With all the demands laboratory professionals face today, taking time out to learn new skills can be challenging. AACC's online certificates offer personalized, high-quality education on a variety of laboratory testing and management topics. Here's a look at our newest and most popular online certificate programs.

Patient Safety and Outcomes

In today's clinical lab, patient safety and improving patient outcomes have become essential. AACC offers two certificate programs on complementary subjects.

Improving Outcomes Through POCT is an advanced exploration of point-of-care testing (POCT) applications, including best practices and POCT implementation in the emergency department, disaster medicine, and infectious diseases scenarios. The faculty also provides in-depth knowledge on how POCT can improve patient outcomes in creatinine blood testing, heart conditions, diabetes management, and infectious diseases.

A new certificate program, Patient Safety Essentials for Laboratory Professionals, offers practical tips for laboratorians on identifying patient safety hazards and employing resources at hand to improve patient care. Faculty experts provide step-by-step methods for approaching error detection and response, risk management, and quality improvement.

Both of these resources are offered as multi-course online certificate programs, each with lectures, recommended readings, and quizzes. Program materials are accessible online until July 15, 2014. A certificate of completion is awarded to those who successfully pass all courses, and continuing education credits are provided.

And this year only, our newest program on patient safety is being offered to AACC members with an additional savings of 20% over the current member rate. Simply register online using promotional code 140 or mention this offer when registering by phone with our customer service department.

The Realm of Molecular Testing

With the evolution of personalized medicine in cancer treatment and the rise of genetically targeted therapies, the demand is increasing for skilled laboratory professionals able to perform molecular diagnostic tests and help physicians determine effective treatment plans.

You can take a first step toward this exciting trend in laboratory medicine by testing your knowledge using the certificate program, Fundamentals of Molecular Pathology, which features expert contributors in the field. This basic-to-intermediate-level program offers a comprehensive look at molecular testing in nine different courses, spanning techniques in genetics, cancer diagnosis, infectious diseases, and pharmacogenomics.

Education in Laboratory Management

For clinical lab professionals interested in management subjects, there are five certificate programs to choose from that include our newest program, Patient Safety Essentials for Laboratory Professionals.

Basic Principles and Architecture of Laboratory Information Systems features online lectures and resources to assist with laboratory information system decisions, troubleshooting, and matters related to patient safety.

In the Clinical Laboratory Leadership and Management certificate program, you can learn tools for managing time, personnel, and enhancing your team development and leadership skills.

For those interested in regulatory affairs and compliance with state and federal regulations, AACC offers a certificate program on Regulatory Affairs for Laboratory Compliance. This course outlines how CLIA '88, OSHA, and HIPAA regulations affect operations, compliance, and reimbursement issues for the lab.

AACC also offers the Statistical Methods for Clinical Laboratorians certificate program that reviews the essentials of lab statistics. This knowledge will not only help you better understand the quality of your results data, but it will also allow you to evaluate the statistical methods in your lab.

As an added benefit of these laboratory management programs, students receive invitations to special educational events on related topics. Both current students and graduates of these certificate programs can participate in these events at no cost. For example, an upcoming event for these learners is a webinar on the impact of FDA regulation in today's clinical lab on October 10, featuring expert Steve Binder from Bio-Rad Laboratories.

How to Register

For a comprehensive list of AACC's certificate programs and to register, please visit the AACC website or call 800-892-1400.