Volume 68 - Winter 1998	Download

Volunteering: the payoff may be bigger than you think! by Monica D. Mitchell Program Coordinator, Program Services

NAACLS volunteers are an invaluable resource, without which, the accreditation process could not function. With increasing cutbacks and added job responsibilities it can be difficult to find time or incentives to volunteer. Despite this, why do deans, program directors, medical advisors/medical directors, educational coordinators and faculty continue to volunteer year after year?

Theresa O'Laughlin, a CLS/MT program director at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, encourages her faculty by example. Ms. O'Laughlin takes time to read over paper reviews her faculty members have volunteered to do for other programs. She points out, "It's an opportunity to make sure my faculty members understand what the Essentials are asking. " She also addresses paper review comments, posing the often difficult question, "Was your response a gut reaction or is there hard data that validates your specific comments?" In challenging her faculty to think about and answer such questions, she is better able to prepare herself and her faculty for their own program evaluation. Most of her faculty are relatively new and have just gone through the process for the first time. This kind of rhetorical exercise, "lets them ask, 'What are we doing right?' and 'How can we improve?'"

Similar to paper reviews, the site visit further enables volunteers to see first hand how other programs are run. Dan Southern, the CLS/MT program director at Western Carolina University, believes, "the process is a win-win situation. I always bring new ideas home. " On the other hand, "If I see a problem during the site visit that my own program has confronted before I might offer a potential solution. " However, Mr. Southern warns that the site visitor, "should avoid being critical and telling the program they're doing something wrong, based on the way the site visitor runs his[/her] own program. "

Mr. Southern and Ms. O'Laughlin are not alone in their efforts. Dr. Simon Ogamdi, Professor and Chair of the Health Sciences Department at Florida Atlantic University, praises the multiple benefits of the accreditation process. Because the Self-Study Report is intended to be an evaluative instrument for the program itself, this document allows the faculty, program director and administration to examine important aspects of the program often not necessarily perceived as a priority. While the process of self-evaluation mandated by NAACLS can be rigorous, Dr. Ogamdi sees it as a "vital educational process for faculty, program directors and administration. "

Faculty, administration and program directors use the NAACLS process to help fulfill continuing education requirements and to support the educational mission of their institution. Additionally, the NAACLS experience is an opportunity to promote professional development by consulting with other colleagues in the field. Hospitals or universities can also use these volunteer activities as continuing education for faculty and administrators.

Volunteering for NAACLS costs programs very little, only release time for personnel, yet it can be very rewarding professionally. Perhaps Mr. Southern says it best, "We're not here to judge, we're here to serve you -- NAACLS is us, we are NAACLS. "

Ms. Mitchell is the Program Coordinator for CLS/MT, Phlebotomy and Cytogenetic Technology Programs.

Top of the News
			A call for volunteers
			APRC report by Steven Suvalsky, BSMT, MHS APRC Chairman
			Evaluation of procedures and services of NAACLS
			NAACLS celebrates 25 years of service to higher education by Frederick W. Pairent, PhD Secretary, Board of Directors
			New payment schedule for site visit fees
			The impact of teaching on productivity in the clinical laboratory A call for collaboration and a forum for discussion by William N. Bigler, PhD, and Mary Ellen Hermann, MS, MT(ASCP)
			Volunteering: the payoff may be bigger than you think! by Monica D. Mitchell Program Coordinator, Program Services
Features
			Bits n pieces
			Dear Dr. NAACLS Program length
			Executive Director’s corner Institutional and Program Rights by Olive M. Kimball, EdD Executive Director
			Helpful hints for program directors and volunteers by Jennifer Beyer Program Coordinator, Program Services
			Newly accredited and approved programs
			President’s report by Joeline D. Davidson, MBA, CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP) President, Board of Directors

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