The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is the national professional association for Canada’s medical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory assistants. We are also the national certifying body for Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA) in Canada and the provincial certifying body for General Medical Laboratory Technologists (GMLT) in Alberta. We are a not-for-profit organization that is funded entirely by membership dues and revenues from goods and services. We do not receive operational funding from governments or other organizations.
CSMLS provides professional development and continuing education programs to help our professional members update their skills and knowledge, and achieve their professional goals. Our continuing education service provides distance education programs in technical and scientific subjects and laboratory management.
Our members practice in hospital laboratories, private medical laboratories, public health laboratories, government laboratories, and in research and educational institutions. Incorporated in 1937 as the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, the society has over 12,000 members in Canada and in several countries around the world.
Our Vision is that every medical laboratory professional is thriving as a crucial part of Canadian health care.
Our Mission is to be the unified national voice of medical laboratory professionals across Canada, supporting you in delivering high-quality health care.
One of our continuing functions at CSMLS is to set qualification standards in medical laboratory science for both MLAs nationally, and General MLTs in the province of Alberta. We conduct exams and issue certificates to candidates who meet those prescribed standards. CSMLS provides prior learning assessment to internationally educated medical laboratory technologists who are seeking Canadian Certification in the province of Alberta, and for MLAs who seek Canadian Certification nationally. Our Prior Learning Assessment process evaluates an applicant’s academic credentials, language proficiency, clinical training and work experience and their level of competency to write the Certification examination.