National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) is a US based educational accreditation organization that accredits clinical laboratory educational programs. NAACLS is accredited by the

Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is an American organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order to ...

(CHEA). NAACLS is the primary accrediting body for clinical laboratory programs in the US, though the

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is a recognized higher education accreditation organization in the United States specializing in the institutional accreditation of private, postsecondary institutions that offer allied he ...

(ABHES) also accredits a handful of programs. Graduates of the ABHES are not eligible for the

American Society for Clinical Pathology The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), formerly known as the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, is a professional association based in Chicago, Illinois, encompassing 130,000 pathologists and laboratory professionals. Founded ...

(ASCP) certification, but are eligible for the

American Medical Technologists The American Medical Technologists (AMT) is a professional association that encompasses 80,000 allied health professionals. It was founded in 1939. The organization published a bi-monthly journal entitled ''The Journal of American Medical Technol ...

(AMT) certification. NAACLS has criticized the rise of non-accredited,

on-the-job training On-the-job training (widely known as OJT) is an important topic of human resource management. It helps develop the career of the individual and the prosperous growth of the organization. On-the-job training is a form of training provided at the wo ...

(OJT) programs as undermining the laboratory profession.

History

It was founded in 1973, after the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

pressured the

(ASCP) to disband their Board of Schools (BOS) following monopolization concerns. At the time of its founding, there were seven categories of laboratory personnel: Clinical Laboratory Assistant (CLA), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Medical Technologist (MT), Cytotechnologist (CT), and

Histotechnologist Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures visi ...

(HT). In 2023, there was an effort to standardize program nomenclature which did not pass.

Programs

Decreases in laboratory reimbursement have led to a decline in the number of NAACLS accredited MLS programs from ~700 in 1975 to ~240 programs in 2002, where it has held since. NAACLS program graduates are eligible to sit for

(ASCP) certifications.

Stance on non-accredited training programs

NAACLS has criticized the rise of non-accredited,

(OJT) programs as undermining the laboratory profession.

References

External links

{{pathology-stub Medical and health organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1973