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Cytopathology.org

Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee:
Cytotechnology Education Today -
Accreditation Updates and Colllaborative
Opportunities for Enhancem
Robert A. Goulart, MD
Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee (CPRC)
Director, Surgical Pathology and Hospital Pathology Services
Associate Director, Cytopatholog
New England Pathology Associates at Mercy Medical Center
Sisters of Providence Health System/Catholic Health East
Springfield, Massachusetts
Roundtable Discussion #1
November 14th, 2010
On behalf of all CPRC Members
Disclosure information
"The speaker has no relationship that represents a possible conflict of interest
with respect to the content of this presentation."
Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee
Robert A. Goulart, MD, Chair
[email protected] Donald Simpson, PhD, MPH, CT(ASCP), Vice Chair
Donna K. Russell, MS, CT(ASCP)
Donald Schnitzler, CT(ASCP)
Daniel F. I. Kurtycz, MD
[email protected] Karen K. Nauschuetz, MD
Nadeem Zafar, MD
[email protected] Barbara McGahey Frain, MS, SCT(ASCP)
[email protected] Nancy J. Smith, MS, SCT(ASCP), AS
SC Commissioner to CAAHEP Kalyani Naik, MS, SCT(ASCP), CPRC Commissioner to CAAHEP
Maria Friedlander, MPA, CT(ASCP), Alternate Commissioner to CAAHEP an
[email protected] Sondra Flemming, MS, RN, CAAHEP Liaison
Deborah A. MacIntyre, CPRC Coordinator

