What is an MLA/T and What do they do?

Medical Laboratory Assistants/Technicians (MLA/T) are defined in the MLPAO Competency Guidelines as being “a person who under direct supervision (usually of a Medical Lab Technologist (MLT)) performs lab tests which require limited technical skill and responsibility.” MLA/Ts perform the more practical components of sample analysis such as collecting, sorting, and sometimes processing samples.

Some MLA/T roles include:

Collecting patient samples (blood, urine, feces, sputum, etc,)
Performing electrocardiographs (ECG)
Setting up erythrocyte sedimentation rates and micro hematocrits
Preparing slides and staining them based on the type of sample (blood smears, gram staining, etc)
Urinalysis (excluding microscopic)
Preparing reagents
Transcribing results from worksheets to reports
Sort, prepare and sometimes process samples that will be tested and analyzed by a MLT

Medical lab assistant/technicians work closely with MLTs when it comes to obtaining patient samples, preparing them, and examining them to properly diagnose a patient. It’s important to note that the fields are quite different!

Medical Lab Assistants/Technicians ≠ Medical Lab Technologists

Imagine the path a patients sample will go though in the medical lab.

-> MLA/Ts are first ones that will most likely interact with the patient and the patient sample. They interact directly with patients (eg. performing ECGs and venipuncture), and prepare their samples to be read either by us or by MLTs.

-> Then you have MLTs, who will take the samples the MLA/T obtained/prepared and focus more on tests that require independent judgement and diagnosing the patients. They provide the results of these sophisticated tests to physicians, allowing them to make accurate diagnosis and if needed, appropriate treatment.

There are 16 MLPAO approved schools here in Ontario that will allow you to become an MLA/T. I should note that MLA/T programs are significantly shorter than MLT programs, and are diploma programs, compared to MLT programs that are advanced diplomas or 4-year honours programs.

Here in Ontario MLA/Ts must take the MLA/T Certification Exam by MLPAO (the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario and/or the Medical Laboratory Assistant Certification Exam by CSMLS (the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science) to be able to practice. A lot of Ontario job postings require MLA/Ts to be a graduate of an approved Laboratory Assistant program or equivalent, and/or be certified under MLPAO or CSMLS (in my opinion it’s best to have both certifications although they do cost quite a lot to write).