by Dianne M. Cearlock, PhD, Chief Executive Officer
At the September 19, 2014 meeting of the NAACLS Board of Directors, in addition to accreditation and approval awards recommended by the RCAP and PARC, the following items were addressed:
- The Board voted to adopt changes to the HT Standards to require accredited programs to award graduates an associate’s degree OR a certificate for students who already hold an associate’s degree or higher. This proposal was previously released to the public for 30 days with a request for comment. The Board reviewed all of the comments submitted prior to adopting the changes.
- The ASCP-BOC was approved to be added to the list of approved certification agencies for phlebotomy program directors holding certification as phlebotomists. This will appear in the Standards Compliance Guide PBT Unique Standard VII, Accompanying Documentation section available on at www.naacls.org. The approval does not change the Standards for phlebotomy programs. Phlebotomy program directors holding MLS or MLT ASCP-BOC certification remain eligible for the position.
- A number of editorial and formatting changes to the Standards Compliance Guide and the Guide to Accreditation and Approval were adopted. The updated documents will be available on the NAACLS website at www.naacls.org.
- The composition and responsibilities of the Board Quality Assurance (QA) standing committee were clarified. The QA Committee membership includes Board members appointed by the President and Board liaisons from the RCAP, PARC and DRC. In addition the President, NAACLS CEO, and chairs of the RCAP, PARC, and DRC serve as ex officio members. The QA Committee 1) reviews accreditation and approval recommendations from the RCAP, PARC, and DRC for accuracy, objectivity and consistency; 2) reviews NAACLS documents and procedures for accuracy, clarity, and consistency; and 3) assists in developing corrective actions in the accreditation and approval processes when the need arises.
- The Board elected officers for 2014-2015. Continuing in the 2nd year of a 2-year term as President is Fred Rodriguez (ASCP representative). The following Board members were elected to 1-year terms: Yasmen Simonian (ASCLS representative) as President-Elect, William Hunt (ASCLS representative) as Treasurer, Sondra Flemming (2-year educator) as Secretary, and Hugh Bonner (4-year educator) as Member-at-Large. Continuing on the Board in the role of immediate Past-President is Jerry Phipps (AAPA representative).