Educational objectives
 Understand recent changes to the accreditation process and how to fully comply with CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines, the Curriculum and Entry-Level Competencies; using best practice examples, tools and CPRC-provided guidance (focusing on current challenges faced by programs, institutions, and educators).  Understand the relationship of the findings and recommendations of the Educators' Forum Task Forces and the Future of Cytopathology Summit on the Standards/Guidelines, the curriculum, and the overall program review and accreditation process.  Discuss how legislative and regulatory issues and emerging technologies are affecting the profession, with the further evolution of now needed educational opportunities pertinent to the practice of cytotechnology.  Outline opportunities for collaboration among communities of interest pertinent to the practice of cytopathology, discussing sponsorship, responsibility for accreditation oversight, and roles of site visitors.  The practice and scope of cytotechnology is actively being redefined with education models and curricula currently evolving, a process which will most certainly deepen and accelerate with the final reports of the Task Forces of the 2009 Educators' Forum and the recent Future of Cytopathology Summit. As such, it is imperative for educators to have the appropriate information and tools necessary to ensure that all implemented changes remain compliant with accreditation Standards. As an integral component of this process, the Standards/Guidelines, curriculum and entry-level competencies are currently under review and revision. In this presentation and discussion, the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee (CPRC) will provide guidance, tools and strategies for adapting to current practice model changes while maintaining compliance. Discussion will further focus on the role of professional organizations in cytotechnology education, challenges faced by existing education programs, and determination of next steps for future collaboration among communities of interest. 1. Standards & Guidelines for the Accreditation of Education Programs in
Cytotechnology
The CPRC has been working for the past 18 months revising the Standards and Guidelines for
the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Cytotechnology for Cytotechnology Programs.
The electronic revisions of the Standards have been discussed by the Committee during
conference calls, at the CPRC 2008 and 2009 annual meetings, via email, and finalized for
review in June 2009. The Standards were posted on the Cytotechnology Educator's and ASC
List Serves with a link to a web-based format for comments from communities of interest.
Comments from communities of interest were incorporated into the formal CPRC review, which
was finalized during the February 10, 2010 conference call. At this point, the Standards were
sent to the CAAHEP Standards Committee with a request for a formal review. Changes were
made by the Standards Committee and re-discussed in conference call by the committee, with a revised version re-submitted in early summer. On September 8th, the CAAHEP Standards Committee approved the final version of the Standards & Guidelines (S&G) submitted by the CPRC. The additional processes required for the completion of the Standards review (see below) are currently pending the adoption (if so determined) of additional CPRC sponsors. The review and opportunity for input into the S&G is a major benefit to the Programs in Cytotechnology, but also serves as a benefit to all sponsors. If the incorporation of additional co-sponsors moves forward to adoption, all sponsors would have an opportunity to review and comment on the S&G. The following steps and timeline would occur: a) Mid-April, 2011: After the CAAHEP Annual Meeting, the S&G will be reviewed and endorsed by the ASC and all new sponsors. b) Letters of endorsement from the sponsors will be submitted to CAAHEP with the Application for a Public Hearing. c) Once the public hearing date is set, which occurs during a CAAHEP Board of Directors meeting, the S&G will be posted on the CAAHEP web site for 30 days. d) In the process of the public hearing, the CPRC Chair and Coordinator will present the S&G for approval by CAAHEP Board of Directors. Once approval, the S&G are then deemed completed for a 5 year period. 2. Annual Report (AR) To Move to New/Improved Web-Based Reporting
Prior to 2010, the CPRC has used an Excel file format to gain the needed information from all Programs for their Annual Report. This format is both time-consuming and very limited in its capability. It must be loaded each year with prior years' data by the CPRC Coordinator, and it does not allow for pooling or comparison of data amongst the many Committees on Accreditation (CoA's) under CAAHEP. During the attendance of the CPRC Chair at the CAAHEP Leadership Meeting in January of this year, it was determined that the CPRC would make a commitment to adopt the new CAAHEP on-line reporting format. The CPRC is only the second CoA to do so, with others surely to follow. There will be many benefits to the on-line reporting module, such as allowing the Program Directors access at any time throughout the year to update information/download reports. a) Written instructions developed (by the CPRC Coordinator and Bill Goding of CAAHEP), which are specific to the navigation of the Cytotechnology Annual Report Module of the CAAHEP hub Annual Report web site (see below). b) CAAHEP to provide a training webinar for CPRC members (10/25/10)* c) CAAHEP to provide a training webinar for all program directors (two dates scheduled, 11/4/10 and 11/9/10)* *These 1-hour Webinar presentations will be conducted by Bill Goding, who was instrumental in their development on the CAAHEP Web site. They will review the details and techniques for navigating through the AR. They will be held via CAAHEP's webinar GoToMeeting program at
no cost to the CPRC or the Cytotechnology Programs.
d) Web-based Annual Report to be officially launched (11/1/10) e) All Program Directors received links and usernames and passwords to access their AR. f) An on-site tutorial will be held by Bill Goding at the ASC Annual Scientific Meeting, on
Friday November 12th, directly after the Program Faculty Seminar. This will occur from 5 pm to
7 pm and be open to all Program Directors and CPRC members attending the meeting. Again,
this session will be held at no cost to the ASC or the Program Directors.
g) The CPRC Coordinator will manage all AR and work with the Program Directors to complete the AR correctly. h) January 15, 2011 will serve as the deadline for submitting the 2010 AR, which focuses on data for the 2008-2009 classes.** **Due to the time required to develop the instructions and complete the necessary training, the AR will be circulated in November of this year (rather than late spring). In all future years, the Programs will again resume the prior schedule, with a completed AR requested in May. We are indebted to CAAHEP, which has devoted much time and effort for our CoA, at no cost to the ASC, the CPRC, or the Programs. i) Once data from the 2010 AR are collected and merged, the CPRC will present annual data to the EB, for their spring meeting. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE FINAL VERSION OF
THE ANNUAL REPORT INSTRUCTIONS, WHICH YOU
WILL BE RECEIVING SOON.
2010 CPRC CoA Annual Report

Welcome to the 2010 Annual Report (AR) for the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee
(CPRC), the Committee on Accreditation (CoA) through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied
Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). This year begins the use of an on-line report format (no
more Excel® spreadsheet).
For this year only, the filing deadline for the 2010 Annual Report is
January 15, 2011.

