Medical Laboratory Assistants and Technicians to be Regulated in Nova Scotia, Effective May 3rd!

Tomorrow, on May 3^rd, Nova Scotia will become the first Canadian province to regulate medical laboratory assistants and technicians.

This initiative was an important step in enhancing public safety, improving healthcare standards, and ensuring that these essential professionals are able to work within their full scope of practice.

With public protection at top of mind, pursuing the regulation of medical laboratory assistants and technicians continues to be a strategic priority of the CMLTO Board of Directors.

Regulating these professionals would ensure that they meet a specific level of educational and professional practice criteria prior to holding themselves out as a medical laboratory assistant or technician. If regulated the profession would have its own firmly defined scope of practice, which would assist in health human resource planning in laboratories. Lastly, regulated professionals are required to abide by a set of profession specific standards or standards of practice. Regulation would provide the College with the jurisdiction to ensure these essential professionals are held accountable in a fair and transparent manner.

The CMLTO has been involved in discussions with the Ministry of Health, laboratory employers throughout the entire province (including northern regions of Ontario), and professional associations to provide information on the importance of regulating these individuals.

We invite you to stay informed about CMLTO’s pursuit of the regulation of these professionals by consulting the following page of our website.