Practice Guidelines

PRACTICE GUIDELINES

Practice guidelines are intended to provide guidance for Ontario’s Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs) in their professional practice. 

These guidelines:

  • Are intended to support, not replace, the exercise of professional judgment by MLTs.
  • May be developed by working groups, which may be composed of registrants of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO) or other stakeholders, to ensure they accurately represent best practices and current information.
  • Reflect both public and professional interests.
  • Are maintained by the various CMLTO Statutory Committees.

This page also contains information about interprofessional collaboration which supports MLTs professional practice. 

Professional Practice Guidelines Available:

Please consult the various guidelines organized by focus area:

Boundaries and Expectations

The following guidelines outline MLT professional boundaries 

Boundaries of Practice Guidebook Delegation Guidelines Guidelines for Evaluating Professional Practice Activities
Ethics

The following set of guidelines are intended to guide MLTs through potentially ethically challenging practice situations

Guidelines for Ethical Decision Making
Supervision & Training

The following guidelines contain guidance on how to support MLTs who perform supervisory or training roles within the laboratory

Retraining Guidelines for medical laboratory technologists Guidelines for the supervision of medical laboratory science program students in clinical placements Guidelines for Supervision
Sexual Abuse & Patient Consent

These guidelines focus on prevention of sexual abuse, patient consent, and resources available for patients who have experienced sexual abuse or misconduct.

Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse Professional Practice Learning Program Module: Abuse Prevention Factsheet for Funding for Therapy Counselling Therapist/Counsellor Form for Requesting Funding for Therapy or Counselling

CMLTO White Papers

In 2010 and 2012, the CMLTO developed a set of White Papers and Position Papers that addressed enhancing professionalism amongst MLTs while supporting ongoing collaboration amongst MLTs and other stakeholders and remaining informed about the everchanging healthcare landscape. We strongly encourage you to consult these documents for an understanding of how the CMLTO responds to the evolving needs of the public, the healthcare system, and MLTs. Please click on each paper title for access to the PDF copy of each document: 

Empowering Enhanced Professionalism 

Enhanced Professionalism Position Paper

INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION

Through the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), the provincial government has mandated the regulatory Colleges to promote interprofessional collaboration (IPC) among registrants and with other health profession regulatory Colleges. Through IPC, MLTs may find opportunities to both

  • Share their specialized knowledge with other members of the healthcare team
  • Provide unique value in diagnosis, treatment, and disease management.

IPC is based on the concept that each member of the healthcare team offers a unique value to delivering safe, high-quality patient care. IPC works most effectively when MLTs:

  • demonstrate the impact of their professional practice on patient care
  • focus on excellence in patient care
  • apply and share quality management principles and a process-oriented approach to the health care system
  • develop competencies that support interprofessional collaboration.

The CMLTO Interprofessional Collaboration Infographic was developed by CMLTO staff following a 2022 survey issued to a group of 1000 randomly selected College Practising registrants. The infographic presents findings from the survey and showcases how IPC in MLT practice has evolved over time. The infographic is unique in that it also provides information pertaining to the impact of COVID-19 on MLT practice.

Click here to access the CMLTO IPC Infographic

The CMLTO Quality Assurance Committee approved an updated Collaboration Guideline for MLTs in July 2023. Click the button below for access to these guidelines: 

CMLTO Collaboration Guidelines for MLTs

For additional resources on IPC, please see below: 

  • Clinical Labs and Clinical Nurses: Working Better Together: The Clinical Laboratory Services at Kingston General Hospital (KGH) facilitated IPC collaboration amongst nursing and laboratory staff to ensure patient care excellence. Their PowerPoint presentation focusses on the six “rights” of specimen collection. (adapted & shared with the permission of KGH)

Case studies available:

Have feedback about the Interprofessional Collaboration Case Studies?

After reading the IPC case studies, please tell us how useful you’ve found them. Click here to answer a brief online anonymous survey.