EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Texas Tech Health El Paso has earned Joint Accreditation for interprofessional continuing education, the university announced.
That means doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists across the region will be able to complete more continuing education hours as a team through Texas Tech Health El Paso, the university said.
Joint Accreditation replaces separate approval tracks with one coordinated system for continuing education across medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry, Texas Tech said.
It supports interprofessional learning, where different health professions train together to improve teamwork and patient care, the university added.
Licensed health professionals across West Texas and Southern New Mexico are required to complete continuing education hours to maintain their credentials, and Joint Accreditation now enables Texas Tech Health El Paso to offer more of that required training in team-based formats that help providers communicate better, reduce clinical errors and deliver more efficient care in a region facing persistent provider shortages, the university said.
In December 2025, the university received formal notice of Joint Accreditation after an 18-month process that included a comprehensive self-study and a review of selected continuing education program files from the previous two years, demonstrating that Texas Tech Health El Paso meets national accreditation criteria and standards, the university said.
In January, Texas Tech Health El Paso elected to add dental continuing education credit through the American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program.
The achievement places the university among just 200 organizations nationwide that hold this credential.
“For the last four and a half years, we held separate accreditations for continuing medical education and nursing contact hours,” said Cynthia Juarez, managing director of the Office of Continuing Professional Education at Texas Tech Health El Paso. “Rather than pursuing a third separate accreditation for dental continuing education, we applied for Joint Accreditation. Bringing these professions under one set of accreditation standards and criteria makes our planning more unified, streamlined and efficient.”
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