2024 was a year of remarkable transformation for CSMLS – a year of change that will shape the future of our profession and the role we play in supporting you, our valued medical laboratory professionals. The 2024 challenges can be divided into two-time frames: before and after the Canadian Alliance of Medical Laboratory Professionals Regulators (CAMLPR) announced their decision to take responsibility for the MLT entry-to-practice examinations and the Prior Learning Assessment process for internationally educated MLTs.

In the ‘before’, we celebrated Lab Week with an unprecedented level of engagement, sending out a record number of supplies to help you commemorate the occasion. Our “All Through The Night” video resonated deeply with the community, garnered widespread appreciation and brought your collective passion for the profession to the forefront. We also held a highly successful LABCON2024 conference in St. John’s, NL – a gathering that pushed the boundaries of professional learning and community. The event sparked fresh ideas, new perspectives, and invaluable learning experiences that you took back to your labs, helping to drive innovation in your everyday work.

Our advocacy efforts in 2024 continued to be a major focus. CSMLS engaged with provincial and federal leaders to champion the interests of medical laboratory professionals in the following areas: encouraging provincial regulation for MLAs across Canada, expanding domestic education programs, adding greater supports for internationally educated medical laboratory technologists (IEMLTs), and reducing low value testing as a workload reduction solution for an over-burdened profession. We made important strides with our Lab Wisely initiative, presenting 7 new recommendations aimed at reducing waste in labs. Additionally, we launched the Lab Wisely calculator, a powerful new tool designed to help individual labs identify potential savings in real time by reducing unnecessary testing.

In the second half of the year, also known as the ‘after’, our focus shifted as we worked tirelessly to address your questions regarding the new CAMLPR processes. We advocated for clarity and provided guidance on how this transition would impact educators, students, and our members, including those who will work alongside MLTs certifying under the new Flexible Pathways program. Throughout this period, we committed to ensuring that you had the information you needed to navigate these changes.

As we look ahead to a future when we are no longer the national certifying body for MLTs, we are reimagining how we advocate for you – our members. With our strategic plan in its last year, we embarked on the planning process for our next four years with member and employee research to ensure stakeholder voices were well represented. That planning process will continue into the second quarter of 2025. Our mission remains steadfast, even while the landscape of certification shifts. We will continue to be your national professional association of choice. To strengthen this mission, we are developing new strategies and designing new member benefits that will empower you to succeed throughout your careers, now and into the future.

CSMLS is here to stay. We are facing a transformational change like no other time in our history.  But our dedication to serving you – the heart of the medical laboratory profession – remains unwavering. We are committed to helping you to thrive, regardless of your professional role, and no matter where you practice across Canada. Mere survival isn’t good enough.

Together, we will continue to innovate, advocate, and evolve in ways that best support you – the professional – and we thank you for your continued trust and support. We’re grateful you’re on this journey with us and we look forward to growing with you in 2025!

As I look back at the events of 2024, it is clear that this was a transformational? and growth year for the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS). As the first MLA (Medical Laboratory Assistant) in CSMLS history to serve as Chair of the Board, I am incredibly proud of the strides we’ve made together, and I am energized by the opportunities ahead.

It has been exciting for me to witness the evolving collaboration between MLAs and MLTs over the past year. I see more opportunities than ever before for both groups to work closely together, leveraging our collective expertise to elevate the medical laboratory profession as a whole. It’s a moment for us to embrace the value that each role brings to the profession and to support each other in meaningful ways.

My first volunteer experience with CSMLS was at LABCON 2015 in Montreal, QC working as a moderator. Fast forward to LABCON2024, and there I was in St. John’s, NL, presenting as the Vice Chair. It was a surreal experience! I was proud that CSMLS launched a new event in 2024 called LABCONIC, in Calgary, with the intention of bringing the learning, fun and networking of LABCON to smaller audiences, and to different cities across the country.

However, not all the change in 2024 was positive. Learning that CSMLS would no longer be responsible for certifying MLTs in Canada was challenging, and it marked the end of a long-standing responsibility and purpose for the society. Despite this, we are steadfastly committed to you – the professional – and we look forward to continuing our vital role as the national certifying body for MLAs.

It has been humbling and uplifting to hear so much support for the Society from the members themselves as we navigate these changes, although they are daunting for CSMLS and others in our profession. 

As we look to the future, we are focused on the evolving role of CSMLS. While we shift our advocacy efforts from regulatory matters to ensuring we are the home and voice for all professionals within the medical laboratory science community, we are dedicated to supporting the growth and development of our members. Our focus will continue to be on the professional development and well-being of our members, and advocating for the improvements you need to help you succeed in your work and personal lives.

Navigating change can be hard But I am also excited about what the future holds and view this as a chance for renewal and re-creation. I am confident that, together, we will continue to make an incredible impact on the field of medical laboratory science in Canada.