program
Develop scientific skills in clinical chemistry, microbiology, histology, hematology and transfusion science. Build your knowledge through lectures, labs and clinical activities.
Program information
Program description
Intake information
| Start date | Campus |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Barrie |
Tuition and fees
- Visit our tuition and fees page for detailed information on the cost to attend Georgian.
- Review additional program-specific fees for this program.
- Check the Bring Your Own Device requirements for this program.
- You can afford this! Explore OSAP as well as awards, scholarships and bursaries to help you pay your way to graduation.
Work-integrated learning
- This program includes a clinical placement component where you’ll get clinical experience under the supervision of an experienced registered or licensed professional.
- Learn about types of work-integrated learning at Georgian.
What are the admission requirements for the Medical Laboratory Technology program?
admission requirements
Information about placement requirements
To help you navigate the requirements to complete the clinical placement component(s) of this program (e.g. immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and other non-academic requirements), please review the details below.
For more information about placements, visit the Placement Offices webpage.
In order to provide quality practicum placements (“Placements”), students are placed in a variety of agencies, largely in the region serviced by the campus. Students are required to provide their own transportation to Placements. Placements may vary in length (e.g. six to 12 hour days) and may include weekends and evenings, with varying start and end times (e.g. day, afternoon, overnight).
Many programs, including Health and Wellness, have immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and other non-academic requirements that need to be met prior to Placements starting. You are responsible for carefully reviewing and meeting these requirements. The failure to meet them may mean that the host agency may refuse to accept you for a Placement or, if you have started one, that you may be prevented from continuing. The result may be that you cannot complete your program. Program-specific requirements can be found on page 2 of the Clinical Preparedness Permit specific to your program.
You are responsible for meeting all immunization, criminal screening and other requirements by the deadline provided by your program and before you start your Placement.
Notes regarding the Criminal Record Check (“CRC”) and Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS)
Individuals who have been charged or convicted criminally and not yet pardoned or who have adverse entries on their CRC or VSS will be prohibited from proceeding to a Placement. Such a student will normally be counselled to withdraw from the program because the successful completion of a Placement is a program requirement.
Obtaining the CRC and VSS usually requires a processing time of up to 12 weeks and can vary between police jurisdictions. As some jurisdictions require longer lead time for processing, ensure you allow for sufficient turn-around time. Record checks and screenings conducted earlier than six months may not be considered current and not be acceptable. Refer to your Clinical Preparedness Permit for information regarding this. A host agency may refuse a Placement if the CRC or VSS is not satisfactory to it. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the necessary completed documents prior to the start of a Placement at the designated check time, and in the format set by Georgian College and stated in the Clinical Preparedness Permit Information Package. More information can be found on the Placement Offices webpage.
The costs associated with the provision of the CRC and VSS, anything related to them (including, if applicable, obtaining a pardon), and meeting any immunization and other Placement requirements, are to be borne by the student. The non-academic requirements of clinical agencies as described in the Clinical Preparedness Permit are subject to change at any time and host agencies may accept or decline students for any reason at their discretion. Georgian College is not responsible for any of the costs associated with the foregoing, nor for the consequences of failing to comply with, any of the requirements set out above.
What career paths can I take in medical laboratory services?
Working as a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) is a demanding profession that requires reliable technical skills, critical thinking skills, good communication skills, professionalism, time management skills and attention to detail.
MLTs may be required to collect specimens from patients but spend most of their time analyzing specimens using instrumentation, visual inspection of specimens, verifying the results of their analysis and communicating these results with the health care team. MLTs perform quality management processes and ensure that instrumentation is functioning properly.
Graduates of this program may find employment in a variety of settings and roles, including the following:
- medical laboratory technologist in hospitals, private and public medical laboratories
- sales and service of equipment used in medical laboratories
- quality control technicians in a variety of industries
- research assistants, lab technicians in research environments, pharmaceutical companies
- public health consultancy
More Information can be found about MLT Profession through the following regulatory bodies and professional organizations.
While it is a very rewarding profession, prospective students wishing to pursue a career as an MLT should be able to comfortably perform the following types of activities and be aware of risks that are associated with the profession.
