By: Edward Rotchford, Accreditation Specialist/Volunteer Services Manager

Following the September 2014 Board of Directors meeting, a number of motions were voted upon that resulted in some changes to NAACLS documents, notably the NAACLS Guide to Accreditation and Approval, NAACLS Standards, and NAACLS Standards Compliance Guide.  The following is a brief listing of these changes:

Changes to NAACLS Guide to Accreditation and Approval:

• Preliminary Report Requirements updated to better align with Standards

Changes to NAACLS Standards

• Change to Standard 1.D.1.g requiring HT programs to culminate in an associate degree or higher, or a certificate for students who hold or complete the required degree
• Editorial Change for clarification to Standard VII.B (requirements for Site Program Coordinator)

Change to NAACLS Standards Compliance Guide

• Reformatted to better align with Standards
• ASCP added as a recognized Phlebotomy Certification agency when reviewing PBT Program Director Qualifications
• Language changes for Accompanying Documentation for Self-Study for Standard II.B.1: “Examples of tools used to collect data for outcome measures that may include: a. Course and/or faculty evaluation, b. Graduate surveys feedback, c. Employer surveys feedback, d. Quizzes/examinations/laboratory exercises or practical, capstone projects”
• Initial programs now required to have additional curricular materials reviewed in self-study and during site visit if three years of outcomes measures data have not yet been accumulated
• Removal of Standard VIII Matrix (now to be available for separate download)

For more information on compliance with the new Standards, all program directors and faculty are encouraged to register for the next NAACLS workshop on February 19, 2015 preceding the CLEC conference.  Information on this workshop can be found at http://naacls.org/docs/INVITE2-15.doc