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At the American Society for Clinical Chemistry Annual Meeting and Clinical Laboratory Expo, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) made the momentous announcement the two organizations officially signed an agreement to form one certifying agency for medical laboratory professionals between the two of them.
The agency will be called the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC). The agreement is effective Friday, Oct. 23. At that time, the NCA will be dissolved as a corporation.
"The combination of NCA and BOR into the BOC means the laboratory profession will have one single voice in solidarity to work with licensure boards, legislatures, federal regulatory bodies and the healthcare profession at large," Sheila O'Neal, NCA executive director, told ADVANCE. "With one single standard for entry into the profession, we can more appropriately address the workforce shortage that would otherwise only worsen as more baby boomers retire."
As for the next steps, O'Neal said the NCA and BOR have been in negotiations for several years to finalize the structure of what a new agency will look like, encompassing the critical values of both organizations. "Now that the agreement is signed, we will combine our resources to set up the new organization and prepare for the most seamless transition possible," she noted. "As a team, we will systematically address each phase of the transition to provide for all operational details. The agreement discussions were handled from the 30,000 foot level of the mountain. Now, together, we have to build the scaffolding to scale the mountain and reach the full potential of a combined agency."
Official Details
Read the full release from NCA and ASCP.
ASCP BOC FAQs
The ASCP answers your questions about the new certification agency.
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