Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Therapy : Nutrition Support Team Therapist Accreditation Regulations
Chapter 1: General Provisions
Article 1
The Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Therapy (hereinafter referred to as “the Society”) will implement a nutrition support team therapist (hereinafter referred to as “NST therapist”) accreditation and qualification system based on Chapter 2, Article 4 (5) of the Articles of Incorporation.
Article 2
Under the accreditation and qualification system, a person who has met the specified conditions established by the Society will be regarded as having superior knowledge and abilities in clinical nutrition that primarily utilizes parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition, and will be recognized as an NST therapist.
Article 3
The Society will perform duties necessary for achieving the objective of the preceding article and accrediting NST therapists, and will examine programs for introducing more advanced nutrition therapy.
Chapter 2: Accreditation and Qualification System Committee
Article 4
An Accreditation and Qualification System Committee will be established in the Society to examine how to implement and improve the accreditation and qualification system and also examine programs to nurture outstanding healthcare professionals who can keep pace with progress in clinical nutrition.
Article 5
The composition and operation of the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee will be stipulated separately.
Chapter 3: NST Therapist Accreditation
Section 1: Qualifications of Persons Applying for NST Therapist Accreditation
Article 6
Persons applying for NST therapist accreditation must meet all of the qualifications listed below.
(1) The applicant must be a member of the Society at the time of application for the examination and must be current in the payment of dues.
(2) Have the national qualifications in Japan listed below.
National qualifications for accreditation: registered dietitian, registered nurse, pharmacist, clinical laboratory technician, speech therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, dental hygienist, radiologic technologist
(3) Have at least Three (3) years of experience using the national qualification while working at a medical or welfare institution, and have engaged in work related to nutrition support at the institution.
(4) Have participated in at least one (1) Society academic meeting (10 units) and at least one (1) Society-hosted required seminar for the NST therapist examination (formerly JSPEN clinical nutrition seminar, educational seminar for health professionals other than physicians, 10 units), with these units regarded as required units (credits). Must have at least 30 required units (credits) or, in addition to required units, a total of at least 30 units for participation in nutrition-related national academic meetings, regional academic meetings, and workshops recognized by the Society. Incidentally, ten (10) non-required units (credits) will be recognized for a “Virtual Clinical Nutrition College” certificate of completion.
(5) Have completed a total of 40 hours of practical training at an accredited educational institution (hereinafter referred to as “accredited institution”) accredited according to the provisions of Chapter 4.
(5) After meeting the conditions in (1) to (4) above, have passed a test for accreditation.
Section 2: NST Therapist Accreditation Members
Article 7
In addition to the Society’s Accreditation and Qualification System Committee, the Society president (hereinafter referred to as “president”), after discussion with the Board of Directors, will select NST therapist accrediting members from among the Society’s academic councilors to form an NST Therapist Accreditation Examination Working Group (hereinafter referred to as “Accreditation Examination WG member”).
Article 8
Each Accreditation Examination WG member will serve a term of one (1) year. Reappointment will be allowed.
Article 9
The Accreditation and Qualification System Committee will exercise general control over all activities involving NST therapist accreditation, and will report to the Board of Directors.
Section 3: NST Therapist Accreditation Method
Article 10
Persons applying for the NST therapist accreditation examination should download the below-mentioned application documents from the website (https://www.jspen.or.jp), fill in the required information, and submit the documents to the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee.
1. Specified NST therapist examination application
2. Documents to submit with NST therapist examination application
(1) Resume from highest educational level to present
(2) National qualification licenses (photocopies)
(3) Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism academic meeting participation certificates [originals] (formerly Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition academic meeting participation certificates), certificates of completion for required seminars for the NST therapist examination [photocopies] (formerly JSPEN clinical nutrition seminars, educational seminars for health professionals other than physicians), and participation certificates for other Society-recognized national academic meetings, regional academic meetings, and workshops [photocopies]
(4) Society-issued certificate of completion for practical training at accredited educational institution (If started on or before November 30, 2021, submit practical training completion certificate and case report signed and sealed by supervisor.)
Article 11
1. If a person has passed the accreditation examination and wishes to be accredited, the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee, after confirming that the accreditation fee has been paid, will issue an accreditation certificate, using the specified accreditation application that was sent by the applicant. The accreditation fee will be 20,000 yen. At this time, persons who are not members of the Society must join and pay the membership fee.
2. Persons who fail the examination will be regarded as having passed the document review and will be exempt from document reviews for five (5) years. From the sixth year, the person will continue to be regarded as having passed the document review, but the submission of 30 required units (credits) will be necessary.
Article 12
The NST therapist accreditation examination will take place once a year. The examination fee will be 10,000 yen.
Article 13
NST Therapist Accreditation Certificate
1. The Accreditation and Qualification System Committee chairperson must report the names of those accredited as NST therapists to the Board of Directors and at General Meetings of Employees.
2. The Society’s NST therapist accreditation certificates will be valid for five (5) years from the date of issue. If, however, a therapist loses his/her qualification according to the provisions of Section 4, the period of validity will end as of the date of disqualification.