Quick start…
Personnel: The information for President/CEO, Dean, and Program Director is pre-filled from the CAAHEP
database. Corrections cannot be made directly in the AR. To update that information, email
the changes to [email protected].
If your current personnel are not on file with the CPRC, you must also communicate this change with the CPRC Coordinator, with appropriate documentation ([email protected]). Programs will enter information on the billing contact, Medical Director, Clinical/Education Coordinator (if applicable), and all full- and part-time Cytotechnology faculty. Do not duplicate Medical Director or Clinical/Education Coordinator in the faculty sections.
Enrollment & Retention: The entering classes of students (enrollment cohorts) are displayed in
columns – one column per class. The column to the far right is always used to create new
classes. Once that information is saved, the column is positioned in chronological order by
enrollment year. Enter each enrolled class of students for 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Outcomes: For each outcome measure (links on the left side of the screen), a table for data entry is on the
top portion of the screen with the threshold calculation (3-year average for 2009+2008+2007). In
the lower portion of the screen are two text boxes: one for entering the Detailed Analysis of that
outcome measure, the other for entering the Action Plan. Programs must provide a Detailed
Analysis and Action Plan for any outcome measure that does not meet the threshold for
the 3-year average (2009+2008+2007).

Survey Worksheet: The results of the Graduate and Employer Surveys are entered into this tab/screen.
Survey results for the graduates of 2009 need to be entered. Since the CPRC Graduate and
Employer Surveys have not been updated and divided into survey sections – cognitive, affective
and psychomotor, you cannot use them as designed this year. If your Program used the CPRC
Graduate Survey, enter the responses of all 16 items in the AR Graduate Survey-Cognitive
(GC-1 through GC-16). If your Program used the CPRC Employer Survey, enter responses for
the 16 items as Employer Survey-Cognitive (EC-1 through EC-16).
The AR will calculate the % of responses that were rated 3 or better. Items that have 80% or
more ratings of 3 or better will be automatically marked as positive (green light). Items with less
than 80% ratings of 3 or better will be automatically marked as negative (red light). However,
each program must determine its own positive/negative item, if the automatic AR calculation is
not applicable. A detailed Analysis and Action Plan must be written in the corresponding
link of the Outcomes tab for all negative items (as determined by the Program).

Report Submission: Programs may generate and download copies of the report (PDF file) as often as
they wish for their own review. To submit the report to the CPRC, first check the "Submit a copy of
the Annual Report via email to CoA" above the navigation buttons; then click the "Generate / Submit
Report" button. A PDF file of your Annual Report will be sent to the CPRC Coordinator, and you will
receive an email receipt of the submission. If you wish to re-submit your report, you must first
contact the CPRC Coordinator to "Un-submit" it. The CPRC will use the last Annual Report
submitted on or before January 15, 2011 as the official Program report for 2010.
The CPRC will use the last Annual Report submitted on or before January 15, 2011
as the official Program Report for 2010.
Directions for the 2010 CPRC Annual Report

Log In: The link to the login screen is: http://mydesertrose.com/arms.caahep.org
Your "User Name" is a Program ID plus "cprc" (e.g. LSUcprc). Your User Name and Password were emailed to the Program Director on file with the CPRC Coordinator. If you forget your password, click on "Forgot Password?", enter your User Name in the next
screen, click "Submit", and your password will be emailed to you (email address on file with the
CPRC Coordinator).
For help, contact Deb MacIntyre at: (302) 543-6583 or [email protected].

Program Menu: You will see your institution name and your program(s) listed below.
Click here to Logout
Your program sponsor name here
Click here to enter the Annual Repo
ort and begin data
Institution Screen: Clicking on your institution/sponsor name allows you to view your institutional
information on file with CAAHEP. You cannot edit this information in the AR. Send corrections to
[email protected].
Navigation: For data entry, move to the various screenss by clicking on the tab buttons.
Click on each of these 11 TABs to move from section to section
Throughout the data entry process you must always Update and Save the information. To
make changes to existing tables/data, you must Edit.

Personnel: The information for President/CEO, Dean, and Program Director is pre-filled from the
CAAHEP database. Corrections cannot be made directly in the AR. To update that
information, email the changes to [email protected].
NOTE: If your current personnel are not on file with the CPRC, you must communicate
this change with the CPRC Coordinator, with appropriate documentation.
([email protected]).
To enter Personnel information for Billing Contact, Medical Director(s), Clinical/E Coordinator (if applicable), Didactic/Lab Faculty, and Clinical Faculty click on the corresponding link on the left side of the screen. To enter the first and additional personnel, click on the
plus sign in each of the appropriate categories.
Select the Personnel category by clicking on these
Enter all paid and unpaid Cytotechnology faculty.
Do not duplicate the Program Director, Medical
Director or Education Coordinator in the Faculty
categories.
Program Information: Enter the information on Program Design. After completing the
entries you MUST click on Update at the lower left corner of the screen.
The report year defaults to 2010.
Entter each accredited award level. All programs must use
column labeled "Aw
A ard Level 1." IIf your Program has an
additional award level, use the column labeled "Award
Level 2."
If you report "No" to a sufficient budget, you must write a detailed Analysis and Action Plan.
You must click Update after any entries/changes on this page to save them.

