Volume 71 - Winter 1999	Download

A Bold New Look: the NAACLS accreditation/approval documents by Jennifer Zielinski, Gwen James Oriaikhi, and Monica Mitchell

WHAT HAPPENED?

The NAACLS Mission Statement affirms NAACLS' commitment to be responsive to the needs of its customers. From a survey of constituent bodies two years ago, the NAACLS Board of Directors found that many respondents wished the processes could be simplified. The board, committee members and staff took a hard look at the existing processes and the paper documents that were involved. A major effort to revise the paper work ensued. The result is a new look to documents. Of much greater significance for program faculty and committee members is that the documents are more cohesive and "user-friendly, " contain more specific information about what is expected, and relate directly to Essentials or Standards.

Although the Essential Revision Process has begun again, the new look to the documentation will not change drastically when Essentials or Standards are revised. The processes are expected to remain about the same and the new formatting will facilitate transition into new Essentials or Standards.

WHAT CHANGED?

The new documents are used in the accreditation/approval process to verify compliance with Essentials/Standards. They are designed to integrate the main focal points of the processes. It is the Essentials and Standards themselves that give impetus and direction to the processes and hence the documents.

Included in the new look for accreditation are documents related to the self-study process, the paper review process and the site visit process. Included for approval are documents related to the self-study process and the paper review process. Requirements for each step are simplified to reduce duplicative answers. Questions on the Self-Study Report Paper Review correlate closely with the Self-Study Report and the Site Visit Report, if applicable. The guides for each program level tell what narrative is expected from the program, what documentation is to be submitted for each Essential or Standard and, in the case of a site visit, exactly what the site visitors should be reviewing.

Each separate program level now has its own revised guide separated into three sections. Section I in all guides is a general overview of the process. Section II contains a set of instructions for assembling the Self-Study Report with charts showing what is required to demonstrate compliance with each Essential or Standard. Section III now contains the Essentials or Standards for the program.

HOW WILL THIS HELP?

Section I: Overview of the Accreditation or Approval Process

This section describes NAACLS policies and procedures and helps define some of the terms used in the accreditation/approval process. A description of the Initial and Continuing Accreditation or Approval processes can be found here. You should be familiar with this section before starting your Self-Study Report.

Section II: Description of the Accreditation or Approval Process

This section outlines not only how to put your Self-Study Report together but uses a chart to show just what is required for each Essential or Standard in order to show that your program is in compliance. This chart provides explicit information on whether or not narratives or documentation is required, plus it clearly delineates the role of the site visitor or paper reviewer for each Essential/Standard.

Section III: Essentials or Standards

In this section you will find a copy of the Essentials or Standards and Competencies for each program level. By having this incorporated into the document from which you are working, you have a ready cross-reference to what the Essential or Standard actually states.

HOW HAS THE LOOK CHANGED?

Chart I (upper right) is a sample from an old guide that was published prior to 1998. It shows a general statement of instructions for describing resources. While the instructions ask for a description there is no guidance provided about what should be included.

Chart II (bottom right) is a sample from the revised guide. It clearly shows what is expected in the narrative, what kind of documentation is required, and what the site visitor (for accreditation) will look for.

Chart I - Sample from the Content of the Self-Study Report from the old Guides published before 1998. (Essential 4 for CLS/MT, CLT/MLT-AD & C, HTL, HT-AD & C and PA/Standard 4 for Phleb and CA/Standard 5 for CT)

NARRATIVE AND DOCUMENTARY MATERIALS FOR THE SELF-STUDY REPORT II. RESOURCES Generally describe how resources support the number of students admitted to the program. Describe the instructor/student ratio in student laboratories and clinical sites, as appropriate. Describe scheduling for the clinical experience showing the number of students per department/period with staffing patterns, as appropriate.

MATERIALS TO BE REVIEWED BY SITE VISITORS

Chart II - Sample from the Description of the Accreditation/Approval Process: Instructions for Preparing the Self-Study Report from the Revised Guides published in 1998. (Essential 4 for CLS/MT, CLT/MLT-AD & C, HTL, HT-AD & C and PA/Standard 4 for Phleb and CA/Standard 5 for CT)
II. RESOURCES Essential / Standard 4	NARRATIVE Describe how resources support the number of students admitted.	DOCUMENTATION Indicate: The number of students admitted per year. Admission date(s). Instructor to student ratios for lecture, student laboratory (if applicable) and clinical laboratory (if applicable).	SITE VISITOR ROLE Verify that the resources support the number of students admitted.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The new documents for accreditation have been distributed to program directors to whom the Fall 1998 Notice of Renewal was mailed. They have also been distributed to anyone requesting them, including a few programs currently under review. The documents for approval have been reviewed by PARC and will be acted on at the April Board of Directors' Meeting.

We are delighted with the results of what the NAACLS staff termed the Document Cohesion Project. Its completion provides a new look and more guidance, which was long overdue. Previous revisions to documents were made on a case by case basis. This is the first time since the inception of NAACLS that all documents were revised together. The process provided a much-needed cohesion of materials and internal consistency between program levels.

As Essentials or Standards are revised in the future, minor changes will be needed, but the fundamental structure of the new look should remain. We believe the new documents will ease the burden on program directors developing Self-Study Reports and will facilitate committee review of materials.

Please let us know your reaction to these revised documents. Any comments or suggestions will be carefully reviewed. We continue to affirm the NAACLS commitment to be responsive to the needs of both programs and volunteers.

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