Continuing Education for Clinical Laboratory Personnel

My previous entry on quality control resources at Westgard QC mentions accreditation given for participation in courses, for PACE and ACCENT. This is important for people who must document their continuing education activities and provide evidence to various organizations in order to maintain licenses or professional certifications.

PACE (Professional Acknowledgement for Continuing Education) credits are acknowledged by the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). Courses that are accredited by ASCLS for PACE credits are also widely recognized by organizations such as American Medical Technologists (AMT), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and National Credentialing Agency for Clinical Laboratory Personnel (NCA).

The ACCENT accreditation program (Advances in Clinical Chemistry Education and New Technology) by the AACC (American Association for Clinical Chemistry) is a means of documenting continuing education by taking accredited courses or reading accredited material, including articles by the AACC that are available online. Documentation can be used to comply with the requirements of various organizations including the American Association of Bioanalysts, American Society of Microbiology, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, American Medical Technologists, Association of Clinical Scientists, International Federation of Clinical Chemistry, National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel, National Registry in Clinical Chemistry, and the States of California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.