Point-of-Care Specialist Certificate Program

This certificate program is completed online, at your own pace, within ADLM’s learning platform. It must be completed within one year of the purchase date.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This program was developed to prepare point-of-care testing (POCT) coordinators and specialists for their critical role and to promote standardized best practices. It was updated for 2014 to reflect current practices and aims to provide information useful to POCT personnel both within and outside of the United States.

Designed for working professionals, it provides a comprehensive curriculum for successful practice in the hospital, clinical, and doctor's office POCT. It is a high-quality professional development program with content that will deepen and broaden the knowledge of those responsible for POCT programs and validate the experience they bring to the job.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Lab Supervisors, Lab Directors (and/or assistant directors), Lab Managers (supervisory and/or non-supervisory), Point-of-Care Coordinators

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Discuss regulations, accreditation, standards, and guidelines as well as their differences.
• Review training and competency, discuss the three parts of the testing process (preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical), quality improvement processes, and safety considerations.
• Explain the differences between policies, processes, and procedures, list guidelines on document development, document approval, and document control, and discuss the importance of standardizing procedures.
• List the various classes of point of care instrumentation, discuss the principles that need to be thought of when selecting instrumentation, and explain the requirements for system validation.
• Explain device and host communication, how to set up a system, the logistics involved in connectivity and how they relate to billing, the different types of interfaces, and list the newer technologies of infrared and radiofrequency wireless.
• Discuss the need and value of designing training programs that accommodate individual differences in learning styles, discuss some educational tools and regulations overseeing education training and competency assessments and the importance of measuring education outcomes.
• Review the structure for oversight and control of point-of-care testing processes, define leadership, and discuss safety knowledge that should be implemented into a point of care program.
• Discuss the role of communication in a POCT program, styles of communication and leadership, define characteristics of effective speaking and listening, and identify communication tools for POCT coordination.

COURSES & FACULTY

The program is composed of the eight courses listed below. Each course can be completed online in approximately 1-2 hours and contains a lecture, slides and transcripts, and a quiz. The program also has a comprehensive 50 question multiple-choice exam and additional resources for download.

1. POC Regulations
   Christine Cursio, MLT, BS, POCT Manager, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
2. POC Quality Management
   Marcia Zucker, PhD, Independent Consultant, ZIVD LLC., New Jersey, USA (See Disclosures)
3. POC Policies and Procedures
   Bill Hankins, Point of Care Coordinator, Danville Regional Medical Center, Virginia, USA
4. POC Instrument Selection and Validation
   Marcia Zucker, PhD
5. POC Connectivity and IT
   Diane Davis, MT(ASCP)SH, Core Lab and POCT Manager, All Children’s Hospital, Florida, USA
6. POC Education and Training
   Victor French, CLS Supervisor/POC, KFH Modesto Medical Center, California, USA
7. POC Administration
   LouAnn Wyer, MS, MT(ASCP), Laboratory Director, Sentara Healthcare, Virginia, USA&
8. POC Communication
   Sheila Coffman, MT(ASCP), Program Manager, Abbott Point-of-Care, New Jersey, USA (See Disclosures)
9. POC Final Exam

DISCLOSURES

The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) is dedicated to ensuring balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all educational activities. All participating planning committee members and faculty are required to disclose to the program audience any financial relationships related to the subject matter of this program. Disclosure information is reviewed in advance in order to manage and resolve any possible conflicts of interest. The intent of this disclosure is to provide participants with information on which they can make their own judgments.

The following planners and faculty reported relevant financial relationship(s), and have indicated that those relationships would not impact the content of the activity:

• Marcia Zucker, PhD
  Salary/Consultant Fee: Response Biomedical Corporation
• Sheila Coffman, MT(ASCP)
  Salary/Consultant Fee: Abbott Point-of-Care

The following planners and faculty reported no relevant financial relationships:

• Christine Cursio, MLT, BS
• Bill Hankins
• Diane Davis, MT(ASCP)SH
• Victor French

CONTENT VALIDITY

All recommendations involving clinical medicine are based on evidence accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients; AND/OR all scientific research referred to or reported in support or justification of a patient care recommendation conforms to generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT

This activity is approved for 13.0 ACCENT^® continuing education credits. Activity ID #4155. This activity was planned in accordance with ACCENT Standards and Policies.

For California Residents: Please note that this activity cannot be claimed for continuing education credit by California-licensed clinical laboratory personnel reporting to the California Department of Public Health as determined by the Laboratory Field Services branch. For questions, contact us at [email protected].

SUCCESFUL COMPLETION STATMENT

Verification of Participation certificates are provided to registered participants based on completion of the activity, in its entirety, and the activity evaluation. The evaluation link will be emailed to the participants after all work within ADLM’s learning platform is complete. For questions regarding continuing education, please email [email protected].

Program Launch Year: 2008
Most Recent Program Update: 2014