Medical Laboratory Technology education programs in Canada are accredited by the Accreditation Canada (AC). Any individual applying from non-accredited programs from around the world are required to undergo a prior learning assessment (PLA) process to determine the comparability of their education to the CSMLS competency profiles. The PLA program reviews your education, training and work experience to determine if they are equivalent to the national competency profile.
Over 80% of all applicants have gaps in their education that must be filled. For some applicants, this process can take several years to complete.
Therefore it is very important to clearly understand the PLA process prior to application. CSMLS offers a number of resources that give you an opportunity to reflect on your previous professional experience and determine if a career as a certified MLT is right for you.
These resources will also give you a sense of how much upgrading may be required before you are eligible to write he certification exam. If your educational gaps are significant, it may be worthwhile to consider investigating an alternate career.
Read about the PLA process and certification exam
Complete the Personal Competency Rating Booklet (PCRB) to decide if a PLA is right for you.
Complete PCRBComplete the PLA Online Self-Assessment (OSA).
Complete PLA Self-AssessmentThe OSA will help you identify knowledge gaps and give you valuable information to help you decide whether to pursue Canadian certification. If you choose to apply for PLA you are required to complete the OSA.
