Preparing for PLA

If you are considering applying for a PLA, you will need to start here.

Each step outlined below has required reading and forms in order to proceed through PLA.

PLA STAGE 1: Pre-Assessment and Fees

Pre-Assessment has two parts:

1. PLA APPLICATION AND FEE(S)

There is an application at the back of the PLA Handbook that must be completed and sent to CSMLS with your payment.

Once we have received this, we will open a file for you and assign you a CSMLS ID number.

Applications are found in the PLA Handbook and must be submitted with payment to pla@csmls.org

Become a CSMLS member and save on your PLA fees. Learn more here.

PLA FEES FOR MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY

This PLA fee is $1540 for members and $1850 for non-members (non-refundable).

You can pay the PLA Fee in full at the time of application, or in two parts as follows:

PLA FEES FOR MEDICAL LABORATORY ASSISTANT

This PLA fee is $160 for members and $215 for non-members (non-refundable).

PLA Payment:

Payments must be in Canadian funds. Acceptable forms of payment are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Canadian cheque or Canadian money order.

Make your cheque or money order payable to the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science, or CSMLS.

If your payment is returned to us for insufficient funds, you will be charged a $25.00 NSF fee.

Unfortunately, our payment provider does not accept credit cards from Nigeria.

Please note:

1. PLA fees are non-refundable and non-transferable
2. You have twelve (12) months to ensure required documents are received by the CSMLS office
   • You will need to reapply, with payment, if documents are not received within this timeframe
3. Extensions of up to twelve (12) months can be requested if your application has not expired

2. SUPPORTING (OFFICIAL) DOCUMENTS

With your file started, you will receive notification from CSMLS regarding required documents. You must contact your educational institutions and employers to ask that they send the required official documents directly to us.

Documents sent become property of the CSMLS and will not be sent or returned to you.

Be sure your name and CSMLS ID number are included with the documents sent on your behalf, or they will be discarded.

A Required Documentation Checklist can be found in the PLA Handbook to assist you. You are responsible for all costs associated with submitting your supporting documentation.

For MLTs ONLY: If you have pre-paid the PLA Technical Report fee and all supporting documents have been received at the CSMLS office, your file will be sent for PLA Stage 2 Assessment.

However, if you have only paid for Stage 1 PLA, you will be asked to pay your PLA Technical Report fee at this time. If this fee is not paid, your file does not move to Stage 2-Assessment, and will be considered inactive. Your PLA file will be closed after 12-months of inactivity. If you choose to reactivate your PLA file after 12-months, you will have to apply pay the Technical Report fee and may be required to resubmit certain documents and are responsible for any associated costs. Contact pla@csmls.org for more information.

When Stage 1 – Pre-assessment is complete, your PLA file will be forwarded to an assessor for review. Your documentation will be reviewed to compare your experience and education with the appropriate CSMLS competency profile.

An assessment takes up to 4 to 6 weeks to complete.

Post-Assessment

Technical Report

  The PLA Technical Report Fee must be paid before we assess your file (applicable to MLT assessments only).

Medical Laboratory Technologist

Your technical report will have one (1) of three (3) outcomes:

1. You are equivalent to the Competency Profile and eligible to write both the MLT and MLA exams.
2. You are not equivalent to the MLT Competency Profile and you must successfully complete an assigned PLA Learning Plan to be eligible to write the MLT exam. Eligibility to the MLA exam will not be granted to individuals who need to meet comprehensive course requirements.
   Technical reports with an assigned PLA Learning Plan are valid for 2 years.
3. You are not equivalent and you must complete a full EQual™ accredited Canadian MLT educational program to be eligible to write the exam or consider other professional options.

Medical Laboratory Assistant

Your technical report will have one (1) of two (2) outcomes:

1. You are equivalent to the Competency Profile and eligible to write the MLA exam.
2. You are not equivalent and you must complete a full EQual™ accredited Canadian MLA educational program to be eligible to write the exam.

If you received a "Not Equivalent" technical report but you do not agree with the assessment or think that additional documents from your employer or academic institutions will change your PLA outcome, you can apply for an Appeal or for a Supplemental Documentation Review.

Applications must be received within strict timeframes. See the PLA Handbook or the forms below for these restrictions. Please note, the application must be sent with the appropriate non-refundable fee.

PLA Learning Plans in Medical Laboratory Technology

PLA Learning Plans are custom plans that will help you fill educational gaps that have been identified in your PLA technical report.

Your custom PLA Learning Plan must be successfully completed, within two years, in order to be deemed eligible to write the CSMLS National Certification Exam.

PLA Learning Plans can take up to two years to complete.

A PLA Learning Plan might consist of any of the following course work:

• Refresher: Refresher coursework will be required when you have not practiced a discipline (i.e. clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, hematology, histotechnology or transfusion science) within the last five years. You will need to take a course to bring you up to date with current Canadian practice. See course list.
• Subject Specific: Subject specific coursework will be required when you have not practiced part of a discipline within the last five years. For example, you may be asked to complete a subject specific course in toxicology (part of clinical chemistry).
• Comprehensive: Comprehensive coursework will be required when there is an area in which you have little or no education, clinical internship and/or work experience.

You can choose from approved course work options on the approved course list to complete your PLA Learning Plan requirements. These will be included with your assigned PLA Learning Plan. Courses are offered in a variety of formats, with varying start and end dates, costs and method of evaluation. You must contact the course providers directly for this information.

It is advisable to update CSMLS with the progress of your PLA Learning Plan, submitting official proof of successful completion as you complete the course work for your assigned PLA Learning Plan.

You may also be able to choose from one of the following options AFTER CSMLS approval:

• Canadian Clinical Placement:  You can complete a supervised clinical placement to complete your PLA Learning Plan requirements. The Clinical Placement Blueprint describes the specific activities you will need to complete under supervision for each of the five disciplines. It is your responsibility to find and secure a clinical placement or placements. Depending on location and your PLA Learning Plan, not all activities may be available to complete in a single location. CSMLS is not responsible for securing a placement for you.
  Clinical Placement Blueprint
• Medical Laboratory Technology Bridging Programs:   These programs allow internationally trained to complete discipline-specific educational gaps. Participation in a bridging program has helped many, including internationally trained professionals, by providing participants with an enhanced sense of community while developing increased professional networking opportunities.
• Non-Approved Courses:  If you have located a course that is not on the pre-approved lists, the CSMLS can review it for approval. The course must be at the technologist level. Please contact the Prior Learning Assessment Administrator at pla@csmls.org  for more information on the approval process.

Note:  The CSMLS is not responsible if you cannot gain admission into a bridging program or course or if the program or course is cancelled due to any circumstances. You are responsible to complete your PLA Learning Plan before it expires. Failure to do so may result in a loss of eligibility to the exam or additional fees.

It is advisable to update CSMLS with the progress of your PLA Learning Plan, submitting official proof of successful completion as you complete the course work for your assigned PLA Learning Plan.

After You Complete Your PLA Learning Plan

When you have successfully completed your PLA Learning Plan you must:

• Notify us by email at pla@csmls.org.
• Ask your educational institution(s) to send your official transcripts directly to us (if applicable).
• Ask your clinical placement(s) to send your signed and completed clinical placement blueprint directly to us (if applicable). Official transcripts must be submitted directly from the college or institution where you completed your course(s).

It is advisable to contact pla@csmls.org whenever you complete assigned course work and periodically updated us about your learning plan, BEFORE it expires.

After the CSMLS receives proof of your successful completion of the PLA Learning Plan requirements, we will send you an updated PLA Technical Report and a Statement of Eligibility to the CSMLS Certification Exam.