LASER CERTIFICATIONS

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LASER CERTIFICATIONS

• National Council on Laser Excellence
• A Credentialing Board of the not-for-profit
• Professional Medical Education Association

Gregory T. Absten
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The Certification Movement

• Academy of Laser Dentistry, 1998
• National Council on Laser Excellence, 2000
• LIAs Board of Laser Safety, 2003
• Various State Licensing Agencies

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NCLE BOARD(est. 2000, transitioning)

• GROUPS
• OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
• COHERENT MEDICAL (before Lumenis)
• HARTFORD HOSPITAL
• KALEIDA HOSPITAL SYSTEM
• PLC LASERS
• PHOTOVAC TECHNOLOGIES
• UNIVERSAL MEDICAL LASER
• PREMIER
• SERVICEMASTER
• SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

• PEOPLE
• Gregory Absten BSc, MBA
• Sue Terry, RN
• Nancy Silva, RN
• John Elwood III, CBET
• Cathy Hartmann, RN
• Rich Davis, Phd
• Richard Eliason
• Doug George
• Herb Deigl, BSEE
• Jim Smith
• Robert Rudko, PhD
• Peter Castanova, BSEET

• Consensus Building
• Question Bank Development

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Why Now?

• Baseline Competency for Laser Repair. -
  problem of unqualified technicians

April 2000 NCLECERTIFIED LASER REPAIR
TECHNICIANS - plan for further certifications
in handbook
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Why Now?

• Baseline Competency for non-medical, non-nursing
  laser users and operators. PATIENT SAFETY!

Various State Regulatory Agencies
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Certified Competencies
SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL COMPETENCIES NOT
CLINICAL COMPETENCY (States)
Voluntary Not Mandatory
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STATE LICENSINGCLINICAL COMPETENCY

• Florida requires a national Laser Certification
  in addition to 40 hours of patient treatment,
  prior to licensing non-physicians for Laser Hair
  Removal.

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STATE LICENSING

• New York requires a Certificate of Competence
  for Mobile Laser Operators.
• Texas has new laws being formulated for
  regulating laser operators at Medical Spas.
• Many more States coming

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NURSING?

• Nursing was not, and is not a problem area
  requiring an outside Certification.

• Nursing professionalism and standards prevail to
  maintain patient safety but the movement is on,
  and the voluntary Certifications will provide
  additional Professional Recognition.
• Laser Repair technicians have had the
  Certification process in place since 2000, and
  reports back to the NCLE indicate that many of
  these technicians are receiving pay raises based
  upon their Laser Certification.

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Professional Recognition

• In healthcare, being a profession that highly
  values credentials, having a certification is a
  very positive step.  It not only tells your
  administration that you have met a national
  standard of competency .. but also that you are
  not standing still and becoming stagnant in your
  profession.  You are willing to go the extra mile
  to keep learning to bring positive results to
  your organization.
• I value my credentials and so will your
  organization.  Go after it.

Kerry L. Sides, CMRPAmes Iowa Re AHA
Certification
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NCLE LASER CERTIFICATIONS

• Certified Laser Repair Technician
• Certified Laser Safety Officer/Medical
• Certified Laser Operator /
• / Surgical
• / Ophthalmic
• / Aesthetic (Overall Derm/Plastic)
• / Hair Removal (Limited to that procedure,
  non-medical)
• / Veterinary (equivalent to surgical)

www.LaserCertification.org
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NCLE TESTING

• Administered Nationally by A.M.P. - Allied
  Measurement Professionals -
• 120 Proctored Testing Centers Nationwide
• Computerized testing by appointment.
• Instant response of Pass/Fail in what areas
• Proctored written exams allowable at laser
  courses for authorized proctors.

• American Hospital Assn (AHA)
• American Assn of Critical Care Nurses (AACN)
• Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing
• National Board for Respiratory Care .

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ELIGIBILITYLaser Safety Officer

• EDUCATION 15 hours documented laser training
• EXPERIENCE 4 yr degree, or RN or professional
  credential, or 2 yr degree substantial
  experience. PLUS 1 yr experience as LSO or Laser
  Operator
• TESTING 70 correct on proctored
  examination.155 questions four hours.

To be Adopted by the end of April 2004 by
Board. COMPLETE INFORMATION IN THE CANDIDATE
HANDBOOK AT WWW.LASERCERTIFICATION.ORG
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ELIGIBILITYLaser Operators

• EDUCATION 5 hours documented laser training
• EXPERIENCE 4 yr degree, or RN or professional
  credential, or 2 yr degree substantial
  experience. EXPERIENCE 1 yr experience in the
  clinical setting surgical ophthalmic
  dermatologic aesthetic, etc
• TESTING 70 correct on proctored
  examination.100 questions three hours.
• TYPE RATING Skills Validation check-off for
  type of laser

To be Adopted by the end of April 2004 by
Board. COMPLETE INFORMATION IN THE CANDIDATE
HANDBOOK AT WWW.LASERCERTIFICATION.ORG
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CONTINUED COMPETENCY

• Three year cycle
• 30 hours of continuing education laser /
  medical / nursing / professional
• Retake an examination, or pass a different class
  of Laser Certification

Not applicable to individuals Certified prior to
April 2004
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LASER MANUFACTURERS

• Participate by assisting with Laser Skills
  validation checks for customers by salespeople
  and educators.
• Participate in a voluntary certification program
  to reduce liability exposure, without assuming
  risks of self certification.

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STATE AGENCIESPolicy of Cooperation

• We anticipate that various States will begin to
  use these National Laser Certifications as a
  prerequisite for licensing to perform laser
  procedures.
• Additional requirements for licensing will most
  likely be experience education in their field
  of practice, and supervised clinical experience
  on patients.

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QUESTION BANKS

• Intent to continue both the depth and breadth of
  the computerized question banks.
• Soliciting further question contributors from
  qualified individuals such as ASLMS members.
• Absten_at_LaserTraining.org

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LASER CERTIFICATIONS
QUESTIONS?

• National Council on Laser Excellence
• WWW.LaserCertification.org
• A Credentialing Board of the not-for-profit
• Professional Medical Education Association

Gregory T. Absten