• How To Become Certified
  • Canadian Educated Professionals
  • Internationally Educated Medical Laboratory Technologists (IEMLT)
  • Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
  • PLA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• About the Certification Exam
  • Exam Eligibility
  • Exam Structure
  • Competency Profiles
  • Remote Proctoring for Computer-Based Examinations
  • Certification Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • National Report Card
• Registering for the Exam
  • Dates and Fees
  • Exam Handbook and Exam Forms
  • Registration
  • Test Drive
  • System Requirement Check
• Preparing for and taking the exam
  • Preparing for the Exam
  • On Exam Day
  • Practice Test for CSMLS Certification Exam
  • Reference Textbooks
  • After the Exam
• Educators Hub
  • CSMLS Faculty Focus
  • Medical Laboratory Simulation Curricula Database
  • Guidance Documents
  • Presentations to Student - Virtual
  • Program Performance Review
  • Workshops for Educators
  • Computer-Based Testing at CSMLS

Medical Laboratory Assistant

CSMLS is proud to offer national certification for Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs). Although not mandatory in Canada, MLA certification is quickly gaining recognition as the standard requirement in the profession.

This voluntary national certification provides you with:

• Professional certification recognized by, but not limited to, Canadian employers (including the Canadian Armed Forces), provincial MLT regulators, some provincial governments, and some international employers
• Recognition of your competence to practice within a set of national standards
• The foundation for a national professional culture that promotes pride, excellence and recognition

Recent Graduate?

If you are a recent graduate that has successfully completed an EQual™ Accredited Canadian Medical Laboratory Program as a Medical Laboratory Assistant, including the clinical placement rotation, you may be eligible to challenge our certification exam.

We will contact your educational institution on your behalf to verify that you have completed the program requirements. If we are unable to verify program completion, you will be required to provide to us one of the following at your own cost:

• a notarized copy of certificate and/or transcript confirming successful completion of an accredited educational institution (training program), or
• a verification of successful program completion (transcript and/or diploma) to be sent to the CSMLS directly from your educational institution

See Exam Eligibility for more details.

Not a Recent Graduate?

Medical Laboratory Assistants who are currently working, but have no formal training, can also challenge the exam after being declared eligible through a Prior Learning Assessment.

 

Competency Profile

The examinations are competency-based exams, testing what an exam candidate can do or accomplish rather than simply knowledge acquired. It focuses on the application of knowledge not simply 'textbook' learning.

The CSMLS provides competency profiles for each of the certified disciplines. These profiles indicate the skills and knowledge that an entry-level professional needs to have when entering the workforce.

Exam Blueprint

The CSMLS certification exam is based on the Competency Profile. Each category within the profile is weighted for the percentage of marks allotted on the exam. The Competency Profiles are a valuable study tool.

Preparing for the Exam

All MLA examination candidates are required to read and complete the MLA Examination Handbook and Application.

The Handbook contains all the information you need to prepare for writing the exam. It includes:

• Policies and procedures that candidates need to follow
• Explanation of how the exam is created and scored
• Details on how to apply for exams and eligibility criteria
• What to expect after you write the exam
• And much more!