Thursday, October 30, 2008
 In
collaboration with Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario and
the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC),
Confederation College is offering an opportunity to educate
and train students in a health related occupation required
in Northern Ontario. Hospitals such as the Thunder Bay Regional
Health Sciences Centre have expressed a need for qualified
Medical Laboratory Assistant and Medical Laboratory Technologist
employees to counteract the looming shortage of workers.
Today, Confederation College and Cambrian College signed
an articulation agreement that establishes a partnership that
supports strategic objectives for an integrated system of
postsecondary education and greater college cooperation. Learners
will benefit from a comprehensive curriculum developed to
meet the competency profiles published for Medical Laboratory
Assistants by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory
Science and by the Ontario Society of Medical Laboratory Technologists.
“Confederation College is pleased to respond to an
industry demand for qualified human resources,” said
Confederation College President, Patricia Lang. “The
fundamental reason for this agreement is to create linkages
and structures between our institutions that help students
attain diverse employment opportunities. This partnership
enables the creation of a broader selection of postsecondary
learning pathways.”
Confederation College has designed a one-year, three semester
Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) certificate program to
provide applied learning opportunities within a specialized
professional field. Qualified students from Confederation
College can then advance to the second semester Medical Laboratory
Technologist (MLT) program through Cambrian College.
“This agreement ensures that students in Northern and
Northwestern Ontario have broader access to learning opportunities
and to in-demand careers as medical laboratory technologists,”
said Cambrian College President Sylvia Barnard. “By
working collaboratively with our educational and health care
partners, we can facilitate continuous learning pathways,
we can leverage technology to deliver educational solutions,
and we can provide qualified employees vital to this sector.”
Also today, Confederation and Cambrian College launched the
initiative with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
by signing a collaboration agreement to recognize and respond
to the future shortage of diagnostic service professionals.
The transferability of the one year MLA certificate program
to the MLT diploma program will be supported by the acceptance
of both MLA and MLT placement students at the TBRHSC and throughout
the region.
“Like many communities across the province, Northwestern
Ontario must strive to train healthcare professionals for
our region, in our region. A considerable number of medical
lab technologists at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences
Centre are eligible to retire in 2010. By offering the MLT/MLA
programs to prospective students in Northwestern Ontario,
Confederation College and Cambrian College are crucial partners
in our recruitment and retention strategies," said Michael
Power, Vice President, Regional Cancer and Diagnostic Services,
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
::
back to Media Releases ::
|
