LabU Frequently Asked Questions

Lab Director Program If I complete the Lab Director Program, will I be qualified to direct a Moderate Complexity Lab? How many credits are in the program? Must I complete them all? How long will it take me to finish the Lab Director Program? How many assessments must I take? When do I have to complete the courses? System The course seems slow. Why do I get knocked out of the course and out of the Internet? Sometimes I get a blank screen in a courses. What should I do? Can I get the courses in a printed format? I got a message that the "ActiveX control may be good or bad." Should I proceed?

Student Information How can I register if I don't have MasterCard or VISA? I haven't received my certificate. What should I do? I registered for a course, but I don't see how to start the course. What should I be looking for? My computer is painfully slow, and I just cannot complete the course. Can I get a refund?

Lab Director Program If I complete the Lab Director Program, will I be qualified to direct a Moderate Complexity Lab? LabUniversity's Lab Director Program provides the 20 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits in laboratory practice and director responsibilities specified by CLIA as necessary for physicians who do not qualify by training or experience to become a laboratory director of a moderate complexity laboratory. You may complete the program if you are not a physician, but it will not qualify you to be a laboratory director. How many credits are in the Program? Must I complete them all? The entire Lab Director Program provides 20 CME credits. To meet the CLIA requirements you must complete all the courses in this program. Course CMEs or CEUs Quality Control for the Laboratory 4.5 Introduction to QMS 1.5 CLIA '88 Requirements for the Medical Laboratory 2 OSHA Requirements for the Medical Laboratory 3 Proficiency Testing 3.5 Laboratory Personnel Requirements 3 Quality Assessment Basics 1.5 Laboratory Director Responsibilities 1 How long will it take me to finish the Lab Director Program? One indication of the time requirement is the number of CMEs or CEUs awarded to each course. Completion times vary from student to student in this self-directed Program, but you can estimate that it will take 20 hours total to complete the program. Courses contain links to useful websites that you may spend more time investigating. How many assessments (quizzes) must I take? Each of the eight courses has one to four graded assessments. You need a grade of 80% or higher on each quiz to successfully complete each course. Should you need to, you can retake any assessment a second time, and the final grade for that assessment is the latest grade. When do I have to complete the courses? You have 365 days after registering for a course (or program of courses) to complete the course(s). System The course seems slow. Why do I get knocked out of the course and out of the Internet? The problem may be with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the connection speed. Ask yourself these questions: Do I have difficulty getting any other websites to appear? Do I lose my Internet connection on other websites, too, and have to dial in to the Internet again? You may need to call your Internet Service Provider if you are experiencing overall difficulty with the Internet. They may give you guidance on deleting cookies, temporary Internet files, and History. If you are using a dial-up connection, they may be able to advise you of additional new phone numbers that might be faster. Sometimes I get a blank screen in a course. What can I do? Try right clicking on the page and select “Refresh” from the list. This should restore the page. Can I get the courses in a printed format? Unfortunately, no. Our courses are designed for on-line delivery. COLA does offer many educational products in hard copy format that you may find useful. Visit the COLA Store for these products. I got a message that the "ActiveX control may be good or bad." Should I proceed? If you are running Internet security software, you may get a message that an ActiveX component will run if you proceed, and that this could be good or bad. We do use ActiveX controls on our web site, and we consider them to be safe. Student Information How can I register if I don't have MasterCard or VISA? Please call our COLA Customer Service Center at 800-981-9883. A customer service representative will be able to set up a student account for you, purchase the course, and then send you an invoice that may then be paid by check. Once we have received your payment, we will provide you with the information to access your courses. I haven't received my certificate. What should I do? When you enrolled in LabU, you selected one of several choices for certificate type. All courses allow you to print your own certificate after successfully completing the course. If you selected a Certificate for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, check the course description to make sure that the course is approved for CME credits. If it is approved for CME credits, and you are a physician, select and print the CME certificate when you complete the course. If you selected a P.A.C.E. Certificate for Continuing Education Units (CEU), select and print the P.A.C.E. certificate. If you simply want documentation of completing the course and do not need credit, select and print the Certificate of Completion. If you don't have a printer, e-mail a request for the desired certificate, including your student ID, to labuniversity@cola.org. Upon successful completion of all 8 courses in the Lab Director Program, an overall program completion certificate will be mailed to you at the address associated with your account. If four weeks have elapsed, and the Certificate has not arrived, perhaps we had an incomplete address. Please call us at 800-981-9883, x 590 to verify your address. I registered for a course, but I don't see how to start the course. What should I be looking for? You should have received an email with login instructions. You can also login to www.cola.org and view your account info. Each course you are registered for is listed under "My Courses." Click on the "Enter Course" link next to the course title to start the course. My computer is painfully slow, and I just cannot complete the course. Can I get a refund? If you are unable to access a course, you can request a refund. Send an e-mail to LabUniversity@cola.org or call the Help Desk at any time for assistance of any kind. Help Desk: 800-981-9883 (x 590) [9:00 AM to 5 PM EST]