Volume 84 - Spring/Summer 2003	Download

Dr. NAACLS Advice for Accredited and Approved Programs

Dear Dr. NAACLS:
Our laboratory staff is very interested in developing a NAACLS Approved Phlebotomy Program. We have already written a letter of interest to NAACLS and have begun development of the curriculum. We have identified staff members interested in being involved and are in the process of developing our application.

My questions are about deadline dates. Are there important dates we should be aware of? When are applications accepted? How often are they reviewed? How long does the process take after an Application and Self-Study Report is submitted? When can a program begin classes after it is awarded final approval? When would we be able to start offering classes?

We are all very enthusiastic about this program and excited to get it underway. However, we want to make sure that the program is of the highest quality and that we can demonstrate to NAACLS our capability for success in such an undertaking. We believe that getting this done right is more important than getting it done fast.
Sincerely,
A Very Serious Program Planner

Dear Serious Program Planner,
NAACLS commends you and shares your philosophy of doing the job right! You have already completed the first step: a request in writing to NAACLS for information regarding the approval process. The review of a program can only be undertaken when authorized by the sponsoring institution's chief executive officer. The chief executive officer must submit a letter to NAACLS stating the intent to apply for approval. That letter did arrive from your CEO and then you were sent the Programs Approval Guide and an Application for Initial Approval.

The next step is to complete and submit to NAACLS the Application for Initial Approval. Since phlebotomy is an approval program, you should submit three copies of the Self-Study Report along with the application. (In accredited programs, a preliminary report, rather than a Self-Study Report, is included with the application.) The application and the Self-Study for approval should be submitted within one year of the interest letter but may be at any time during that year. The NAACLS staff would be happy to assist you in an extension of that deadline, if needed.

When NAACLS receives the Self-Study Report, we send the program director an invoice for the Initial Application Fee. (Contact the NAACLS business office for information regarding fees or visit the NAACLS web page at www.naacls.org.)

NAACLS then determines if the program qualifies for Serious Applicant Status. In order to qualify, the program must submit a Self-Study Report that contains or documents:

1. all completed fact sheets
2. the required criteria for a sponsoring institution.
3. all current, annually reviewed, and signed affiliation agreements or memoranda of understanding.
4. clinical experience of at least 100 hours.
5. competencies that are cross-referenced to the program objectives.
6. a qualified program director.
7. summary of program, including the time required for program completion, courses offered and award granted.
8. assurance of financial support.
9. instructional resources.
10. description of student recruitment, processing of applications and selection of students.

This preliminary review process will generally take one to two months after the receipt of the Self-Study Report. If the criteria are met, the application and all three copies of the Self-Study Report received, and the application fee paid, the program is awarded Serious Applicant Status. The program director must inform students seeking admission to the program that the program is applying for approval and that the students' eligibility to take some certification examinations may depend on whether or not the program achieves "Serious Applicant Status." If the above criteria are not met, the program is notified and the application, fees and Self-Study Report processes must all be repeated.

NAACLS reports Serious Applicant Status to the BOR and to NCA. This is designed to protect students and their certification eligibility. Any students in the program or admitted while the program is in Serious Applicant Status are protected by that status. Programs seeking initial approval may remain in Serious Applicant Status for nine months prior to an approval award from the Board of Directors, or 18 months prior to an accreditation award.

After the preliminary review and the awarding of Serious Applicant Status, the full Paper Review process takes place, followed by the Program's Response to the Paper Review Report and the Committee Review. NAACLS staff will inform you of these dates, depending on whether your review will be in the Spring or the Fall.

A new program can reach serious applicant status in as little as one month from the submission of the Self-Study Report. Review committee members study the documents very carefully, and contact the program director if something is confusing or missing. NAACLS volunteers know that everyone seeks the same goal - quality in laboratory education!

Best of luck to you in your program development efforts.
Sincerely,
Dr. NAACLS
 

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