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National Accrediting
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info@naacls.org |
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| Archives |
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Volume 98 - Spring 2008
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CEO's Corner
NAACLS Responds to Program Director Turnover
by Dianne Cearlock, PhD
Chief Executive Officer |
Over 20 percent of all the CLS/MT and CLT/MLT programs accredited by NAACLS
experienced Program Director (PD) turnover within the last two years. This
stunning rate of turnover may well continue for some time to come as experienced
PDs in the Baby Boomer demographic group reach retirement age and leave their
positions.
PD turnover can create stress and instability for programs which may be
compounded by difficulties in recruiting a new PD who meets both the position
criteria set by the sponsoring institution and NAACLS' criteria. The acute
national shortage of competent clinical laboratory professionals affects not
only practitioner positions but those providing educational services as well.
NAACLS' criteria in Standard 5 state that the Program Director must:
- hold nationally recognized generalist certification;
- have a master's or doctoral degree;
- have three years of experience in clinical laboratory science education;
- have knowledge of education methods and administration, and
- have knowledge of current accreditation and certification procedures.
An Acting Program Director must have the same certification requirements in Standard 5, at least two years of clinical laboratory education, and be able to achieve all qualifications for Program Director status within 12 months. A one-time extension of six months may be granted under some circumstances.
NAACLS addresses the PD turnover and programs' possible difficulties in recruiting new PDs in several ways. Recently, the NAACLS Board of Directors approved a directive to the Review Committees to interpret the clinical laboratory education experience criterion for PD with as broad an interpretation as possible while still maintaining the Standard. The Review Committee Chairs have since discussed appropriate implementation of this directive. In addition to stressing a broad interpretation of the requirement for clinical laboratory education experience, the Review Committee Chairs chose to add another quality control layer to the process. After the Review Committee members review Program Official Approval Forms and render opinions as to whether the applicants meet NAACLS' criteria, the Board of Directors liaisons to the Review Committees will review the forms as well. This additional review will not only ensure that another pair of eyes reviews the information but will help NAACLS maintain consistency of program official approval across the Review Committees and over time.
Programs that are recruiting new Directors may wish to consult with NAACLS about the credentials of potential job candidates if there are any questions as to the candidates' eligibility for service as a PD. NAACLS gladly provides this service to Search Committees upon request. In addition, NAACLS advises that, whenever possible, a new PD be mentored by working together with the experienced PD for a period of time.
All newly appointed PDs receive from NAACLS a Program Director packet in a CD format and this CD is full of information about the Standards, processes, and cycles of accreditation and much more. In addition, all new PDs are strongly encouraged to participate in one or more NAACLS workshops. Typically, at least two workshops are offered each year and are announced well in advance on the NAACLS website. Many other accreditation resources may easily be accessed from the NAACLS website as well. A goal for the future includes the development and implementation of online continuing education offerings covering various topics associated with the Standards and accreditation. No target date has yet been set but when these options become available it will be announced on NAACLS website. Stay tuned!
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CEO's Corner
NAACLS Responds to Program Director Turnover by Dianne Cearlock, PhD Chief Executive Officer |
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President's Report
Turtle Moments by Cheryl Caskey, MA, CLS, CLSplH(NCA) President, Board of Directors |
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NAACLS Participates in CCCLW Strategic Planning Conference
by Paula Garrott, EdM, CLS(NCA) ASCLS Representative to NAACLS Board of Directors |
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New Phlebotomy Approval Process Launched
By Wendy Miller, MS, CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP)SI, Chair, Programs Approval Review Committee (PARC) and Marcia Armstrong, MS, MT(ASCP by Wendy Miller, MS, CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP)SI & Marcia Armstrong, MS, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA) Chair, Programs Approval Review Committee (PARC) & Past Chair, Programs Approval Review Committee (P |
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Dr. NAACLS
Advice for Accredited and Approved Programs |
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Education Methodologies Workshop Serves 80 Participants | |||
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Spring/Summer 2008 Site Visits | |||
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Copyright © 2008 National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. All rights reserved. Comments or suggestions to the site editor. |
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