Volume 76 - Fall 2000	Download

Videotaping in Lieu of Site Visits by Mark D. Kellogg, PhD, MT(ASCP) CLSPRC Member

Policy for Site Visiting Clinical Affiliates Any program may choose to have clinical affiliates visited as part of the site visit. All new clinical affiliates, since the prior site visit, should be visited. Factors that may be considered in the decision are: Number of clinical affiliates Distance of clinical affiliates from the sponsoring institution Fact sheets documenting resources of the clinical affiliate Prior accreditation history When a visit by the site visit team is not possible, the clinical affiliate may be evaluated by the following means: Student interview or phone call Phone calls to clinical faculty and recent graduates Visit to the site by a local NAACLS volunteer

At the February 2000 meeting of the Clinical Laboratory Sciences Programs Review Committee (CLSPRC), an Ad Hoc Subcommittee was formed to review the use of videotapes in lieu of clinical affiliate site visits. This subcommittee was asked to recommend revisions to the policy and guidelines. In particular, to standardizing the format (VHS, VHS-C, Digital video, etc.) and defining content requirements.

The Ad Hoc Subcommittee presented its recommendations to the CLSPRC at the July 2000 meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The subcommittee recommended that videotaping be discontinued as an alternate to clinical affiliate site visits for two reasons. First, the rapidly changing technology makes it difficult to set a standard format and second, that videotaping does not provide a full, unbiased evaluation of clinical affiliates.

The committee debated on the value of videotaping and the logistical difficulties in visiting numerous and geographically distant affiliates. Members of the committee shared their experiences with videotapes and alternate site visit methods. Of particular concern with videotaping is that the students, faculty and employees do not have the privilege of confidentiality when speaking, nor the ability to openly share their concerns if they exist. Members reiterated that some of the more important evaluations couldn't be answered in videotape. Questions such as, "Are safety requirements being met?", "Are students and staff following applicable safety precautions?", "Do both the students and teaching faculty have knowledge of the clinical objectives?", and "Are students required to do service work as a substitute for staff?" require candid and confidential dialogue with students and staff members. This can be accomplished through telephone interviews or written letters, but not through videotape.

Additionally, the current policy states that videotaping is only one of five "other means" that can be used in lieu of a clinical affiliate site visit. The policy also requires that more than one of "the other means" be utilized. The "other means" include:

1. Student or graduate interview
   
2. Phone calls to site
   
3. Written evaluations of the site by students
   
4. Interviews with clinical affiliate faculty
   

Although not part of the current policy, "other means" has also included the use of other volunteers near to the clinical sites to perform the site visits prior to the program's site visit. These additional site visitors are selected on the basis of proximity to clinical sites. Committee members saw this as the preferred means of evaluating new clinical affiliates if the site visit team is unable to personally visit. The committee questioned NAACLS staff on how this option affected costs, and was informed that the cost was usually limited to mileage and meals and probably comparable to the cost of producing a videotape (considering travel by the program to the site for the videotaping).

Based on lack of confidentiality, restricted dialogue and the requirement that more than one of the "other means" be utilized, the committee reached consensus that videotaping does not add significant value to the evaluation of clinical affiliates and it's use should be discontinued.

Affiliates are always free to create videotapes as an additional resource, but site visitors are to utilize the above listed "other means" or alternate site visitors to evaluate clinical affiliates in lieu of a visit by the site visit team. The committee also recommended that the use of Alternate Site Visitors (volunteers in the locale of the a clinical affiliate) be added to the policy list of "other means" for evaluating distant clinical affiliates. The NAACLS Board of Directors approved this policy at their September 23, 2000 meeting (please refer to policy above).

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