A VITAL LINK IN HEALTH CARE:
Medical Laboratory Technologists
Without Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs), the health care system would come to a halt with a devastating impact on Saskatchewan residents. Emergency departments would close and surgeries and cancer treatments would abruptly stop. MLTs look for indications of disease processes. The patient test results generated by MLTs are crucial in directly influencing as high as 85 per cent of the diagnostic and treatment decisions made by health care professionals.
“Clinical Microbiology (the study of micro-organisms) is only one of the nine major disciplines in which MLTs provide test results regarding diseases affecting individuals. The human body has bacteria in it all the time to help with normal bodily functions. However, infections are caused by abnormal bacteria or viruses. MLTs test for and detect those abnormal bacteria,” said Del Windrum, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Society of Medical Laboratory (SSMLT). The organization is responsible for licensing MLTs.
“Medical Laboratory Technologists perform tests and investigations on blood, body fluids and tissues taken from the human body. They evaluate the technical accuracy and reliability of the tests that they perform for the purpose of supporting the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease by other health care professionals or practitioners,” said Windrum.
MLTs are required by law to be licensed by SSMLT in order to be classified and work in the profession. SSMLT sets the entry to practice standards required to be met by those wishing to practice as a MLT in Saskatchewan and identifies what practitioners are required to do to maintain their registration.
In order to renew a MLT’s license, a set of competency standards for professional conduct and proficiency is required. If a member has not been practicing for a period of time, they have to complete a re-entry to practice program to ensure that they’re competent to perform their work safely and accurately.
“However, our mandate is like the rest of the regulatory bodies in the province, such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons: To protect the public,” said Windrum. “We’re mandated to investigate any complaints that are raised and brought to our attention. If a complaint warrants further action, we discipline the member as well.”
There are two main centers where a majority of MLTs practice: the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Authority and the Saskatoon Health Region. However, MLTs practice throughout the entire province primarily within a hospital environment. Although some MLTs are employed by private labs, a majority in the profession are employed by the health care system.
“We have MLTs working in universities, veterinarian labs and in the private industry as well,” said Windrum.
Currently, there are 888 practicing MLT members in Saskatchewan. MLT training consists of a two-year diploma at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) in Saskatoon which can lead to completing a Laboratory Science Bachelor’s Degree in Regina.
Between 1993 and 2009, there was a 21 per cent drop in the number of MLTs in Saskatchewan. SSMLT is not sure why, as the SIAST program increased in the number of MLT students around 1996 - from eight MLTs every two years to 20 MLTs every year in 2008. Even with an increase in students, SSMLT continues to lose MLT members.
“Aside from one other profession, the number of MLTs has declined more than any other regulated healthcare profession in the province,” said Windrum. “The entire health care system and population is aging. We’re getting the baby boomer bump going through and as they progress towards retirement, the number of MLTs filling in behind them needs to be increased and replaced.”
SSMLT is assisting the process of recruiting MLTs from out of province, including internationally trained MLTs.
“We are definitely going to need more MLTs to sustain the amount of testing that is going to be required. We are projecting that we will need around 1,100 MLTs in the province within the next five years,” said Windrum.
Although the organization is concerned about the decrease in MLTs entering the workforce, Windrum feels the larger issue in need of attention pertains to clinical placements while training for the profession.
Part of the profession’s training involves SIAST clinical students performing clinical rotations in Regina and Saskatoon, which provide the entire scope of their profession at the major centers. During their clinical rotation, students perform all the testing that a certified MLT would while under direct supervision of a Clinical Instructor for MLTs.
“The amount of clinical seats available is pretty restricted. We can get our SIAST students into clinical sites but if an individual comes from out of country and requires a clinical rotation, it’s extremely difficult to get a clinical placement for those individuals,” said Windrum.
“The problem is almost a catch-22,” said Windrum. “We need more clinical instructors to enable more clinical placements but in order to get more instructors, we need to train more MLTs and to train more MLTs, we need more seats in the program and more clinical placements. It’s a spiral effect.