Satellites & Affiliates: Enter the information for each program Satellite Location (see
definition*) and each program Clinical Affiliate. Don't forge
et to Save!
Don't forget to Save your entries!
*Satellite: offf-campus location(s) that are advertised or otherwise made known to
individuals outside the college at which the Cytotechnology core didactic and laboratory courses
of the Program are available (does not pertain to sites used by a completely on-line/distance
education program for individual students). Satellite location(s) function under the direction of
the Key Personnel of the program.

Enrollment & Retention: Always use the far right column to create a new class. Start by
selecting an Enrollment Yea
ar from the drop down list. Hover your cursor over the Comments
) for definitions of the data to be entered. Use the drop down calendar to enter the Enrollment Date and the "On-time" Graduation Date.
NOTE: you do not need to scroll to select the year and month. After opening the calendar
(pause for a few seconds), click on "2009" for a drop down list of years. Click on the month
displayed for a drop down list of the Months.
Programs that start multiple classes in a calendar year will enter the same Enrollment Year for each one in that year, but will enter the specific Enrollment Dates and "On-time Graduation Dates" that pertain to the individual classes. After entering the data in the far right column, you must click on the "Save this new column" button at the bottom of that far right column. Once Saved, the screen will refresh and the column will be repositioned in chronological order of Enrollment Year. Enrollment & Retention: (continued)
Enter each enrolled class of students for 2007, 2008 and 2009.

When the students in a given Enrollment Cohort (column) graduate, that number is entered into
the appropriate "Graduated in [year]" row. Be careful to not use a "Graduated in …" row that is
earlier than the "On-time Graduation Date" for the Enrollment Cohort.
For example, if a class of 18 students started on September 6, 2006 (with an "On-time"
Graduation Date of June 2, 2008) and 14 of those students graduated in 2008, then the number
"14" would be entered in that "September 6, 2006" column in the row labeled "Graduated in
2008". If 1 student of that Enrollment cohort had stopped out for a year, but graduated in 2009,
then the number "1" would be entered in that "September 6, 2006" colum
mn in the row labeled "Graduated in 2009".
Enrollment & Retention: (continued)
Don't forget to "Save this new column" after creating a new class
s, then wait for the
column to be placed to the left before exiting that tab. Note: once a class has been created
with the Enrollment Year, that Enrollment Year field cannot be edited.
Edit an existing column by clicking on the Ediit
button at the base of that column.
When in edit-mode there will be boxes in the cells. Only then can the data in the boxes be
changed.
Be careful of the DELETE
button. There is no confirmation prior to the deletion.

Outcomes:
Columns for 5 years are displayed in the 2010 AR (i.e. 2009 through 2005). Outcomes results
for graduation year 2010 can be entered, if known; however, results for 2010 are not
computed in the 3-year average – that calculation uses graduation years 2009+2008+2007.
Navigate to the various outcome measures by clicking on the lin nks at the left of the screen. Navigate
to the
outcomes
tables by
clicking on
these links.
For any outcome measure NOT meeting the thresholld, you MUST write a Detailed Analysis and an Action Plan to correct the problem.
Exams: Enter the "# of grads attempting" (an unduplicated headcount of graduates who have
attempted the exam one or more times. Multiple exam attempts by the same graduate represent
only one (1) attempt.) Enter the "# passing – 1st attempt" and the "# passing – subsequent
attempts". The "Total passing to date" will be calculated by the tool. The CPRC CoA has a
success (#passers/#attempters) threshold of 80% for the ASCP BOC exam.
Pre-filled from the Enrollment & Retention table
Count # of graduates who have attempted the exam
one or more times (unduplicated head count) – NOT
the # of exam attempts
Calcullated field
3-year average for the years indicated to the left
CPRC threshold
If the 3-year average is below the Threshold, a Detailed Analysis and
Action Plan to correct the problem MUST be written.
Attrition/Retention: All data in the table comes from the Enrollment & Retention tab. The CPRC
has a threshold for retention of 80% or more.
Positive Placement: Enter the "# of grads employed" and then enter th
he "# of grads not employed, but who are continuing their education or serving in the military". The sum of those 2 numbers represents
Total Positive Placement (threshold is 75%). The number of grads employed will be carried to the
Survey Worksheet tab for use with the Employer Surveys.
# of Grads: Pre-filled from Enrollment & Retention table

