Volume 78 - Spring / Summer 2001	Download

CEO's Corner Updating Essentials and Standards by Olive M. Kimball, EdD Chief Executive Officer

All NAACLS program directors and volunteers are acutely aware of Essentials and Standards. Essentials provide the minimum benchmarks for quality used in program accreditation and Standards provide the minimum benchmarks for quality used in program approval. Other accrediting bodies may have differing names for these benchmarks but the NAACLS terminology is broadly understood.

The benchmarks provide a basis, along with established processes that judge: (1) the appropriateness of program purposes; (2) the adequacy of resources and organizational structure to meet the purposes; (3) the educational outcomes which indicate the purposes are met, and (4) a reasonable assurance of continued meeting of the purposes.

Essentials and Standards, whether initial or existing, must pass through the same lengthy and intensive adoptive process. When NAACLS was formed, ASCLS and ASCP as the sponsoring organizations delegated the approval of Essentials and Standards to NAACLS itself. An exception to this was when NAACLS was part of the CAHEA umbrella and the Council on Medical Education of the AMA gave final approval. Since NAACLS has been recognized as an independent agency, it is the Board of Directors that now has final approval on initial or revised Essentials and Standards.

The Board will initiate the process of approving these benchmarks after careful consideration. The process involves special task forces and committees, public comment and hearings, often followed by additional revisions. As noted, hearings are public, and prior notification and invitations are sent to identified communities of interest, including sponsoring, participating and affiliating organizations of NAACLS.

At the April 2001 meeting of the Board of Directors there were several sets of Essentials and Standards revisions and an initial set of Essentials to be reviewed. There was much discussion of draft documents, changes were made based upon public input, and the following drafts were acted upon.

1. Standards
   1. Revised Standards for Cytogenetic Technology Programs were considered. These standards had been developed by committee and then gone to the Board for review. The Board approved them for public comment and they were distributed by mail and placed on the NAACLS website. They were brought back to the Board at this meeting where additional changes were made based upon the input. The Board approved them for distribution and use, pending review for consistency of format. It is expected that they will be available for use by July 1, 2001.
   2. Revised Standards for Phlebotomy Programs were brought to the Board. They were reviewed and approved for distribution and public comment pending review for consistency of format. They will be distributed widely and placed on the website. A public hearing is planned in Chicago in July. The Standards are expected to be brought to the Board for approval in September.
2. Essentials
   1. Essentials for Diagnostic Molecular Scientist Programs were carefully considered. They had been developed and revised by a task force appointed by the Board. They were distributed and placed on the website and a public hearing was held for comment. The committee and the Board made changes based upon the comments and then approved them for use, again pending review for consistency of format. It is expected that programs may apply for initial accreditation by July 1, 2001.
   2. Revised Essentials for the Pathologists' Assistant Programs had been submitted by committee for inclusion on the meeting agenda. The Board determined that they need further review and a Board task force will be appointed for that purpose.
   3. Revised Essentials for the Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Medical Technologist and Clinical Laboratory Technician/Medical Laboratory Technician Programs were presented to the Board. They had been developed and revised by a Board appointed task force. After discussion and changes, they were approved for distribution and for public comment pending review for consistency of format. An open hearing is planned in Chicago in July.

At the meeting, Board members noted with appreciation the extensive efforts and time commitments of volunteers who review and revise Essentials and Standards. Board members also encouraged the active participation of all interested parties in commenting on Essentials and Standards still under review. Questions and comments about any of these Essentials or Standards may be addressed to the NAACLS office.

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			Broader Interpretation of Essential 1 by Shauna C. Anderson, PhD, MT(ASCP)C, CLS(NCA) Member, NAACLS Board of Directors
			Competencies Versus Objectives Clarification of Intent by Kathy Waller, PhD, CLS(NCA) Secretary, NAACLS Board of Directors
			NAACLS to Conduct Workshop and Open Hearing at ASCLS Meeting by Megan Hennessy Eggert Meetings and Publicity Coordinator
			Program Resources Required for the Number of Students Admitted by Jean Holter, EdD, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA) Member, NAACLS Clinical Laboratory Sciences Programs Review Committee
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			CEO's Corner Updating Essentials and Standards by Olive M. Kimball, EdD Chief Executive Officer
			Dear Dr. NAACLS Site visit cost
			NAACLS' Summer/Fall 2001 Meeting Dates
			President's Report NAACLS Plans Strategy for the Future by Joeline D. Davidson, MBA, CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP) President, Board of Directors
			Programs to be Site Visited Fall 2001/Winter 2002 Cycle
			Reminders From NAACLS Fee Increase

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