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There are numerous disciplines within the laboratory sciences, from generalists to specialists. Please visit the above link for more information on the different fields within the clinical lab. Note this will take you away from the NAACLS Website.
Student Appeals
Students are an important community of interest to accrediting bodies, and one of the goals of accreditation is the protection of students, in addition to the assurance of program quality. NAACLS is committed to the principles of honesty in reporting, professional integrity, and ethical conduct among officials of its programs, staff, and volunteers. When an alleged violation of these principles is brought to our attention, NAACLS acts in accordance with established policy.
Students with concerns about their program and who contact NAACLS are referred to the NAACLS Complaints Procedure. This procedure is the means whereby students, faculty, and the general public may address complaints regarding an accredited program.
NAACLS Complaints Procedure – Student Responsibility
Before NAACLS may act on a student's complaint, the student must provide the following:
1. Documentation that the student followed the institution’s due process procedure on complaints.
- The student must first bring the issue to the faculty or program director. If this fails to produce satisfaction, the student must continue up the administrative hierarchy at the institution. Only when the institution's internal "due process" has been completed may NAACLS begin to act on a student's complaint.
- An example of documentation may be (but is not limited to) a copy of a completed student grievance form, with proof of submission. These forms are often found in the program’s student handbook.
2. As an accreditor, NAACLS cannot take action against a program unless it is in non-compliance with a standard. As a programmatic accreditor, NAACLS standards have a limited scope. If you do not find a NAACLS Standard that would address your complaint, we recommend seeking out your school’s institutional accreditor. In a written narrative, the student must state which Standards they feel this program has violated and provide any evidence.
- The student’s signature is also required along with the narrative.
- To access the NAACLS Standards, click the link below:
NAACLS Standards for Accredited Programs
After submission of the above items, NAACLS may become involved.
NAACLS Complaints Procedure – NAACLS Responsibility
1. Within two weeks of receipt of the complaint, the Chief Executive Officer will determine whether the complaint can be applied directly to a NAACLS Standard.
2. If the complaint does not apply to a standard, the Chief Executive Officer informs the complainant that NAACLS does not have the authority to judge the issue because it does not involve a violation of the Standards. NAACLS will take no further action.
3. If a violation of Standards may have occurred, NAACLS initiates correspondence with the institution and requests related documentation in writing.
4. Once the related documentation is reviewed, additional communication may be required, and if a violation has transpired, a resolution is worked out between NAACLS and the institution.
5. If the response is adequate, the Review Committee Chair informs the complainant and the program of the complaint status. NAACLS will take no further action.
6. If the response is inadequate, a site visit may be scheduled.
- If the program is going through the reaccreditation process and a site visit is scheduled within the next year, the site visitors will be asked to address the issue.
- If a site visit is not scheduled within a year, the CEO, the President of the NAACLS Board of Directors, and the Review Committee Chair will review the documentation available and, if appropriate, schedule an early site visit.
- In both cases, the issue would be addressed through the site visit, the program's response to the site visit team report, and the deliberations of the appropriate Review Committee and Board of Directors.
7. The Board President will inform the complainant and the program of the outcome.
All complaints that are reviewed by the Review Committee Chair and Vice Chair are summarized for the appropriate review committee. The NAACLS CEO reports on all active complaints at meetings of the Board of Directors.
For further information, or if you are unsure whether or not a complaint is related to the Standards, please contact the NAACLS office at info@naacls.org.
Handling of Student and Faculty Complaints for Accredited Programs
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