Certification Principles of Pathological and Medical Institutions Providing Training Classes to Technicians of Cervical Smear Examination

1. The Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (hereinafter known as the department in the following text) has drawn up the following principles to certifying pathological and medical institutions, which provide training classes to technicians of cervical smear examination to ensure the quality of training of the aforementioned technicians.

2. The pathological and medical institutions, which are in charge of training technicians of cervical smear examination should conform to the following four conditions:
(1) The medical institution should have a fully-equipped pathology unit (including surgical pathology and cellular pathology).
(2) The medical institution should have more than eight thousand cases of cervical smear testing per year.
(3) Physicians who are responsible for cervical smear test must have one of the following qualifications:
a. The physicians must have undergone cytological and pathological diagnosis training in gynecology for six months or more, and been awarded with a certificate.
b. The physicians must have passed the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) Test, and obtained a certificate.
c. Pathological physicians must have attended the Training Project for Medical Laboratory Technicians in Cytological Examination.
(4) There must be available at least two cytological examination technicians of cervical smear testing who have more than three years of work experience.

3. Number of trainees: every cytological examination technician of cervical smear testing is responsible for two trainees; every specialist can take three trainees, but the number cannot exceed the number of cytological examination technicians.

4. Training period: at least one year.

5. Training course: the department authorizes the Taiwan Society of Pathology to set up the course curriculum.

6. Pathological and medical institutions that conform to the second condition when applying to become a training unit should submit related documents to the department. The department or authorized related experts and associations will examine the application.

7. Any changes of staff or qualifications should be reported to the department within two months for re-verification. Failure to do so will result in instant disqualification of the institution.