April 6, 2020 Issue No. 10 Impact of COVID-19 to Accredited Program Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) and Assistant (MLA) Students The CSMLS is aware that many programs are being profoundly affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Currently, the June 2020 CSMLS National Certification Examination (Exam) session will be available for all candidates whose clinical placements are successfully completed by this Exam date. For those whose clinical placements are suspended and/or program completions are delayed, the CSMLS is actively investigating new testing dates to augment the June 2020 Exams. If these candidates have registered for the June 2020 Exam, we will transfer their Exam fees to the next Exam session they are eligible to attend at no additional cost to these candidates. If the June 2020 session is suspended, due to current COVID-19 measures at Prometric Testing Centres extending past June 15, we will transfer the Exam fees for those who are eligible for the June 2020 Exam session to the next Exam session they are able to attend at no additional cost to these candidates. Candidates must have successfully completed their entire program, including their clinical placements, before they will be eligible to attempt the Exam. Our current Exam policy, as seen in the Exam Handbook (page 3), states that newly graduated candidates have 12 months from graduation to attend their first attempt at the Exam. However, for MLT candidates, provincial MLT regulatory colleges may have additional requirements for attending the MLT Exams. We suggest you refer to the requirements of the regulator you may be interested in registering with, if there is one in your province. As soon as we know more about what additional testing dates may be available with Prometric, and/or the impact to the June 2020 Exam session, we will post updates on our website (csmls.org) and send emails to registered candidates and the educational community. We understand this is a challenging time and appreciate your patience as we work through new processes within an ever-evolving situation. Our commitment to you is to keep you updated as soon as information is available. Above all, please stay safe. Chart of Training Programs and Clinical Placements Affected by COVID-19 In the Educator’s Hub, you can find a list of medical laboratory programs that have had their program and/or clinical placements affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access it here. Information in this chart has been provided directly from the listed programs or pulled from their websites. If your program has not been listed, or your information has changed, please send an update to exam@csmls.org. Educator Communities ForumA forum called “COVID-19 and Training Programs” has been added under Communities, which is accessible at communities.csmls.org. This is a place for educators from around the country to talk to one another and share their experiences and challenges while dealing with COVID-19. If you are new to the forum, please take a minute to read the topics in Getting Started. You must be signed in to participate in the discussions. Mental Health Toolkit We know medical laboratory educators are adapting to unusual work protocols with the current pandemic. Taking steps to ensure good mental health is vital. Explore the Mental Health Toolkit to find resources to help educators, students, employers and more. Visit mentalhealth.csmls.org. CSMLS in the Media We believe the public should understand the role of Canadian medical laboratory professionals in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why CSMLS has been speaking to media to ensure accurate information is shared with audiences across Canada. We are committed to being your voice for everything medical laboratory, in order to inform and guide the public, the media and decision-makers across the country during the length of this pandemic. Here’s where your voice was heard recently: NEW: MLT Practice Test Package CSMLS offers Practice Tests for MLT and MLA students challenging the Exams. The tests are designed to help students get a better understanding of how the exam questions are structured as well as the pacing needed to complete the exam within the given time limits. We are now offering the MLT Practice Test Package to help students save money as they prepare for the exam. Students can purchase this bundle to have 3 Practice Test attempts while saving 40% of the individual practice test cost. You can find more information and register here. Certification Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) An extensive list of FAQs is being rolled out to our website this month. They include such topics as general certification information, certification requirements, applying for the exam, accommodations, preparing for the exam, taking the exam, learning plans, recertification and other miscellaneous topics. The FAQs will be available under the Certification tab on our website csmls.org. Additional MLA Exam Session in August 2020 On August 27, 2020, we will pilot the additional MLA Exam session at Prometric’s 16 permanent Testing Centres, as listed below. In light of COVID-19, we are investigating if this additional exam session can move to all locations, but this will be dependant on availability. |