# of grads employed: Enter # of grads employed in related field. This # flows to the Survey Worksheet for
Employer Survey calculations.
Calculated field

Enter # of grads NOT employed, but who are continuing their education OR serving in the military.
NOTE: Programs must fill in the # of grads employed, before entering data into the Survey
Worksheet.


Surveys: There are separate links on the Outcomes tab for each type of survey (Employer and
Graduate) for each learning domain (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective). There is no data entry
in these Outcomes tables. All outcome results are from the Survey Worksheet tab.
Survey results for the graduates of 2009 need to be entered: Since the CPRC Graduate and
Employer Surveys have not been updated and divided into survey sections (cognitive,
affective and psychomotor), the number of rows (survey items) in each of the learning
domains are not broken out in the Annual Report. The AR has been adjusted u
until new
Graduate and Employer Surveys can be drafted and distributed.
If your Program used the CPRC Graduate Survey, enter the responses of all 16 items in the
AR Graduate Survey-Cognitive (GC-1 through GC-16). If your Program used the CPRC
Employe
er Survey, enter responses for the 16 items as Employer Survey-Cognitive (EC-1
through EC-16).
Enter the frequency distribution of the responses to eac
ch survey item. The AR will calculate the %
of responses that were rated 3 or better. Items that have 80% or more ratings of 3 or bette automatically marked as positive (green light). Items with less than 80% ratings of 3 or better will
be automatically marked as negative (red light). However, each program must determine its own
positive/negative item, if the automatic AR calculation is not applicable. A detailed analysis and
an action plan must be written in the corresponding link of the Outcomes tab for all negative
items (as determined by the program).
Since our Graduate and Employer Surveys are not broken down as shown in the screen shot
below, in the Detailed Analysis and Action Plan boxes, write o
out the specific negative item
(instead of EC-4) as shown below and provide a similar description in the box for Action
Plan.


Survey Worksheet:
NOTE: before you can enter the data into the Employer Survey tables, you must fill in the "# of
grads employed" in the "Positive Placement" link of the Outcomes tab. Then…
 You must select the Grad Year for which you want to enter the Survey results. (NOTE: programs will enter the results for the graduates of 2009.)  Next, for Graduate Surveys – enter the # of surveys sent and the Total # returned.  Next for Employer Surveys – enter the # of surveys sent and the Total ## returned. The Return Rate will be computed for each survey type (threshold = 50%). These numbers may be entered / edited from any survey / domain link. Again, since the Graduate and Employer Surveys are not broken into learning domains (cognitive, affective and psychomotor), please enter all data in GC-1 to GC-16 or EC-1 to EC-16. The AR calculated threshold for each item is that 80% or more of the numerical ratings (5
through 1) must be 3 or above (N/As and Omits are subtracted from the # of surveys returned
before the calculation is made).
Any items not meeting the 80% threshold are marked as "negative". This automatic
calculation may or may not correspond to the positive/negative designation for a specific
program's survey instruments. Programs must write a Detailed Analysis and an Ac
(in the corresponding Survey / Domain link in the Outcomes tab) for each negative item AS
DEFINED BY THE PROGRAM.
Enter Employer Survey results for 2009 graduates in EC-1 through EC-16 only.

Resources: Mark each listed resource as sufficient (Yes) or not sufficient (No). For any "No"
response, you must write a Detailed Analysis and an Action Plan to correct the problem. Start any
narrative(s) with the name of the resource. For any entries/changes to the page, you MUST click
Update in the lower left corner of the screen.
Defaults to 2009

Standards: Mark each listed Standard as Met (Yes) or Not Met (No). For any "No" response, you
must write a Detailed Analysis and an Action Plan to correct the problem. Start any narrative(s) with
the number of the Standard.
Also, the Standards require that the Ad dvisory Committee must meet at least annually (II.B). Enter the dates of the meetings of the last two (2) Advisory Committee meetings.
For any entries/changes to the page, you MUST click Update in the lower left corner of
the screen.