3. The fee for reissuing an NST therapist accreditation certificate will be 3,000 yen.
Section 4: Loss of Qualification as NST Therapist
Article 14
The Accreditation and Qualification System Committee will discuss and then cancel the accreditation of an NST therapist for the following reasons:
(1) The individual has declined the qualification as NST therapist for justifiable reasons.
(2) The qualification as NST therapist has been revoked.
(3) The individual’s national qualification has been lost, forfeited, or taken away.
(4) The qualification as NST therapist has not been renewed in accordance with Chapter 4 of the Bylaws.
Article 15
If an NST therapist has engaged in an inappropriate act, the accreditation of the NST therapist may be revoked by votes of both the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee and Board of Directors.
Section 5: Restoration of/Reapplication for NST Therapist Accreditation
Article 16
An NST therapist whose qualifications have been lost as specified in Article 14 (4) may have the qualifications restored under the conditions described in 1 to 3 below. An NST therapist should apply for accreditation restoration during the regular accreditation renewal application period. If, however, circumstances prevent one from applying for renewal in the usual way, application for restoration should be done separately.
1. The person has continuously maintained his/her membership with the Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, and has paid his/her membership fee.
2. The person has submitted a request for restoration of NST therapist accreditation in the specified form.
3. The person has met the conditions for renewing NST therapist accreditation within the past 5 years, dating from the year in which restoration of accreditation was requested.
Article 17
After restoration, the period of accreditation will begin anew. Also, one’s accreditation history will include earlier periods of accreditation, excluding periods when accreditation was lost.
Chapter 4: Educational Institution Accreditation
Article 18
To be accredited, an educational institution must meet all of the requirements in (1), (2), (3), and (4) below.
(1) Must be a general hospital or equivalent hospital with an active NST, and be an NST operation institution accredited by the Society.
(2) Must be able to accept practical training applicants from outside the institution as specified in Section 1.
(3) Must have an “accredited physician” of the Society working at the institution as an NST staff member.
(4) The Accreditation and Qualification System Committee must perform a review of the institution if it applied for accreditation based on a public notice. When accredited, an accreditation certificate will be sent to the person in charge at the institution.
Article 19
Accreditation will be valid for five (5) years from the date of accreditation certificate issuance, and renewal must follow the procedures in Chapter 5 of the Bylaws.
Chapter 5: Accredited Educational Institution Training Curriculum
Article 20
The supervisor at the accredited institution will prepare a training curriculum. Then when practical training is implemented, it will be based on the establishment of personal relationships with patients, deemed necessary for clinical nutrition. The supervisor will also focus on therapists acquiring the ability to apply nutrition expertise in actual clinical situations.
Article 21
During December of the current year, the practical clinical training supervisor will submit the following year’s practical training plan to the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee for approval, using the specified application documents, and will include the (1) period, (2) training curriculum, and (3) supervisor’s name.
Article 22
The practical clinical training supervisor will report the (1) period and (2) curriculum details in the specified application documents sent to the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee, and will deliver a Society-issued practical training certificate of completion to persons who complete the training.
Chapter 6: Changes to Regulations, Establishment of Bylaws
Article 23
These Regulations can be changed by resolutions of both the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee and Board of Directors. Bylaws will also be established according to the same procedures.
Article 24
Taking into consideration that accreditation activities will be temporarily shifting to the Japan Council for Nutritional Therapy (JCNT), a third-party organization, accompanying rule changes will require approval by the Board of Directors.
Supplementary Provisions
These Rules came into effect on February 2, 2000.
These Rules were revised on January 30, 2002.
These Rules were revised on February 12, 2003.
These Rules were revised on February 16, 2005.
These Rules were revised on January 25, 2006.
These Rules were revised on February 9, 2007.
These Rules were revised on February 25, 2010.
These Rules were revised on February 16, 2011.
These Rules were revised on February 20, 2013.
These Rules were revised on February 26, 2014.
These Regulations were revised on April 1, 2014.
These Regulations were revised on April 12, 2015.
These Regulations were revised on February 22, 2017.
These Regulations were revised on February 21, 2018.
These Regulations were revised on February 13, 2019, and came into effect on January 1, 2020.
These Regulations were revised on February 26, 2020.
These Regulations were revised on September 4, 2020.
These Regulations were revised on February 28, 2021.
These Regulations were revised on November 25, 2021.
These Regulations were revised on January 23, 2022.
These Regulations were revised on January 23, 2023.
Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Accreditation and Qualification: Bylaws for the Nutrition Support Team Therapist Accreditation Regulations
Chapter 1: General Provisions
Article 1
With the implementation of the accreditation regulations for Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism “nutrition support team therapists” (hereinafter referred to as “NST therapists”), matters that are not covered in the regulations will comply with the provisions of these Bylaws.
Chapter 2: Examination for NST Therapist Accreditation
Article 2
The Accreditation and Qualification System Committee and Accreditation Examination Working Group (WG) must issue public notice of accreditation examinations and public notice of invitations for accredited educational institutions in the Society’s journal and the Society’s website (https://www.jspen.or.jp).
