HALIFAX: Nova Scotia continues to move quickly to train more people for high-demand healthcare jobs across the province, the Minister of Advanced Education said.
Starting in September, a new, flexible online learning option will be available to Nova Scotians who want to become medical laboratory technologists. Up to 40 people will be accepted to the program, created through the Province’s partnership with the Michener Institute of Education at University Health Network.
“Medical laboratory technology is a rewarding career that is in high demand right now,” said Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education.
“This learning model will allow students to learn online and practise in person at Nova Scotia Health facilities throughout the province so we can meet critical labour needs and train the professionals we need to provide Nova Scotians with access to better and faster care.”
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People in the new program will sign a return of service agreement for a position with Nova Scotia Health.
Another program through the Michener institute is now helping five internationally trained medical laboratory technologists get ready to work in Nova Scotia.
In January, they began a 16-week bridging program that will prepare them for their licensing exam. While they wait to take the exam, they will work with conditional licences and help fill critical labour needs at Nova Scotia Health.
In February 2022, the Department of Advanced Education, the Department of Health and Wellness, and Nova Scotia Health signed a memorandum of understanding with the Toronto-based Michener institute to explore new opportunities to increase training capacity for positions that are in demand in the Nova Scotia healthcare system.
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Quotes:
“We’re pleased that this partnership with the Michener institute is already helping Nova Scotia fill critical healthcare positions. We will continue to innovate and come up with new opportunities to train caring people who want to work in healthcare so we can fill in-demand positions.”
– Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness
“We’ve made a promise to all Nova Scotians to improve healthcare, and we are committed to identifying innovative solutions that will train more students to fill vacancies in critical healthcare jobs, like medical laboratory technologists.
“This collaboration will provide an opportunity to bring healthcare professionals from around the world to our province and provide the best possible care for our patients.”
– Karen Oldfield, President and CEO, Nova Scotia Health
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“Michener has been training the most-needed and highest-quality health professionals in Ontario for more than 60 years and is honoured to work with Nova Scotia to fill critical health system gaps.
“Our most recent key performance indicators show that 100 per cent of our MedLab graduates feel prepared for their jobs immediately after graduation, and 98 per cent are employed in their fields within six months of graduation – a testament to Michener’s unique strengths and an excellent sign for future Nova Scotia MLTs, and more importantly, Nova Scotia patients and families.”
– Harvey P. Weingarten, Principal, Michener Institute of Education, University Health Network
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Quick Facts:
— the Michener institute is the only Canadian post-secondary institute that specializes exclusively in applied health sciences education
— the institute is part of the University Health Network, which includes several academic and research hospitals in Ontario, including Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
— this new, three-year program is in addition to the 40 training seats offered through Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC)
— applications for the program are due by May 5; tuition and fees will be similar to NSCC’s program
— Nova Scotia will pay about $6 million over the three years to support a class of 40 students
Additional Resources:
Information on becoming a medical laboratory technologist:
https://novascotia.ca/become-medical-laboratory-technologist/