Comments: Enter any comments, suggestions, or concerns relating to your program or generally
to Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee.
Defaults to 2009

Be sure to click Update after every entry or change.
Distance Education: Indicate whether any of the Program is offered by distance education
(Yes) or not (No). If you answer "Yes", additional questions will appear asking for the specifics of the
amount and type of distance education delivered by the prog
Demographics: Enter the demographic information for the graduates of each calendar year in the
corresponding column.
Submitting the AR: Programs click the "Create, Review, and/or S
Submit the Annual Report" button to create a pdf file of the AR information.
Click on this button to Create the PDF report, then to review the report (and save it to your computer) or submit the report to the
CPRC CoA.
After clicking the button, a second screen appears to allow two options: 1. Generate the Report or 2. Submit copy of the Annual Report via email to the CoA
DO NOT CLICK ON "SUBMIT A COPY…" UNTIL
L YOU HAVE GENERATED THE REPORT,
REVIEWED IT, AND SAVED IT TO YOUR COMPUTER.

After the report is generated, the message of "successfully generated" appears in the window.
Programs can now "Download Report" to review it and save it – BEFORE SUBMITTING IT.
Clicking on "Download Report" creates a PDF file of the entire AR. Use the PDF report to review for any errors or omissions. If needed, go back into the AR to make any changes and repeat the steps to re-generate and re-download the report. 2010 Report on Current Status for an Education Program
University or Community College, etc.
CoA Program Refere
ence: XXXXcprc
Programs may repeat these steps as often as necessary to ensure the accuracy of the AR,
before submitting it to the CPRC.
Once the Annual Report is complete (on or before January 15,
2011), Programs must "Submit a copy of the Annual Report via
email to CoA". This action will cause the Annual Report to be
filed via email directly to the CPRC Coordinator's office.
If a Program wishes to change an already submitted AR (prior to the deadline of January 15,
2011), then the CPRC Coordinator must be contacted (Deb MacIntyre (302) 543-6583,
[email protected]) to have the AR "Unsubmitted".
Once "Unsubmitted", the Program may then repeat the procedure to file the AR. The CPRC will
review the last AR after it is submitted on or before January 15, 2011.

Support:
For questions about the Annual Report or to "Unsubmit" (on or before January 15, 2011) a previously filed AR, please contact: CPRC Coordinator ASC National Office For corrections to Personnel information on President/CEO or Dean or Program Director: CAAHEP Executive Office [email protected] 4. Annual Accreditation Cycle Extensions
In an effort to recognize the on-going pursuit of compliance and self-improvement of all cytotechnology education programs, the CPRC has developed criteria for the potential extension of a given program's current accreditation cycle. Policies and procedures are detailed below for the potential awarding of accreditation cycle programmatic extensions from 3 to 5, 5 to 7 and 7 to 10 year cycles. This allows each program the opportunity for formal recognition by the CPRC of interval improvements and progress in outcomes data, lacking documentation, programmatic deficiencies, or other previously stated CPRC concerns, etc., and when appropriate, the potential for accreditation cycle extension. Some criteria, particularly those addressing the 7- to 10-year extension focus on an eligible program's history of long-term stability, to include stability in key leadership positions. The interval improvements and resolution of previous concerns are the responsibility of each individual program. This policy will recognize that improvement, with the potential benefit to the program of a higher level accreditation cycle status. To date, the CPRC has reviewed three Programs for extensions from 7 to 10 years. Five programs will be up for review at the CPRC November meeting. The caveats of the accreditation cycle extension policy and its relationship to
the current 3-, 5-, and 7-year accreditation recommendation criteria are as
follows:
• Approximately 18 months prior to the deadline for a given program's e-SSR receipt (or 6
months prior to the standard 1-year program notification by the CPRC for pending e-SSR
submission), the CPRC will formally review the status of each program in conference call
format.
• At this time, determination will be made in committee as to whether an accreditation cycle
extension is appropriate (the general criteria for such are detailed below). Of course, there are
individual program-specific issues involved in each program review, which are taken into
account during the committee's formal review process.
• If specific additional information and/or documentation are needed at the time of committee
review, a request for such may be made to the program of interest. However, it is ultimately the
responsibility of each program to act on the issues cited in the prior CPRC and CAAHEP review.
This is an internal program-determined initiative. The CPRC committee members and
staff are of course available for clarification of standards, guidelines and direction to
resources.
• The potential accreditation cycle extensions are limited to 3- to 5-years, 5- to 7-years, and 7- to
10-years only (accreditation extensions of 3- to 7-years and 5- to 10-years are not possible).

