operating a competing program in the same market, where feasible to avoid
  • –Having trained at the program, or trained its lead instructors
  • –Any financial interest in the outcome
  • –For 12 months after a review: accepting employment or consulting from the program reviewed
Reviewers are not consultants. A reviewer evaluates and reports; a reviewer never advises a program on how to pass, before, during or after a review. ICPCAS maintains a separate list of independent consultants, none of whom are active reviewers.
A diverse group of professionals meeting in a modern office — ICPCAS site visitors interview leadership, instructors, students and graduates
What you get

Why practitioners do this

  • Inside view of the standards. Reviewers know the standards better than anyone, which makes them better educators and program leaders.
  • Recognized service. Reviewer status is listed in the public directory with your consent, and counts as continuing education with most credentialing bodies in the perinatal disciplines.
  • A fixed honorarium. $350 per document review, $500 per site visit day, $900 for team chairs per review, plus travel at cost. Paid by ICPCAS, never by the program, and never tied to the outcome.
  • Training that transfers. Evidence evaluation, structured interviewing and report writing; skills programs pay for elsewhere.
  • A say in the standards. Reviewers are consulted on every revision and are the first pool for Standards Committee working groups.
[Short quotation from an inaugural reviewer about what the training or a first review taught them.][Name], [discipline], [city] · Reviewer since 2027
[Short quotation from a program director about what it was like to be reviewed by practitioners rather than administrators.][Name], Director, [program] · Accredited 2027
Apply

Training cohorts

Two cohorts a year. Applications are rolling; you are placed in the next cohort with space in your discipline and language.

CohortApplications closeTrainingDisciplines needed
Spring 2027[Date][Dates], virtual, 4 × 4 hAll perinatal; Spanish and Mandarin reviewers prioritized
Autumn 2027[Date][Dates], virtual, 4 × 4 hLactation, perinatal mental health, newborn care
Spring 2028[Date][Dates]Menopause coach and end-of-life doula (planned divisions)
Apply to be a reviewerRead POL-16 Reviewer policy
Instructor leading a lecture hall — ICPCAS reviewer training runs twice a year in four virtual sessions.
Instructor leading a lecture hall — ICPCAS reviewer training runs twice a year in four virtual sessions.
Team collaborating in a bright office — reviewers work in pairs and reconcile scores before reporting.
Team collaborating in a bright office — reviewers work in pairs and reconcile scores before reporting.
Professionals in a meeting with laptops and notebooks — site visitors prepare an agenda shared with the program three weeks ahead.
Professionals in a meeting with laptops and notebooks — site visitors prepare an agenda shared with the program three weeks ahead.
A diverse group meeting in a conference room — ICPCAS prioritizes Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking reviewers.
A diverse group meeting in a conference room — ICPCAS prioritizes Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking reviewers.
Frequently asked

About the Site Visitor Program

I run a training program. Can I be a reviewer?

Yes. Program directors and instructors are among the most valuable reviewers. You will never be assigned to a program you have a tie to, or, where feasible, to a competitor in your own market, and you may not consult for programs while active.

How much time does it take?

A document review is 20–30 hours over about six weeks. A site visit is one to two days plus a day of preparation. Most reviewers take two to four assignments a year and can decline any assignment.

Is it paid?

A fixed honorarium from ICPCAS: $350 per document review, $500 per site visit day, $900 for team chairs per review, plus travel at cost. Programs never pay reviewers, and the amount never depends on the outcome.

Do I need accreditation experience?

No. The 16-hour training covers it. We need discipline expertise first; evaluation skill is taught.

Can I review programs outside my country?

Yes, and we encourage it. Virtual reviews make international assignments routine. You need fluency in the language of instruction and familiarity with the program's regulatory context, which training addresses.

What if a program complains about me?

Complaints about reviewers go to the Ethics & Conflicts Committee under the published procedure. You are told the substance, may respond, and the outcome is in writing. Reviewers are also evaluated after every review by the program and the chair; patterns, not single comments, drive decisions.

Resources

Every ICPCAS publication, free and versioned

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