Regularly Performed Activities
- Strength – lifting and moving objects with weights varying from 2kg (regularly) to 20kg (occasionally)
- Dexterity – performing fine motor movements using hands and fingers, balancing
- Mobility – standing, sitting, crouching, kneeling, walking
Sensory Perception
- Sensory Perception
- Vision – normal acuity vision and depth perception, able to differentiate between colours
- Auditory – able to hear and participate in conversation, able to hear instrumentation and alarms
- Touch – able to differentiate shapes through touch
Communication
- Able to read text, numbers
- Able to communicate effectively and professionally in verbal and written / digital formats
- Interactions with health care team and patients
Safety / workplace stressors
- Work Environment
- Exposure to background noise of instrumentation
- Working with potentially dangerous instrumentation
- Potential exposure to biohazards, chemical hazards, electrical and thermal hazards
- Working in a tight workspace
Accreditation
Accreditation Canada
The Medical Laboratory Technology Advanced Diploma at Georgian College has been awarded Registered status through EQual Accreditation, a branch of Accreditation Canada – Healthcare Accreditation Body. Georgian’s program is present on the list of educational programs on the Accreditation Canada website.
Accreditation Canada sets the educational and accreditation standards for health education programs across Canada. Registration status indicates that Georgian’s program has begun the formal accreditation process to meet the quality and educational standards set out for Medical Laboratory Assistant programs.
“Registered” status is the first step of becoming an accredited Medical Laboratory Technology program. At this time, we are preparing the documents necessary to reach “Accredited with Conditions” status and anticipate reaching this status by the time students are ready to graduate from the program.
National Certification Exams
Graduates of this program will be eligible to write the National Registration Exam through Canadian Alliance of Medical Laboratory Professionals Regulators and can begin their career as a registered Medical Laboratory Technologist.
What courses are included in the Medical Laboratory Technology diploma program?
Course overview
33 Program Courses
2 Clinical Placements
1 Communications Courses
3 General Education Courses
Program-specific courses
Semester 1 courses are listed below. For a full list of courses in the program including course descriptions, view the Medical Laboratory Technology program outline.
- BIOL 1044 – Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terminology
- BIOL 1045 – Molecular Techniques
- MATH 1045 – Medical Laboratory Mathematics
- MLAB 1000 – Quality Assurance and Control
- MLAB 1001 – Lab Equipment and Safety
- Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.
- Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.
Your course delivery method(s)
In person
This program is delivered fully in person and requires you to attend campus.
Please note, delivery methods are based on planning for the upcoming semester and are subject to change.
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Frequently asked questions
Placements in year 3 of the MLBT program are unpaid. As you are taking courses, you must also pay tuition fees for year 3.
No, the Placement Office will find placements for you. If you have a contact at a hospital that you would like to do your placement at, please share with your program coordinator.
It is possible but there is no guarantee that your placement will be close to where you live. You should expect that you may have to travel to your placement site.
Placement opportunities are valuable and should ideally be accepted when offered. In the event that you decline a placement, there is no guarantee that another placement closer to your home will become available. The cost to relocate to attend a placement is the responsibility of the student.
To be eligible for attend placement at a partner hospital, you must have successfully completed all semester 4 courses. You must also complete the Clinical Preparedness Permit. Information on the permit can be found here.
Placements may be in two of the summer, fall and winter terms. It is ideal to complete your permit, and have if verified by Synergy, about two weeks before the start of your placement. Synergy is a third-party vendor that checks permits on behalf of the MLBT program.
The cost for checking your clinical preparedness permit is approximately $50 plus tax for the first visit and $10 plus tax for subsequent visits during a one-year period.
You can login to Synergy’s site here. A username and password should have been sent to you at the start of the program.
Mask-fit testing costs approximately $50 plus tax. Georgian usually offers mask-fit testing during the first month of each term. There are also several vendors in the Barrie area that perform this service.
The cost varies from provider to provider but most charge approximately $50 per visit.
More information about the PVSC can be found here. The cost varies from service to service, but the cost is approximately $50.
Georgian does not offer these courses on site. There are several vendors in the Barrie area that deliver these courses.
Yes, you must have a lab coat and eye protection to participate in most laboratories. We recommend that you purchase at least one set of scrubs. The cost for a lab coat is approximately $40 plus tax. The cost for safety glasses varies but can be found for less than $25 plus tax per pair. The cost for scrubs also varies but can be purchased for less than $100 plus tax per set.
Yes, the program will be accredited by the time you are ready to write your MLT registration exams.
Fees for registration exams with CAMLPR are paid directly by the student to CAMLPR. The details of available packages can be found at the CAMLPR website.
Do you have questions about Medical Laboratory Technology? Contact us!
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