• If accreditation cycle extension is approved, the respective program will be notified in writing
by the CPRC chair.
• No program may achieve an accreditation cycle greater than 10-years. As you know,
comprehensive site visits and accreditation recommendations are required at a maximal 10-year
interval per CAAHEP.
Criteria for 3- to 5-year Accreditation Cycle Extension:

A program currently in a 3-year accreditation cycle, based in the following:
3 year cycle criteria
 Any one or more of the 3-year average outcomes, since last accreditation review, are below CPRC-established thresholds and/or Program has not consistently submitted its
outcomes data, analysis and action plan(s) as a result of outcomes assessment, but has
demonstrated good faith effort to resolve issues and has shown improvement;
 Annual reports have consistently had missing data  Program has history of progress reports that are on-going, but has demonstrated good faith effort to resolve issue and has shown improvement.
A program currently in a 3-year accreditation cycle, based on the above criteria, may be
considered for accreditation cycle extension if all 5-year criteria have been met, those being
the following:
5 year cycle criteria
 All 3-year average outcomes, since last accreditation review, meet the CPRC-established  Annual reports have consistently had missing data, but Program has demonstrated good faith effort to obtain, analyze and submit data;  Concerns identified during self-study process, but Program has demonstrated willingness to develop and implement an action plan to resolve issues;  Program has history of progress reports, but has demonstrated resolution of issues.
Criteria for 5 - to 7-year Accreditation Cycle Extension:

A program currently in a 5-year accreditation cycle, based in the above criteria, may be
considered for accreditation cycle extension if all 7-year criteria have been met, those being
the following:

7-year cycle criteria

 No deficiencies cited or significant concerns identified;  Program has consistently submitted its outcomes data, analysis and action plan(s) as result of outcomes assessment;  All 3-year average outcomes, since last accreditation review, meet the CPRC-established thresholds, or a reasonable rationale (as determined by the CPRC) has been given in the analysis for any outcomes falling below threshold(s);  Annual reports have been complete, including resources assessments with analysis and action plan(s), and submitted in a timely manner;  All administrative requirements have been met (i.e. all fees paid, timely notification to CPRC of substantive changes, all reports (self-study report, annual report/surveys, progress reports) filed in a timely manner, etc.).
Criteria for 7- to 10-year Accreditation Cycle Extension:

A program currently in a 7-year accreditation cycle, based in the above criteria, may be
considered for accreditation cycle extension if the following additional criteria have been met:

 The prior two accreditation cycles were 7 years.  The Program Director and Medical Director have each been in place for at least 3 years.  Either the current Program Director or the current Medical Director was in place and involved in the prior self-study review process. 4. Enhancement of CPRC Membership via Inclusion of Other Sponsoring
Organizations
Background Information:
The ASC has been cognizant and proactive in addressing the challenges facing cytotechnology
training programs. Under full support of ASC leadership, several ad hoc committees have been
developed, a Cytotechnology Educators Forum conducted and several articles and editorials
published, all aimed at addressing the significant number of cytotechnology program closures.
The Future of Cytopathology Summit is scheduled for November and brings together
stakeholders from various professional organizations, laboratory environments and
cytotechnology education. The goal is to collaborate towards consensus in determining the skills
needed to support the future practice of cytopathology and identifying the kinds of professionals
who will be best suited to address these needs. The CPRC believes that at this critical juncture in
our profession, it would be advantageous to enhance our Committee's membership to include
other professional cytology/pathology organizations (i.e. ASCT, ASCP, CAP).

