diff --git a/tests/__init__.py b/tests/__init__.py
index 22d8c659e..64148ca94 100644
--- a/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/tests/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
 import os.path as osp
+import unittest
 
 TEST_FILES_DIR = osp.abspath(osp.join(osp.dirname(__file__), 'test_files'))
 TEST_BANK_DIR = osp.abspath(osp.join(osp.dirname(__file__), '..', '..', 'pylinac test files'))
+
+
+def run_tests(directory, pattern='test*.py'):
+    # import a runner to run tests
+    runner = unittest.TextTestRunner()
+    # run test discovery
+    test_suite = unittest.defaultTestLoader.discover(directory, pattern)
+    # run test runner
+    runner.run(test_suite)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/_test_all.py b/tests/_test_all.py
index 1785e226e..38b226d39 100644
--- a/tests/_test_all.py
+++ b/tests/_test_all.py
@@ -1,17 +1,7 @@
 """Test the entire package; an underscore precedes this file name
 so it does not include itself in the test discovery."""
-import unittest
 import os.path as osp
+from . import run_tests
 
-
-def run(directory, pattern='test*.py'):
-    # import a runner to run tests
-    runner = unittest.TextTestRunner()
-    # run test discovery
-    test_suite = unittest.defaultTestLoader.discover(directory, pattern)
-    # run test runner
-    runner.run(test_suite)
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    test_dir = osp.dirname(__file__)
-    run(test_dir)
+test_dir = osp.dirname(__file__)
+run_tests(test_dir)
diff --git a/tests/_test_alls.py b/tests/_test_alls.py
index 84d94163b..e0a403630 100644
--- a/tests/_test_alls.py
+++ b/tests/_test_alls.py
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 but accesses the larger, private test data."""
 import os.path as osp
 
-from tests._test_all import run
+from tests import run_tests
 
 
 test_dir = osp.dirname(__file__)
-run(test_dir, pattern='_test_all_*.py')
+run_tests(test_dir, pattern='_test_all_*.py')