Program Start Date/End Date: January 1, 2012-July 15, 2013

The program is composed of eight courses which can be completed online in 1 - 2 hours each. Each course contains a lecture, required reading, and self-assessment and may include case studies, practical exercises, and glossary and resource materials. You can earn 13 continuing education units for completing the entire program.

• Administration
• Communication
• Connectivity and Information Technology
• Education and Training
• Instrument Selection and Validation
• Policies and Procedures
• Quality Management
• Regulation

Given the dramatic increase in near patient testing today, ensuring quality management of testing outside the laboratory is increasingly critical to patient care. The person responsible for point of care at an institution interacts with clinicians, nurses, laboratorians, and other health care providers to ensure that existing clinical laboratory regulations and quality standards are applied systematically throughout the organization. Through detailed knowledge of instrumentation, regulations, policies and procedures, education and training, quality management, and communication, the person responsible for point of care helps reduce medial errors and contribute to cost-effective medical care.

The AACC Critical and Point-of-Care Testing Division developed this comprehensive online distance learning program for nurses, respiratory therapists, and other health care professionals who are being asked to take on point of care duties.

Designed for working professionals, this one-of-a-kind program provides a comprehensive curriculum for successful practice in the U.S.-based hospital, clinical, and doctor’s office point-of-care testing. It is a high quality professional development program with rich content that will deepen and broaden the knowledge and skills of professionals working in point of care and validate the experience they bring to the job.

The curriculum is scientifically sound and reflects current recommended practice. The faculty are dedicated laboratory professionals who are recognized experts in the field with first-hand knowledge of the challenges within point of care. The online format is specifically structured to be accessible, affordable, and manageable. No other program offers nurses, respiratory therapists, or other health care professionals the comprehensive level of point of care expertise that this program provides.