Volume 96 - Summer 2007	Download

CEO's Corner Strategic Planning for NAACLS by Dianne M. Cearlock, PhD Chief Executive Officer

The motto of the NAACLS Strategic Planning Session was drawn from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, "I skate to where I think the puck will be." Of course, the most difficult part of that process is not the skating, but the determination of where to skate. To that end, members of the NAACLS Board of Directors, Review Committee Chairs and staff participated in an all-day Strategic Planning Session in April. The session was facilitated by Paul Epner, Director of Healthcare Improvement Initiatives at Abbott Diagnostics.

We are all aware of the forces of change: changes in healthcare and in the clinical laboratory are constant, higher education is under increasing review, and the student who sat in our classroom yesterday looks very different than the student who is logging into our classroom today. Where will the puck be?

One useful tool for determining where the puck will be is reviewing where we've been. The morning of the Strategic Planning session was spent reviewing NAACLS characteristics from five years ago, comparing them to today's characteristics, and discussing ongoing trends, new trends, and what opportunities will develop. The afternoon was focused on skating to the puck: shaping the NAACLS vision, grouping the ideas that emerged into five key themes, and selecting several short term goals on which to focus over the next year.

The five key themes that emerged from the strategic planning are:

1. Promote and market the value of NAACLS accreditation through effective use of advocacy, outreach, collaboration and research. This might include outcomes research on the value of employees who graduated from NAACLS accredited programs, increasing NAACLS' transparency to the public, and partnering with other organizations and agencies in areas of shared interests.

2. Support and enhance the development of staff, volunteer, and program directors. To support and enhance professional development, web-based training modules for site visitors, review committee members, clinical supervisors and program directors may be developed.

3. Develop a system of internal improvements that will ensure the maintenance of quality assurance practices. This could include linking the content of training modules and workshops with evaluations of the accreditation and approval processes, re-focusing accreditation and approval processes on outcome measures, and streamlining Self-Study Reports and site visits.

4. Promote program excellence and innovation through effective use of technology, frequent review of standards and evaluation of outcomes. Implementing procedures to evaluate the clinical experiences offered by programs employing distance learning technology, disseminating information on best practices in clinical laboratory science education, and emphasizing flexibility and institutional prerogative in the interpretation of Standards are likely in this group.

5. Maintain a stable financial position that supports investment for future initiatives and best accreditation practices. This area could include restructuring the accreditation and approval fee structure, determining the feasibility of electronic submission of self studies and other documents, and investigating the accrediting of additional clinical laboratory disciplines.

All of these ideas and many more emerged during the strategic planning.

As this edition of NAACLS News goes to press, the formation of five workgroups, one for each goal, is being finalized. These workgroups will continue to shape the NAACLS strategic plan by selecting one- and three-year initiatives to reach those goals and suggesting strategies for implementation - they will be determining where the puck will be and skating to it. The puck is moving. Where will you skate?

Top of the News
			CEO's Corner Strategic Planning for NAACLS by Dianne M. Cearlock, PhD Chief Executive Officer
			Changes in Temporary Program Director Categories Affiliation Agreement Documentation by Gwen James Oriaikhi Accreditation Specialist
			NAACLS to Implement New Volunteer Recognition Program by Edward Rotchford Program Services Coordinator
Features
			Dr. NAACLS Advice for Accredited and Approved Programs
			President's Report by Shauna Anderson, PhD, MT(ASCP)C, CLS(NCA) President, Board of Directors
Other News
			A Tribute to the NAACLS Graduate Task Force
			Site Visit Schedule Fall/Winter 2007

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