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MTPAG By Laws
Article I
Name
The Medical Technology Professional Advisory Group shall also be referred to as the Group or MTPAG.Article II
Mission
MTPAG of the Health Services Professional Advisory Committee (HS PAC) shall consider discipline-specific professional issues and advise the Surgeon General through the HS PAC and Chief HS Officer regarding such issues.Article III
Objectives
The MTPAG functions in a resource and advisory capacity to assist in the development, coordination, training and evaluation of activities related to Health Services Officers in the Medical Technology professional discipline in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) with the specific objectives of:
- Identifying issues of interest and facilitating the resolution of concerns as they relate to medical technologists;
- Assessing personnel needs of USPHS as related to medical technology and assisting in meeting the needs relative to recruitment, retention, training, utilization, and professional development;
- Assessing the professional development needs, developing position papers, statistical reports, and/or guidelines where appropriate, to advise and comment on matters relating to the personnel issues of medical technologists and their practices;
- Promoting cooperation and communication among and between other professional disciplines and health professionals; and
- Promoting all aspects of medical technology throughout the agencies and programs of the USPHS.
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Article IV
Membership
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- Eligibility Requirement: Active members with voting privileges shall be Commissioned Corps Medical Technologists in the Health Services category.
Volunteers: Non-voting active duty and civilian Medical Technologists or related specialists that may have an interest in the MTPAG.- Size of the MTPAG: The MTPAG shall have up to 20 voting members (members herein) who are nominated and appointed by MTPAG Charter Committee. Subsequently, membership subcommittee will perform this duty.
- Terms: Each of the appointed members shall serve up to a term of three years. Membership duration will be staggered between one and three years to ensure continuity of the MTPAG.
- Other Considerations:
- Organizational representation: Participation shall be promoted from each of the DHHS Operating Divisions to provide the range of experiences and perspectives necessary to address issues before the MTPAG. Efforts will be made to have the broadest representation possible among all other Agencies where Commissioned Corps Medical Technologist from the Health Services Category are employed
- Geographic consideration: Participation shall be promoted from members whose regular duty station is geographically removed from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Members will be actively solicited and provisions such as teleconferencing will be made so that Commissioned Corps Medical Technologists stationed outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area can participate in meetings.
- Diversity among officers of different cultures, race, ethnicity and gender shall be respected and participation welcomed. Efforts will be made to ensure that participation of the MTPAG represents the ethnic and gender diversity of its officers
- Members will be solicited through the HSO ListServ and other appropriate means.
- Individuals are welcome to serve as a volunteer on the MTPAG subcommittee(s) and function at the discretion of the MTPAG Chair. Volunteers have no voting rights.
- Meetings are open to all Health Service officers.
Article V
Leadership
The leadership of the MTPAG shall be composed of the Chair, a Vice Chair and a Secretary. Each officer shall be elected by the members of the MTPAG prior to the end of the calendar year, for a term of office, as defined in the By Laws, beginning on January 1. In the event of a vacancy of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume the responsibilities for the duration of the term. Vacancies in other offices shall be filled by appointment by the Chair for the remainder of the term.
Duties of the officers are the following:
- Chair: Provides leadership to the MTPAG and provides liaison to the HS-PAC. The Chair is considered an ex-officio member of the HS-PAC and is expected to attend the HS-PAC meetings and any other significant meetings affecting the MTPAG; the Chair may also designate a representative to attend such meetings.
Term of the Chair: The Chair will serve a 1-year term.- Vice Chair: Assists the Chair and functions as the Chair when necessary
Term of the Vice Chair: The Vice Chair serves a 1-year term and may opt to seek another office or serve another term as Vice Chair.- Secretary: Provides a written record of the activities of the MTPAG. The Secretary shall record the minutes of meetings, maintain reports and official documents of the MTPAG, and assist the Chair and Chair-elect in carrying out the duties associated with their respective offices.
Term of the Secretary: The Secretary serves a 1-year term and may opt to seek another office or serve another term as Secretary.
Article VI
Operations and Procedures
The MTPAG operations and procedures shall include the following:
- Operational Year: The operational year for the MTPAG is the calendar year January 1 – December 31.
- Frequency of Meeting: Meetings will be held at least once per quarter. The Chair may call additional meetings, as needed.
- Agenda: A meeting agenda and appropriate background material will be made available to the MTPAG members.
- Recording and Reporting: Minutes of each MTPAG meeting will be recorded, and approved by the MTPAG. The MTPAG Secretary will maintain a permanent file of official minutes and reports.
- Voting and By-Law Amendments: Members will receive nomination forms for Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary, will be notified of nominees thirty days prior to voting. A Commissioned Corps Health Services officer who is not a medical technologist selected by the MTPAG will tabulate votes. Where voting is required, action will be determined by the simple majority of those members present. By-Law Amendments will be made by a simple majority vote of those members who are present.
- Operating Subcommittees: The MTPAG may have operating subcommittees to accomplish its objectives. These subcommittees will be organized and conduct business in a manner consistent with the MTPAG. The Chair of the MTPAG will appoint the Chair of each Subcommittee. The operating subcommittees may include but are not limited to:
- Communications - Responsible for MTPAG public affairs, web site development/maintenance and internal communication.
- Recruitment/Retention/Career Development -
Responsible for recruiting and working with Office of Commissioned Corps Operations to retain Medical Technologists in the Commissioned Corps.- Professional Development - Responsible for identifying educational and deployment opportunities and mentoring.
- Membership - Responsible for tracking members and the election process for Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary.
- Awards - Responsible for recognizing PHS Medical Technologists and their accomplishments.
- Policy/Legislation - Responsible for providing MTPAG with Clinical Laboratory Amendment (CLIA) updates, pending and approved legislation effecting Medical Technologists.
- Quorum: A quorum shall consist of 50 percent of the MTPAG membership.
- Voting either in person or by a valid proxy is acceptable by email using rules of time and date of vote submissions.
Article VII
By-Laws Update and Approval
The MTPAG shall review its By Laws every three years and recommend revisions to update its By Laws as needed. Any revisions to the By-Laws must be reviewed and approved by the Health Services Professional Advisory Committee (HS-PAC). If in question, the MTPAG By-laws will be superseded by, and not conflict with, the HS-PAC Charter and By-laws.