MLA Regulation Position Statement
NSCMLT has adoted the CSMLS position statement for Support of the Regulation of Medical Laboratory Assistants.
CSMLS Position Statement
Support for Regulation: Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs)
The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) endorses the regulation of medical laboratory assistants (MLAs) in all jurisdictions across Canada. Regulation defines the practice of medical laboratory science, establishes the requirements and qualifications necessary to practice in the medical laboratory profession, and describes the boundaries within which the profession operates, as a key element of patient safety.
The CSMLS supports employing MLAs in the medical workplace providing that the MLA:
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has relevant education and/or experience, and
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is certified with the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science, and
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is performing within his or her scope of practice and/or level of professional certification, and
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adheres to the CSMLS Code of Professional Conduct, and
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is accountable for his or her professional acts.
Implicit
in these responsibilities is the need to maintain knowledge and skills at the appropriate level.
The purpose of professional regulation is to serve and protect the public. Regulation ensures that competent, qualified, registered medical laboratory assistants provide Canadians with safe and ethical laboratory testing.
Note: The CSMLS acknowledges the diversity of job titles for MLAs in Canada, and has selected this term as it relates to the National Competency Profile. Reference to the title MLA includes, but is not limited to: medical laboratory assistant, clinical laboratory assistant, medical laboratory technician, MLA/T (medical laboratory assistant/technician), medical laboratory aide, laboratory helper and phlebotomist.
References:
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Ernst EJ. Applied Phlebotomy. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: 2005.
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World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on drawing blood: best practices in phlebotomy.
Geneva, Switzerland : WHO Press; 2010. 125 p.
Approved April 2012 Revised March 2013
CSMLS granted permission December 2014