Administrative Order No. 21 s. 1979

  

April 19, 1979

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

No. 21 series of 1979

RULES AND REGULATION FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF TRAINING LABORATORIES FOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY INTERNS

Clinical laboratories have been established to give adequate support to the Clinicians in the diagnosis and therapy of patients and to help detect pathologic changes prior to its manifest signs and symptoms, it is quite well known, however, that while accomplishing this primary objective, it plays an important role in the training of medical technology interns. A balance must be had at all times so that service and training can go hand in hand effectively. There are times when interns are utilized as pair of hand and actually may pay laboratories. Many times also interns are made to rotate in very small laboratories and all that they learn is microscopy for the whole year, and even in microscopy, skills developed and knowledge gained are very limited because of the scarcity of samples. In line, therefore, with the policy of fully maximizing the effectivity of laboratory service, of upgrading the training of medical technology interns during training, the Ministry of Health hereby promulgates the following rules and regulations to be strictly observed and complied with in the affiliation of medical technology interns in clinical laboratories.

I.                   RESPONSIBILITIES OF LABORATORIES:

Requirements to be met by laboratories to be accredited for medical technology intern affiliation

1.      The laboratory should be duly licensed as specified by the law on clinical laboratories, R.A. 4688.

2.      There should be at least one medical technologist for each of the section of Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microscopy (Urinalysis and Parasitology), Hematology, Blood Banking and Serology and Histopathology.

3.      There should be an adequate laboratory space to accommodate both staff and the medical technology interns.

4.      There should be sufficient equipment and supplies necessary depending on the volume and type of examination as well as the number of interns to be trained by the laboratory.

5.      Each section of the laboratory can be utilized for training only if it can accommodate at least the interns at any one time.

6.      The laboratory should have a training program for medical technology interns

a.      The person responsible for this program should be a member of the specialty society in laboratory medicine.

b.      The program should provide for an objective measure or evaluation of the baseline skills and knowledge prior to allowing or utilizing interns to handle actual specimen from patients.

c.       The program should include the (1) objective of training (2) methods of procedures to be taught (3) principles that go with the methods (4) right work attitudes and ethical values (5) required quota of tests to be performed to develop accuracy and precision (6) objective evaluation of performance in each section (7) time schedule (8) lectures, seminars and conferences and (9) methodology of training.

7.      The minimum number of examinations or samples or each section to accommodate interns are as follows:

a.      Clinical Chemistry – 3000 exam/annum

b.      Clinical Microscopy

(1)   Urinalysis – 1500 samples/annum

(2)   Parasitology (direct fecal smear and concentration test or Kato thick smear) – 1500 samples/annum

c.       Microbiology

(1)   Gram–staining, acid–fast staining – 800 samples/annum

(2)   Isolation and identification of organism – 1000 samples/annum

d.      Hematology

(1)   Peripheral blood study to include hemoglobin, white cell count, Schilling, hematocrit and red cell morphology or CBC – 1200 samples/annum

(2)   Sedimentation rate, platelet count, bleeding and clotting time, malarial smears and other tests – 800 samples/annum

e.      Blood Banking and Serology

(1)   Typing – 800 tests/annum

(2)   Complete cross matching – 600 tests/annum

(3)   VDRL – 300 tests/annum

Widal test – 300 tests/annum

f.        Histopathology – 500 tissues/annum

Cytology – 500 tissues/annum

                        For each additional intern, another half of the requirement shall be added.

8.      At least one member of the professional staff of the laboratory should be provided for every group of interns not exceeding 10 in each section

9.      The staff and personnel of the laboratory will be assisted by a laboratory instructor experienced in actual laboratory work from the sending University or College to assist, especially to monitor individual attendance, behavior, performance of the students including guidance in reading and application of the theoretical knowledge taken up in school to actual practice.

10.  No more than 10 medical technology interns shall be allowed to train during the night shift in understaffed hospitals and so certified by the director of the same, such interns should have a medical technologist to work with them. No intern is to be assigned without the regular professional staff of the laboratory on duty at the same time.

11.  The allotment derived from the intern’s affiliation fee for the laboratory must be spend for the laboratory needs utilized exclusively for training and not for payment of furniture or appliances of the laboratory or supplies that support service function

12.  Priority should be given to interns residing within the area or region of the hospital.

II.                 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AFFILIATING UNIVERSITIES/SCHOOLS/COLLEGES OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

All universities, schools, Colleges of Medical Technology must have met the following requirements before applying for affiliation to any clinical laboratory

1.      Approval from the Ministry of Education and Culture in conjunction with the Board of Medical Technology

2.      Compliance with the provisions of R.A. 5527 and Presidential Decree No. 498 and Presidential Decree 1534

These universities, school and colleges shall:

1.      Provide a laboratory instructor experienced in actual laboratory work to monitor individual attendance, behavior and performance of the students including guidance in readings and application of theoretical knowledge obtained from school to actual practice and to assist the Pathologist and professional staff in implementing the approved training program for the duration of the training of the interns.

2.      Pay or replace damage, breakages or losses by the medical technology interns or laboratory property, equipment and supplies.

3.      See to it that all medical technology interns before beginning the internship in any section must have completed the theoretical aspect of that particular section.

4.      Pay the hospital thirty five pesos (P35.00) for each intern each month. Payment is done within the first five days of the month.

5.      See to it that the laboratory instructor and students observe and abide with the policies, rules and regulations of the hospital and that discipline is maintained at all times.

6.      See to it that the students and instructors are in their proper uniforms and provided with a laboratory gown.

III.              JOINT RESPONSIBILITIES OF AFFILIATING UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE LABORATORIES

1.      The training program shall be prepared by the Pathologist–In–charge of the laboratory in coordination with the training officer of the hospital. Its implementation shall be the joint responsibility of the Pathologist, staff and personnel of the laboratory and the laboratory instructor of each university, school or college assigned to the laboratory for the duration of the internship of their respective students.

2.      The internship shall be for twelve (12) months, which will properly be apportioned to the different sections of the laboratory service as follows:

a.      Clinical Chemistry – 2 months

b.      Clinical Microscopy – 2 months

c.       Microbiology – 2 months

d.      Hematology – 2 months

e.      Blood Banking and Serology – 1 month

f.        Histopathology – 1 month

g.      During the remaining 8 weeks, the intern may be assigned to any service/services depending on the intern(s) needed upon the recommendation of the Pathologist–in–charge of the laboratory in consultation with the laboratory instructor

This schedule supersedes the training schedule embodied in Administrative order No. 274 series of 1976

3.      A monthly conference should be held to evaluate the implementation of the program and institution of changes by the Pathologist, Laboratory instructor and staff of the laboratory and for problems that might arise during the implementation.

4.      Maintenance of cooperation and harmonious working relations at all times among the students and staff of the hospital

This Administrative Order shall take effect immediately

CLEMENTE S. GATMAITAN, M.D., M.P.H.

Secretary of Health