Addressing the shortage of medical laboratory professionals

CSMLS has been advocating to address the shortage of medical laboratory professionals in Canada. Our efforts have been focused on engaging with both federal and provincial governments to establish clear steps toward building a sustainable laboratory workforce while also meeting the future health care needs of our country.

We have been taking this message to decision-makers across the nation, including a meeting at Ontario's Queen's Park in early 2023, with Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and other representatives from the health care community. Our advocacy efforts center on expanding training programs, creating support systems for the integration of Internationally Educated Medical Laboratory Technologists (IEMLTs), reducing low-value testing through the Lab Wisely initiatives, and the regulation of medical laboratory assistants (MLAs).

There has been progress in the discussions about the optimization of MLAs in health care. CSMLS has formally submitted proposals for MLA regulation to the Governments of Nova Scotia and Alberta.

National Medical Laboratory Week

This edition of Lab Week was a special one. Members placed over 750 orders of free swag in under four days at labweek.csmls.org, and tens of thousands of posters, pens and brochures went directly to their homes or workplaces including some provinces we had never reached before. Additionally, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam shared her gratitude through an incredible video recognizing every medical laboratory professional for their life-saving work.

We also launched a campaign featuring new art that includes a hidden message on MLPs' unseen work: behind every test, and every patient is a medical laboratory professional. Featured in posters and social media advertisements, this art helped Canadians truly understand and appreciate exactly who is behind each of their medical laboratory test results.

For a third consecutive year, monuments and landmarks across the country lit up in indigo. We set another new record: at least 26 sites participated, including some in provinces we had never reached.

Photo courtesy of CCNB in Dieppe, New Brunswick

Photo courtesy of Anderson College in London, Ontario

In the Lab

CSMLS partnered with University Health Network (UHN) to release three new episodes of the web-video series called "In the Lab". The series highlights the work of medical laboratory professionals (MLPs) and has become one of our most popular advocacy resources. Through the videos, viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at the crucial role MLPs play in our health care system.

The three videos explore different tests performed by medical laboratory technologists, with the MLPs themselves explaining the science behind it all. In the first episode, genetics medical lab professional Erica Dafoe demonstrates fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing at the MaRS District prognostic lab, a type of cytogenetic test that detects specific genes or parts of genes. MLT Chris Rizarri explains the science behind PCR testing and when it’s used. Lastly, charge medical lab technologist Anselmo Fabros shows the most common way to test for autoimmune diseases with ANAs, or antinuclear antibodies screen.

 

 

Unseen Travelling Exhibit

The Unseen Exhibit in 2022 helped capture the public’s attention in a brand-new way, bringing much-deserved awareness to the work of medical laboratory professionals with the art of Dahae Song.

Continuing the momentum of the exhibit, we brought it to even more people. We sent the original art - including the full canvases and the painted Indigo Lab Coat – along with new ready-to-display information panels to members across Canada. With volunteer hosts lined up for nearly a year, the travelling Unseen Exhibit reached more Canadians and helped them see how the work of medical laboratory professionals impacts every aspect of patient care.

The Canadian Blood Services in Lethbridge, Alberta, was our first destination. Members, donors and patients of all ages had the opportunity to experience a representation of the work of medical laboratory professionals as timeless pieces of art – and portals to the lab world.

Photos courtesy of Trudy Seely from the Canadian Blood Services in Lethbridge, AB

MLA Certification Exam Change

As of December 2023, and effective with the June 2024 exam session, MLAs who have attained MLPAO certification in the past 5 years will now be eligible to challenge the CSMLS National MLA Certification Examination. 

Competency Profile Review Update

All CSMLS national competency profiles^© - MLT: General, Clinical Genetics, Diagnostic Cytology, and MLA - were submitted to Accreditation Canada’s EQual™ program on December 15, 2023.

Once the revised profiles are confirmed by Accreditation Canada, the CSMLS, in conjunction with Accreditation Canada, will announce and publish the revised profiles on www.csmls.org, including the national certification examination sessions they will be in effect for.

All Competency Profiles are now accepted and communicated on csmls.org

Continuing Education

In 2023, CSMLS’ Learning Centre reached over 1000 hours of free content on various topics related to medical laboratory science. CSMLS created several new premium webinars, covering subjects such as customer service, transfusion reactions, COVID-19 reflections, and more. The on-demand webinars were also updated with fresh sessions on topics such as click chemistry, thalassemia, enhanced liver fibrosis, and others.

Events

This year, CSMLS organized a variety of events and symposiums that catered to the needs of our community. We hosted a total of 12 Insight Speakers Series events, featuring expert knowledge and outstanding topics. Additionally, we included hybrid events such as the Leadership Masterclass in March, the Educator's Education Virtual Symposium in July, the Phlebotomy Symposium in October, and the Chemistry Symposium in November.

LABCON

This year's LABCON was a memorable one. The medical laboratory community gathered in Whistler, BC, to reconnect with their friends and peers. The event featured various networking opportunities, learning sessions, and discovery events. Attendees had the chance to learn from speakers about a wide range of topics, including microbiology, public health, safety, artificial intelligence, genetics, mental health management, and more. They also received a special video message from Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, thanking them for their work and wishing them a happy LABCON.

This year, wellness and cultural events were a highlight for MLPs. They had the opportunity to recharge with a nature hike, learn new skills with a hand drum and dreamcatcher making workshop, and listen to Juno award-winning musician Susan Aglukark, who shared her personal history through music as an Inuk. There was truly something for every delegate and laboratory designation.