Chapter 3: Supervisor of Practical Clinical Training at Accredited Educational Institution
Article 3
The supervisor of practical clinical training at an accredited educational institution must be an accredited physician. Physician accreditation conditions will be stipulated in the Physician/Supervisory Physician Accreditation System Rules.
Article 4
Renewal of accreditation for physicians who supervise practical clinical training will conform to the Physician/Supervisory Physician Accreditation System Rules.
Chapter 4: Renewal of NST Therapist Qualification
Article 5
The process for qualification renewal begins one (1) year prior to expiration of the validity of the NST therapist accreditation certificate.
Article 6
Persons who meet the conditions below can apply for qualification renewal (See “Note” at end).
(1) From the time of accreditation to the time of renewal, NST therapists will continue to be members of the Society and must pay the membership fee.
(2) During the period of accreditation, they must acquire at least 30 units (credits), including the 20 required units indicated below.
a. Must participate in at least one (1) Society academic meeting (10 units) and take at least one (1) “required seminar for NST therapist renewal (formerly NST therapist qualification renewal seminar)” or “skill improvement seminar (which ended in 2018)” (10 units) after accreditation.
b. Units (credits) will be recognized for Society-accredited workshops, regional academic meetings, and national academic meetings.
(3) Must be engaged in clinical nutrition management work at a medical or welfare institution for at least two (2) years during the period of accreditation. If less than two (2) years, then the acquisition of 10 units (credits) per year can be substituted. Substitution will be limited to Society academic meetings (10 units) and branch academic meetings (5 units each).
(4) Periods of voluntarily suspension as specified in Article 4 of the Bylaws for the Articles of Incorporation will not be included in the period of accreditation. Units acquired and qualification renewal applications will not be approved during a voluntarily suspension of membership.
Article 7
For qualification renewal, the following documents must be submitted:
(1) Specified renewal application
(2) Society academic meeting participation certificate (original)
(3) After Society accreditation: certificate of completion for “required seminar for NST therapist renewal (formerly NST therapist qualification renewal seminar)” or “skill improvement seminar (which ended in 2018)” (either one of photocopies)
(4) Participation certificates for Society-accredited workshops, regional academic meetings, or national academic meetings (photocopies)
(5) After accreditation: resume and certificate of employment (any format)
(6) NST therapist accreditation certificate (photocopy)
(7) National qualification licenses (photocopies)
Article 8
The qualification renewal application will require a renewal review accreditation fee of 10,000 yen. The fee will not be returned if the renewal conditions were not met and the qualification could not be renewed.
Article 9
The Accreditation and Qualification System Committee will perform the process for qualification renewal.
Chapter 5: Renewal of Educational Institution Accreditation
Article 10
Five (5) years after being accredited, an educational institution must renew its accreditation by filling in the required information in the forms sent by the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee.
Article 11
If, due to transfer or other reason, an accredited physician is no longer present, the accredited educational institution must promptly notify the Accreditation and Qualification System Committee and take the procedures necessary to withdraw its accreditation. Furthermore, if, due to other circumstances, the institution can no longer accept practical training applicants from outside the institution, it must voluntarily withdraw its accreditation in the same manner.
Supplementary Provisions
1 Provisional measures for renewal of accredited educational institution:
These revisions have applied to educational institutions newly accredited and renewed from FY 2012 and thereafter.
2 Provisional measures for renewal of NST therapist qualifications:
These accreditation rules and bylaws have applied from February 9, 2007. Parties accredited in or before FY 2006 were able to renew if they met the conditions for renewal by 2013.
3 Revised on March 16, 2011.
4 Revised on February 26, 2014.
5 These Bylaws were revised on April 1, 2014.
6 These Bylaws were revised on April 12, 2015.
7 These Bylaws were revised on February 22, 2017.
8 These Bylaws were revised on February 21, 2018.
9 These Bylaws were revised on February 13, 2019, and came into effect on January 1, 2020.
10 These Bylaws were revised on February 28, 2021.
11 These Bylaws were revised on November 25, 2021.
Along with the Society’s name change on January 1, 2020, portions of these Regulations containing the term “Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition” were changed to “Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism.” All certificates of accreditation and certificates of completion issued after the February 2020 Ordinary General Meeting of Employees will be issued under the Society’s new name. However, certificates of accreditation and certificates of completion issued in the past, whether before or after the name change, will be regarded as valid and belonging to the Society, and will not require special procedures to be taken for them.
Note in Article 6: However, persons who are newly accredited as dentists when the dentist accreditation system is launched will lose their NST therapist qualification. Persons who wish to maintain their accreditation as an NST therapist (persons who do not wish to change to accredited dentist) can renew their accreditation if they meet the conditions specified in each item (of Article 6).
*Due to a special measure in 2017, dentists can take an examination for either NST therapist or accredited dentist (dentists who meet provisional conditions can apply for provisional accreditation as a dentist).