Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a Medical Laboratory Assistant?
2. Is this a recognized program and profession?
3. What are the employment prospects?
4. Where can I arrange a practicum placement?
5. What are the program pre-requisites?
6. Do I need to already be working in the health care field?
7. What is the normal program of study?
8. How do I learn to take blood through a distance course?
9. What are the timelines for the program?
10. How do I get assistance and how much can I expect from TRU and the Open Learning Faculty Member?
11. Does the program qualify for financial assistance?
12. How do I do my exams?
13. Can I get credit for some of the courses if I have related experience or courses?
14. What is the difference between a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) and a Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA)?

1. What is a Medical Laboratory Assistant?

A Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) works both in hospitals and private laboratory settings. They are responsible for:

• Interaction with patients
• Specimen collection, primarily blood, although urine, stool and other body fluids will be distributed by the MLA
• Fundamental computer skills, especially data entry
• Fundamental knowledge of medicine and medical terminology
• Effective communication with patients and health care team
• Confidentiality and professionalism
• Safe work practice
• Specimen processing
• Performance of pre-analytical procedures including reagent and media preparation
• Performance of basic electrocardiograms
• Quality assurance

2. Is this a recognized program and profession?

This program meets the guidelines set out by the British Columbia Society of Laboratory Science and is recognized by provincially funded hospitals as well as private laboratories.

The Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Science also has guidelines which we have incorporated into our program with the completion of the optional MDLB 1611 course.

Our program is recognized by many locations outside of BC including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

3. What are the employment prospects?

The applicant should fully investigate the job opportunities in their area for themselves before starting the program.

Top of Page

4. Where can I arrange a practicum placement?

In most locations, it is the sole responsibility of the student to determine if the current employment trends in their region meet their personal needs and in most areas, to locate and arrange their own clinical placement for the laboratory training aspect of this program. For more information about clinical placements, it is recommended to contact the OL Program Administrator, Science before contacting the lab in your area.

5. What are the program pre-requisites?

• Confirmation of a practicum training site
• Criminal record check
• Hepatitis B Vaccination
• Grade 12 or equivalent
• Basic computer skills (typing 40 wpm)
• Hospital and laboratory tour to ensure you are familiar with the field you are entering (Recommended)
• English competency exam may be required

Certain admission requirements may be waived by permission of the Academic Director or designate.

6. Do I need to already be working in the healthcare field?

No previous health care experience is required, although it is an advantage.

7. What is the normal program of study?

This program is entirely a distance education program. It currently consists of five theory courses: HLTH 1981, HLTH 1141, MDLB 1221, MDLB 1321, MDLB 1521. The theory courses are followed by the MLA Workshop, MLDB 0521 and the clinical practicum MDLB 1721.

Note : MDLB 0521 is mandatory for students in British Columbia prior to beginning the practical skills component of the program (MDLB 1721). However, this admission requirement may be waived by the Academic Director or designate.

Top of Page

8. How do I learn to take blood through a distance course?

During the course of their studies, students are taught the anatomy, proper terminology, and techniques through textbooks, interactive CDs and videotape materials. Students are sent tourniquets in order to practice their pre-puncture techniques. Workshops are held monthly in Kamloops and Nanaimo in order to give students hands-on practise in a controlled environment prior to beginning their clinical rotations.

9. What are the timelines for the program?

You may begin the program at any time you choose as we have a continuous intake.

A maximum of 30 weeks is permitted for each course and up to two years to complete the entire program. This program is equivalent to 20 - 24 weeks of full-time study including the practicum. The theory courses are equivalent to 126 hours of classroom instruction plus associated study time. The practicum is full-time, and unpaid, and usually takes six weeks but may be between four to eight weeks.

The timelines start when your course registration has been processed. The 30 weeks takes into account all mailing and handling time. Should you need a one-time extension, you may apply for an extension through Enrolment Services before your course has expired.

No extension to the two-year timeframe is permitted under any circumstances.

Top of Page

10. How do I get assistance and how much can I expect from TRU and the Open Learning Faculty Member?

An Open Learning Faculty Member is assigned to you upon registration. You must remember, though, that this is a Distance Education Program; therefore, you are expected to be an independent learner. Minimal support is available and due to the distance nature of the course, replies to questions may take several days to be answered. Optimal contact usually occurs via email, although phone contact information is also supplied.

Although this program offers a great deal of flexibility, it is not for everyone and thus you may want to consider the amount of support you think you will need as well as your self-motivation. An on-site program may be more suitable to your learning style. You need to choose a program that best meets your needs.

11. Does the program qualify for financial assistance?

This program does not qualify for BC student loan assistance.

For BC residents please visit BCSAP for information on other forms of financial aid.

12. How do I do my exams?

Exams are done both online and via a supervised invigilated process. Please see examinations for detailed information on taking exams through TRU-OL.

Top of Page

13. Can I get credit for some of the courses if I have related experience or courses?

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is intended to assess recent informal learning.

Transfer credit:

• credits must be in the last three years with C+ or greater
• courses must have been credit courses
• courses must be clearly of similar content and title
• courses must have been taken at an institution that is recognized by TRU
• must have official transcripts (sent to us directly by the training institutions registrar without passing through your hands) to assess

Should you wish to pursue these routes, please have the originating institution send your transcripts to Student Services (see mailing address below). Also, please submit a letter outlining your contact information, your education, work experience and a request to have your credentials assessed.

Please contact us for further information on this process or visit Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR).

Top of Page

14. What is the difference between a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) and a Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA)?

MLA duties cover the pre-analytical tasks in the lab, including collection of blood specimens; delivery of other specimens to the appropriate technical section of the laboratory; and clerical duties, including multi-media communication and computer data entry.

Technologists perform the analysis of the specimens. The MLT program is a two-year on-site program offered at select institutions in Canada.

Top of Page