Benefit of Additional Sponsor Organizations for the CPRC:
As evidenced by the constituency of other Committees on Accreditation (CoAs) in CAAHEP, it
is not uncommon for several professional organizations and certification agencies to sponsor
CAAHEP's CoAs. Multiple sponsors ensure a broader representation of the professional
community in addressing legitimate concerns about and responsibilities for the quality of
professionals prepared by CAAHEP educational training programs. Inclusion of stakeholders,
particularly those already participating in the Futures Summit, will enhance the CPRC's ability
to address educational needs with future professional needs and identify areas where
collaboration may benefit the educational process as a whole. Such collaboration is already
demonstrated in the appointment of ASC liaisons to other professional organizations/committees
sharing a common agenda (i.e. ASCP Board of Registry, Cytopathology Education and
Technology Consortium, AMA, CAP Cytopathology Committee, Clinical Laboratory
Improvement Advisory Committee, International Academy of Cytology, Coordinating Council
on the Clinical Lab Workforce). A continuation of this woven infrastructure of multiple
professional societies/organizations in cytotechnology education will create efficiencies in
communication, discussion and debate, thus facilitating more effective change.
 
Benefits to the ASC:

 Collaboration with other member cytology organizations for the common goal of enhancing cytotechnology education and the quality of cytotechnologists prepared in our training programs  Enhance recruitment of site visitors (CTs and MDs) from other stakeholders for programmatic accreditation process  Potential defrayment of expenses associated with CPRC business/operations  Collaboration of ASC with other organizations who have similar mission, goals and strategies for addressing issues affecting cytopathology practice, including education and training of cytotechnologists  
Benefits to Other Organizations (i.e. ASCT, ASCP, CAP):

 Collaboration with other member cytology organizations for the common goal of enhancing cytotechnology education and the quality of cytotechnologists prepared in our training programs  Direct communication with sole accrediting agency via CPRC membership regarding legitimate concerns about and responsibilities for the quality of cytotechnologists prepared by cytotechnology training programs  Active participation in accreditation process of cytotechnology training programs  Voting privileges in CAAHEP  Collaboration with ASC and other organizations, who have similar mission, goals and strategies for addressing issues affecting cytopathology practice, including education and training of cytotechnologists  Active participation in drafting nationally established standards of accreditation, which are used for the development and on-going evaluation of cytotechnology training programs  
Benefits to Cytotechnology Training Programs, Students and the Cytopathology
Profession:

 Collaboration of ASC with other organizations who have similar mission, goals and strategies for addressing issues affecting cytopathology practice, including education and training of cytotechnologists  Broader representation on accreditation committee of organizations with a vested interest in quality of cytotechnology training programs Directly following last year's ASC Annual Scientific Meeting, the CPRC was pleased to receive the below e-mail regarding the favorable decision of the Executive Board to further investigate the proposed concept of additional CPRC sponsors: "Thank you for presenting the CPRC report to the Board in November. The ASC Board
approved the CPRC proposal to move forward with investigating expanding the CPRC
membership to include representation for other professional organizations. In the spring, the
Board will be meeting and requests additional information that includes the structure, the
sponsoring organizations responsibilities, the number of representatives and the annual
assessment fee (CAAHEP fee plus ASC Administration Fee)."
During the past number of months, discussions have ensued between the CPRC and the
professional societies which represent significant communities of interest in the opinion of the
committee members.
A CPRC constituency model has been proposed to the ASC Executive Board for their review at
this Annual ASC meeting.STAY TUNED.
5. Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee (CPRC) ANNUAL REPORT
(Statistics reflect the work of the Committee November 2009 – December 2010)
The CPRC Annual Data Survey was not circulated to Programs until 11/1/10
due to conversion to a Web based Annual Report Format
Total number of accredited cytotechnology programs in United States and Puerto Rico 31 Active
2 Inactive:
Berkshire Medical Center (8/20/10) University Carolina at Chapel Hill (6/5/09) New, developing program pending accreditation with ‘Candidacy' Notification of request for Voluntary Withdrawal of Accreditation from 2 Cytotechnology Programs:
Nicholls University
Program Types
(as of 10/11/10) Certificate-only programs (a total of 26 offer a Certificate program) Degree-only programs (a total of 23 offer a Degree program - 5 offer a Masters level program) Offer both Certificate program and Degree program

Source: http://www.cytopathology.org/wp-content/static_uploads/3864.pdf