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Roche Diagnostics and RWD Technologies Unveil New Continuing
Education Courses and Online Certification for Clinical Laboratory
Professionals
CD courses and low-cost on-demand online testing provide high-quality
training and certification on a flexible schedule
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, AND BALTIMORE, MD- March 3, 2003 - Roche Molecular
Diagnostics (http://us.diagnostics.roche.com)
and RWD Technologies (Nasdaq: RWDT) (www.rwd.com)
announced today an exciting new training and certification program
designed to meet the continuing education needs of clinical laboratory
professionals. The MDxS (Molecular Diagnostic Services) Continuing
Education Program, as it is known, provides students with CD-ROM-based
courseware that they can study at their own pace. Upon completing
the coursework, technicians or technologists can take the certification
exam by logging on to a secure website. One unique feature of this
system is that it scores each test immediately upon completion,
allowing passing students to print a certificate of completion on
the spot with their continuing education credit.
Roche Molecular Diagnostics is currently offering these multimedia
courses on CD-ROM free to all qualified medical technicians. To
take a test, students log on to the website, http://Roche.MDxS.Certification.Net,
hosted by RWD Technologies, and purchase a specific test via credit
card at a cost of $15 per credit or $90 for a six-credit test. In
addition, companies can purchase online test vouchers for their
employees. Initial subjects include Genetics (6 credits), Molecular
Technology (6 credits), and Regulatory Education (4 credits), with
other courses to be available in the near future.
The courses are designed to meet the requirements of both Continuing
Medical Laboratory Education (CMLE) and Professional Acknowledgment
for Continuing Education (P.A.C.E.® Program), a division of
the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS).
"This is an exciting and innovative approach to offering continuing
education to the medical community," said Dick Aderman, senior
vice president of Roche Diagnostics Centralized and Molecular Diagnostics.
"We feel that providing quality educational programs to help
laboratory personnel keep up with changing technology is an important
part of our mission to provide 'a total laboratory solution.'"
Aderman added that Roche considered several factors while adopting
this interactive training model. First, a number of states require
their medical technicians to earn a specific number of continuing
education credits each year in order to maintain their licenses.
In addition, there are several agencies or associations such as
College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement
Amendments (CLIA) that encourage on-going education. The MDxS Continuing
Education Program provides a comprehensive virtual learning environment
that enables people to meet these requirements in a cost-effective
manner on a flexible schedule.
"We are pleased to partner with Roche Molecular Diagnostics
on this important project and look forward to our continued success
in providing them with comprehensive learning solutions," said
Jeff Wendel, president of RWD's Applied Technology Solutions group.
"The online testing and certification component of this course
is powered by RWD's CertificationNet® technology, which currently
supports the training needs of many global organizations and serves
over 200,000 users in 235 countries."
Details about this program may be obtained by contacting a Roche
Diagnostics Laboratory Account Manager or by e-mail to Faith DiBiasi,
program administrator of Roche Molecular Diagnostics at faith.dibiasi@roche.com.
RWD's CertificationNet delivers online training, testing, and certification
with test delivery and grading, eCommerce transactions, and survey
instruments to improve the overall competency of employees, partners,
and customers. CertificationNet is simple to use, allowing users
to focus on the eLearning content, rather than the delivery mechanics.
For more information about CertificationNet, go to www.rwd.com.
About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's
leading research oriented healthcare groups. The company's two core
businesses in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics provide innovative
products and services that address prevention, diagnosis and treatment
of diseases, thus enhancing people's health and quality of life.
The two core businesses achieved a turnover of 12.1 billion Swiss
Francs in the first half of 2002 and employed about 57,000 employees
worldwide. Roche's Diagnostics Division, the world leader in in
vitro diagnostics with a uniquely broad product portfolio, supplies
a wide array of innovative testing products and services used by
researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories worldwide.
For further information, please visit Roche's global websites at
www.roche.com and
www.roche-diagnostics.com.
About RWD Technologies
RWD Technologies (Nasdaq: RWDT) is a professional services and products
company with headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, which provides
a broad range of technology solutions to the business problems confronting
Fortune 1000 companies. RWD Technologies has three operational segments:
Performance Solutions, Enterprise Systems, and Applied Technology
Solutions. Established in 1988, RWD Technologies has approximately
900 employees located in 13 offices in the United States, in 3 offices
in Europe, and in 1 office in Canada and in 1 office in Singapore.
RWD Technologies provides services that increase productivity and
reduce operating costs for companies in more than 20 industries.
Information about RWD Technologies can be found at the Corporation's
World Wide Web site, www.rwd.com.
Copyright © 2003 RWD Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
RWD, RWD Technologies, RWD Technologies, Inc. and CertificationNet
are registered trademarks, and RWD Applied Technology Solutions
is a trademark of RWD Technologies, Inc. in the United States and
several countries. All other products and names are or may be trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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