NAACLS - News - NAACLS News

NAACLS News

		Index
		Current Issue
		Archives
		Search
		Issue Index

		News

National Accrediting
Agency for Clinical
Laboratory Sciences
5600 N River Rd
Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018

773.714.8880
773.714.8886 (FAX)

info@naacls.org
http://www.naacls.org

Archives


	Volume 83 - Winter 2003	Download

Cross-Referencing Phlebotomist Competencies, Objectives and Evaluation Mechanisms to Didactic and Clinical Experiences

by Karen Madsen Myers, MA, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA)
Member, PARC

Phlebotomy programs preparing a Self-Study Report for program approval are asked to submit a comprehensive snapshot of how educational experiences relate to the NAACLS Phlebotomist Competencies, program instructional objectives that guide attainment of competencies, and the evaluation mechanisms - cognitive, psychomotor, and affective - that assess attainment of competencies. Questions have been raised about how to handle this process in a succinct manner. At the Summer Programs Approval Review Committee (PARC) meeting a task force was formed to develop a tool to assist phlebotomy programs in providing documentation in support of Phlebotomy Standards 9A, 9C and 9D.

The task at hand for program officials is to demonstrate:

that the NAACLS Phlebotomist Competencies as published in the 12/01 Standards and Competencies of Approved Educational Programs for the Phlebotomist are addressed through the design of didactic and clinical experiences (Standard 9C)
that the objectives written for didactic and clinical experiences reflect these cross- referenced Competencies (Standard (A), and
that evaluation mechanisms used in didactic and clinical areas are tied to the attainment of objectives and thus to the Phlebotomist Competencies (Standard 9D).

To assist program directors in relating these three curricular components and to assist PARC members during the self-study process that is part of program approval, the task force is developing two matrices.

Standard 9A and Standard 9C
Standard 9C states that the Phlebotomist Competencies must be used to design didactic and clinical experiences. Standard 9A states that course objectives for didactic and clinical experiences should be cross-referenced to Phlebotomist Competencies. The first matrix being developed by the task force lists the Phlebotomist Competencies in the left-hand column and provides space in the remaining columns for program directors to document objectives that relate to each competency by course title [See Table I Below]. By filling out this matrix, program directors can complete the cross-referencing required by these two Standards and, as an outcome of this activity, identify gaps in the objectives that support their course curricula and the attainment of competencies.

Standard 9A also requires that objectives address the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains and that course objectives must support progression to the level consistent with entry into the profession. Standard 9C states that learning experiences must be sequenced in a manner that supports the development of entry-level competencies. PARC members will continue to assess these requirements by reviewing the content of course syllabi and objectives and the structure of and inter-relationship of course components as presented by the program officials in the Self-Study Report.

Standard 9D
Standard 9D states that evaluations must be correlated to course objectives and competencies to be achieved. Implicit in this Standard is the requirement that phlebotomy students must achieve the Phlebotomist Competencies and that that achievement must be documented by the program in order for students to successfully enter the field of practice upon completion of the program. By tying evaluation mechanisms to course objectives and the Phlebotomist Competencies, program directors are offered the opportunity to assess whether evaluation mechanisms are adequately addressing all objectives and competencies of the professional curriculum. As part of the self-study process program directors are asked to submit sample evaluation mechanisms that are then reviewed by PARC members. Each evaluation item submitted needs to be referenced to the course objectives it assesses. In order to facilitate the documentation of referencing evaluation items to objectives, a second matrix is being developed [See Table II Below].

Standard 9D also requires that students be given criteria for passing, failing and progression in the program as well as specific criteria for evaluation. The frequency of evaluation must provide a timely indication of student standing. PARC members will continue to review course evaluation mechanisms and assess if evaluation tools meet the Standard requirements.

In summary, PARC believes that display tools such as the one recently generated by the task force can assist programs not only in representing the requirements for program approval but also in evaluating elements that might be missing from a program. PARC members will meet again in February 2003 to further evaluate this new tool. NAACLS will make this tool available to program directors. Suggestions for changes and improvement are welcomed.
----------------
Task Force Members:
James E. Daly, MEd, MT(ASCP), Discipline Lead PARC
Terry Kotrla, MT(ASCP)BB,
PARC Member
Karen Madsen Myers, PARC Member
Table I and Table II are below.

TABLE I
Phlebotomy Program Self-Study-Documentation for Standards 9A & 9C
NAACLS Competencies Cross-Referenced to Course Objectives and Evaluation Mechanisms

Note: Provide an explanation indicating the manner in which objectives and evaluations
are identified and cross-referenced in this chart.

Standards 9A & 9C -Relating NAACLS Phlebotomist Competencies and Course Objectives
Course Identification (Title/Course #)
Location of Syllabus in Self-Study
NAACLS Competencies
1.1 Identify the health care providers in hospitals and clinics and the phlebotomist's role as a member of this health care team.
1.2 Describe the various hospital departments and their major functions in which the phlebotomist may interact in his/her role.
1.3 Describe the organizational structure of the clinical laboratory department.
1.4 Discuss the roles of the clinical laboratory personnel and their qualifications for these professional positions.
1.5 List the types of laboratory procedures performed in various sections of the clinical laboratory department.
1.6 Describe how laboratory testing is used to assess body functions and disease.
1.7 Define medical terminology commonly used in the laboratory
2.1 Identify policies and procedures for maintaining laboratory safety.

TABLE II
Phlebotomy Self-Study Documentation for Standatd 9D
Relating Evaluation Items to Course Objectives

Note: Is this matrix as a cover sheet for each sample evaluation item submitted as part of the self-study.

Standards 9D - Relating Evaluation Items to Phlebotomy Course Objectives
Type of Evaluation Submitted: ___Exam ___Skills Checklist ___Clinical Evaluation ___Affective Evaluation ___Other (list)
Evaluation Item	Corresponds to Objective #	Located in Course (Title/Course#)

Top of the News

A Request for Nominations

Board of Directors Update
(From the September 21, 2002 Meeting)

Cross-Referencing Phlebotomist Competencies, Objectives and Evaluation Mechanisms to Didactic and Clinical Experiences
by Karen Madsen Myers, MA, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA)
Member, PARC

NAACLS to Accredit Cytogenetic Technology Programs
by Lucille Contois, MA, MT(ASCP)
Vice President, NAACLS Board of Directors

President's Report
The Integration of Practical and Liberal Education: Greater Expectations for the 21st Century, or Are NAACLS and Laboratory Educat
by Kathy V. Waller PhD, CLS (NCA)
President, NAACLS Board of Directors

Programs to be Site Visited
Spring/Summer 2003 Cycle

Features

CEO's Corner
by Olive M. Kimball, PhD, EdD
NAACLS Chief Executive Officer

Dr. NAACLS
Advice for Accredited and Approved Programs

NAACLS Computer Update
by Elizabeth Everson
Computer Information Services Coordinator

Other News

Call for Anecdotal Stories About the Professions



	Select an Issue