This program was developed to prepare point-of-care coordinators and POC 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 point-of-care testing. It is a high-quality professional development program with content that will deepen and broaden the knowledge of those responsible for POC programs and validate the experience they bring to the job.
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.
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POC Regulations
Christine Cursio, MLT, BS, POCT Manager, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
Discusses regulations, accreditation, standards, and guidelines as well as their differences.
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POC Quality Management
Marcia Zucker, PhD, Independent Consultant, ZIVD LLC., New Jersey, USA (See Disclosures)
Reviews training and competency, discusses the three parts of the testing process (preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical), quality improvement processes, and safety considerations.
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POC Policies and Procedures
Bill Hankins, Point of Care Coordinator, Danville Regional Medical Center, Virginia, USA
Explains the differences between policies, processes, and procedures, lists guidelines on document development, document approval, and document control, and discusses the importance of standardizing procedures.
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POC Instrument Selection and Validation
Marcia Zucker, PhD
Lists the various classes of point of care instrumentation, discusses the principles that need to be thought of when selecting instrumentation, and explains the requirements for system validation.
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POC Connectivity and IT
Diane Davis, MT(ASCP)SH, Core Lab and POCT Manager, All Children’s Hospital, Florida, USA
Explains 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 lists the newer technologies of infrared and radiofrequency wireless.
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POC Education and Training
Victor French, CLS Supervisor/POC, KFH Modesto Medical Center, California, USA
Discusses the need and value of designing training programs that accommodate individual differences in learning styles, discusses some educational tools, and briefly reviews the regulations overseeing education training and competency assessments and the importance of measuring education outcomes.
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POC Administration
LouAnn Wyer, MS, MT(ASCP), Laboratory Director, Sentara Healthcare, Virginia, USA
Reviews the structure for oversight and control of point of care testing processes, defines leadership, and discusses safety knowledge that should be implemented into a point of care program.
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POC Communication
Sheila Coffman, MT(ASCP), Program Manager, Abbott Point-of-Care, New Jersey, USA (See Disclosures)
Discusses the role of communication in a POC program, styles of communication and leadership, defines characteristics of effective speaking and listening, and identifies communication tools for point of care coordination.
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POC Final Exam