NAACLS Board of Directors Update – September, 2017

(Last Updated On: )

By Dianne M. Cearlock, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

At the September 29, 2017 meeting of the NAACLS Board of Directors, in addition to accreditation and approval awards recommended by the Review Committee on Accredited Programs (RCAP) and the Program Approval Review Committee (PARC), the following items were addressed:

• Elections for Board of Director officer positions were held. President-Elect Bill Hunt succeeded Yasmen Simonian as President. Elected were Peter Hu (Vice President), Pat Ellinger (Secretary), Lynn Brodeur (Treasurer), and Julie O’Sullivan Maillet (Member at Large). Leaving the Board after completion of two terms were Yasmen Simonian and Margaret Fritsma (ASCLS and ASCP representatives, respectively.) Additionally, incoming President Bill Hunt appointed various Board members to serve as standing committee chairs and review committee liaisons.
• NAACLS policies for alignment of cycles when accredited and approved programs with the same sponsor go through the review process simultaneously were updated to be consistent with the 2012 Standards.
• Updated Standards for programs offering a degree at the doctoral level of practice (DCLS or other appropriate degree), proposed by the Doctoral Review Committee (DRC), were approved to be released with a request for public comment. Comments will be reviewed at the next Board meeting in April 2018. Please monitor the NAACLS News blog for the proposed Standards and information about how to submit comments.
• The proposed change to Standard VII.A for Pathologist Assistant program directors was approved to be released with a request for public comment. Comments will be reviewed at the next Board meeting in April 2018. Please monitor the NAACLS News blog for the proposed change and information about how to submit comments.
• Clarifying language was adopted for inclusion into the Standards Compliance Guide indicating that psychomotor phlebotomy skills remain a requirement for MLT but not MLS programs.
• Several changes to the Review Committee on Accredited Programs (RCAP) leadership structure and composition were adopted.
• Following a period of public comment, clarifying changes to Standard VII.C.2 (Clinical Liaison, Qualifications and Responsibilities) were adopted. The Standards with the clarifying changes will be posted on the NAACLS website.
• Several clarifying revisions proposed by the joint review committees (RCAP and PARC) to the Sponsoring Institution Fact Sheet, Clinical Facility Fact Sheet, Program Official Approval Form, self study and site visit report forms, and the Standard Compliance Guide were adopted. Programs receiving notification of renewals during fall of 2017 will be required to include the revised fact sheets in the self study report.