Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-5-8-.03
Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 6, March 29, 2024
Section 420-5-8-.03 - Personnel Qualifications(1) Director. (a) A director shall meet one of the following requirements: 1. Is a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama with at least two years of pertinent laboratory experience.2. Holds an earned doctoral degree from an accredited institution with a chemical, physical, or biological science as his major subject, and (i) Is certified by the American Board of Medical Microbiology, the American Board of Clinical Chemistry, or other national accrediting boards with equivalent standards accepted by the State Health Department in one of the laboratory specialties and may direct only that division or subspecialty for which he is certified, or(ii) Has four or more years of general clinical laboratory training and experience, of which at least two years were spent acquiring proficiency in one of the laboratory specialties in a clinical laboratory, under a director at the doctoral level, of a hospital, a health department, a university or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health.(2) Supervisor. (a) A supervisor shall meet one of the following requirements: 1. Is a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama and has had at least two years of pertinent laboratory experience; or2. Has earned a doctoral degree from an accredited institution with a chemical, physical, or biological science as his major subject and has had at least two years experience in one of the laboratory specialties in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health; or3. Holds a master's degree from an accredited institution with a major in one of the chemical, physical, or biological sciences and has had at least four years of pertinent laboratory experience of which not less than two years has been spent working in one of the laboratory specialties in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health; or4. Holds a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a major in one of the chemical, physical, or biological sciences and has had at least six years of pertinent laboratory experience of which not less than two years has been spent working in one of the laboratory specialties in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health; or5. Successful completion of three years of academic study (a minimum of 90 semester hours or equivalent) in an accredited college or university with a chemical, physical, or biological science as a major subject and meets the requirements of a technologist under AAC Rule 420-5-8.03(3) and has at least six years of experience in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health.6. Achieve a satisfactory grade on a proficiency examination for technologists approved by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and have six years of full-time laboratory experience obtained after passing the examination.(b) An exception in AAC Rule 420-5-8.03(2) may be made when emergencies arise outside regularly scheduled hours of duty, an individual who qualifies as a supervisor is not required to be on the premises provided that the technologist performing tests is qualified to perform such tests, the supervisor who is responsible for the results of the work reviews them during the next duty period, and a record is maintained to reflect the actual review.(3) Technologist. (a) A technologist shall meet one of the following requirements: 1. Successful completion of a full course of study which meets academic requirements for a bachelor's degree in medical technology from an accredited college or university; or2. Successful completion of three years of academic study (a minimum of 90 semester hours or equivalent) in an accredited college or university which meets the requirements for entrance into and the successful completion of a course of training of at least 12 months in a school of medical technology approved by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association; or3. Successful completion in an accredited college or university of a course of study which meets all academic requirements for a bachelor's degree in one of the chemical, physical, or biological sciences and at least one year of pertinent laboratory experience or training covering the specialties or subspecialties in which tests are performed, provided the combination has given the individual the equivalent in those specialties or subspecialties of the education and training described in AAC Rule 420-5-8.03(3)(a)1, and 2.4. Successful completion of three years of academic study (a minimum of 90 semester hours or equivalent) in an accredited college or university with a chemical, physical, or biological science as a major subject and at least one year of experience in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health; or5. Achieve a satisfactory grade on a proficiency examination approved by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.(4) Technician. (a) A technician shall meet one of the following requirements: 1. Successful completion of two years of academic study (a minimum of 60 semester hours or equivalent) in an accredited college or university and have an associate's degree in Medical Technology; or2. Graduation from high school and subsequent to graduation has had two years of experience as a technician trainee in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health; or3. Graduation from high school and successful completion of an official military laboratory procedures course of at least 12 calendar months of study and has had at least one year of experience as a technician trainee in a clinical laboratory of a hospital, a health department, a university, or a medical research institution or in a clinical laboratory providing equivalent training accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health.(b) No clinical laboratory technician performs procedures in the absence of a qualified clinical laboratory technologist, supervisor, or director.(5) Supervisor, Cytotechnologist. If the laboratory performs only anatomical procedures, a cytotechnologist meeting qualifications under AAC Rule 420-5-8.03(6) and having four years of experience as a cytotechnologist may supervise other cytotechnologists and histotechnicians.(6) Cytotechnologist. (a) Cytotechnologists shall meet one of the following requirements: 1. Has successfully completed two years in an accredited college or university with at least 12 semester hours in science, 8 hours in biology, and (i) has had 12 months of training in a school of cytotechnology accredited by an accrediting agency and approved by the State, or(ii) has received six months of formal training in a school of cytotechnology accredited by an accrediting agency and six months of full-time experience in cytotechnology in a laboratory acceptable to the pathologist who directed such formal six months of training, or2. Prior to January 1, 1969, has: (i) been graduated from high school,(ii) completed six months of training in cytotechnology in a laboratory directed by a pathologist or other physician recognized as a specialist in cytology, and(iii) completed two years of full-time supervised experience in cytotechnology, or3. Achieved a satisfactory grade in a proficiency examination approved by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services; however, after December 31, 1977, initial certification as a cytotechnologist must be in accordance with AAC Rule 420-5-8.03(6)(a)1, or 2.(7) Technician Trainee. (a) A "technician trainee" shall mean an employee who is a high school graduate or equivalent, who is gaining the required two years of clinical laboratory on-the-job experience to qualify as a technician, and who is participating in a structured training program approved by the State Health Department and designed to provide the trainee with a broad range of laboratory procedures of progressive technical difficulty.(b) A technician trainee performs only repetitive procedures which require a minimal exercise of independent judgment and may perform such procedures only under the personal and direct supervision of a qualified supervisor or technologist. L. O'Neal Green, Patricia E. Ivie, Rick Harris
Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-5-8-.03
Filed September 1, 1982. Amended: Filed May 23, 1986; November 21, 1988. Amended: Filed December 20, 2002; effective January 24, 2003.Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 22-2-2(6), 22-21-28.