The NAACLS News

MLS

Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY

University of Wyoming-Casper, Casper, WY

MLT

Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke, VA

Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA

Maysville Community and Technical College, Maysville, NY

Pathologists’ Assistant

Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA

At the April 26, 2018 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 the review committees were held. Elected for a first term on the RCAP were Candice Grayson (MLT educator), Frankie Harris-Lyne (MLT educator), Michelle Costas (Path A educator), and Ericka Hendrix (DMS educator). Re-elected for a second term were Dale Telgenhoff (HT educator) and Linda Rippii (2-year educator).
• Elected for a first term on the PARC was Keri Brophy-Martinez (Phleb educator).
• Proposed changes to the Pathologist Assistant (PathA) program director standard, previously released to the public for comments, were adopted. The changes require PathA program directors to be graduates of a NAACLS‐accredited (AAPA approved prior to 1995) pathologist assistant educational program with an advanced degree (masters or doctoral). Please access the NAACLS website to review the PathA Standards in greater detail.
• Proposed changes to the DCLS standards, previously released to the public for comments and subsequently amended, were adopted. Also, the Board approved a streamlined process for the DCLS accreditation application and initial self study report processes. Please stay tuned to the NAACLS News for a summary of these changes to be posted soon, to be authored by Randall S. Lambrecht who serves as the DCLS Chair.

By Megan Eggert – Meetings and Events Planner

NAACLS will conduct a workshop titled, “Demystifying NAACLS’ Accreditation/Approval Processes,” on November 2, 2018, from 7:30am-4:00pm in Chicago, IL. The workshop will include a continental breakfast and lunch.

The workshop will be presented by Sally Pestana, MT(ASCP),  and Cecelia W. Landin, EdD, MLS(ASCP)^CM.

By Bill Hunt, MBA, MLS(ASCP)^CM

NAACLS Needs You!!

In the Mission of NAACLS it states that we are, “dedicated to peer review as the foundation of accreditation and approval.” We are an agency that, “strives to prepare volunteer reviewers and to assist them in providing exemplary program analysis, based upon principles of honesty, fairness, objectivity and integrity.”

As many of you are fully aware there continues to be a large bolus of retirements hitting laboratory education and NAACLS. That “brain drain” impacts not only the available pools of active practitioners and program faculty but NAACLS pool of volunteers also. Retiring people can still stay connected and involved by serving as NAACLS volunteers. For the “new” program directors a great way to immerse in the standards and to learn about other programs is to volunteer to be elected as a member of the NAACLS BOD, Doctoral Review Committee, Review Committee for Accredited Programs or Programs Approval Review Committee. Volunteer to be a Self-Study Report Reviewers or a Site Visitor. For information reach out to the NAACLS office or follow the link https://www.naacls.org/getattachment/2508a754-dc2c-4bdc-afba-e349444ff0f6/Volunteer-Manual-Edited-2016.aspx for the NAACLS Volunteer Manual for Self-Study Report Reviewers and Site visitors.

Multiple studies have shown that volunteering has real, measurable health benefits for the people who volunteer. A 2013 study by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and the Optum Institute shows:

• Health: volunteers say that they feel better – physically, mentally and emotionally;
• Stress: volunteering helps people manage and lower their stress levels;
• Purpose: volunteers feel a deeper connection to communities and to others;
• Engagement: volunteers are more informed health care consumers, and more engaged and involved in managing their health.

We all volunteer for a myriad of reasons. Personally I volunteer at NAACLS to ensure that our profession continues to produce the next generation of competent laboratory professionals. So please consider joining the NAACLS volunteer team.

For those of you attending our upcoming NAACLS Workshop on February 22nd, the accompanying materials were emailed out today.

If you have not received the email by the end of the business day, please check your spam folder. If you still did not receive the email, please call the office.

We look forward to seeing you in Houston!! Stay tuned to the NAACLS News for upcoming workshop announcements.

We invite you to view the NAACLS 2017 Annual Report on our website.

The Annual Report includes a Message from the President, 2017 Program Data, 2017 Board of Directors’ Actions, 2017 Volunteers, Statements of Financial Position for FY ending June 30, 2017, and Rosters for the NAACLS Board, Review Committees and Staff.

The summer 2018 cycle includes programs that will have site visits during spring 2018 and will be placed on the agenda for the summer 2018 meeting of the review committees. Recommendations from the committees will be acted upon by the Board in fall 2018.

MLS Programs:

Andrews University Program for Medical Laboratory Science, Berrien Springs, MI

Arkansas State University, State University, AR

Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA

Ascension – Saint Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, WI

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL

Conemaugh Memorial Hospital, Johnstown, PA

Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY

Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL (Initial)