ASCP and the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) recently opposed legislation under consideration in the Louisiana House of Representatives that would undermine the state’s laboratory personnel licensure law. The measure would eliminate the baccalaureate degree requirement in favor of an associate degree for licensure as a medical laboratory scientist (general and specialist categories). It would also eliminate education requirements entirely for licensure as a clinical laboratory technician. In addition, the measure would replace the completion of an accredited training program in favor of the completion of an internship program.
ASCP and the ASCP BOC voiced its concern about the proposal, supporting Louisiana’s existing education and training requirements as necessary to support quality testing and patient care and opposing legislative provisions that were inconsistent with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988. The bill is currently under consideration in the Louisiana House Committee on Health and Welfare.
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