Helping Individuals Pursue Alternate Career Pathways: CSMLS Research Project

1. Helping Individuals Pursue Alternate Career Pathways: CSMLS Research Project March 14, 2014 Gatineau C. Nielsen

2. The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is a national not-for-profit association, certifying body for Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLT) and Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA), and professional society for Canada’s medical laboratory professionals Established in 1937 Represents 14,500 members in Canada and abroad CSMLS: Who We Are

3. Set the national standard (Competency Profiles) for certification of MLTs and MLAs Create and administer competency-based exams Prior Learning Assessment process for Internationally Educated Medical Laboratory Technologists (IEMLTs) CSMLS: What We Do

4. Professional Standards Council - PSC (formerly Council on National Certification and National Regulatory Council) Make recommendations to the BOARD on policies: Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) Certification (competency profiles, exam panels etc.) Representation from the Board of Directors (Chair), Exam panel and each provincial regulatory body or province/territory association in the absence of regulatory body Governance

5. The PLA Process PLA Stage I = CLB 6 PLA Stage II = CLB 8 Language Proficiency Testing (if needed)

6. Required Documentation

7. The Assessment Report POSSIBLE OUTCOMES Supplemental information and appeals are permitted

8. Process Timelines • Assessment begins when all documents received at CSMLS (12 months from application) • Assessment takes about 4-6 weeks • Client has up to 2 years to complete the learning plan outlined in their report • Once equivalent - 12 months (3 consecutive attempts) to pass the exam (same as domestic)

9. Current Alternate Careers • NOC3212 – Medical Laboratory Technician/Assistant • referral over to the CSMLS MLA exam • NOC2221 – Biotechnology • referral to BioTalent Canada (for years!)

10. How did we get here? • Interest – our staff hear the struggles, barriers, challenges and triumphs of our clients • Regulators – NOT MY JOB… until you are registered, we don’t really serve you • Capacity – lengthy research history, 20+ full time staff • Credibility – leading-edge in evidence-based policy decisions, one of the first professions compliant with the Pan Canadian Framework

11. PLA By the Numbers • About 200 PLA clients apply to CSMLS per year • Approximately 90% are not equivalent to the national profile (numbers for 2013 are better – 17%) – they need to complete a Learning Plan • These can take months or years… as some gaps are bigger than others. • Even after completing a Learning Plan – about 35% pass the national exam on first attempt (domestic – about 86%) • Many clients simply get lost in the system – and abandon their pursuit of licensure

12. Key Activities • 18 months – funded by Health Canada, IEHPI • $291,000 – many experts required • Secondary Research – literature review, environmental scan • Primary Research: focus groups and surveys with IEMLTs to determine appropriate delivery/intervention points

13. The Objective • Arrive at a working definition of Alternate Career (is this even the right terminology?!) – started prior to release of the LIM Report • Determine at what point(s) in the assessment process we should provide information on Alternate Careers • Develop supporting communication material (microsite) for applicants and referral points (CIIP, CIC, Settlement agencies, regulators…)

14. Goals • Reduce the number of individuals lost in the system • Decrease incidences of unemployment or underemployment among applicants

15. Deliverables • An understanding of what ‘alternate career’ really means in a regulatory environment • Identification of 10-12 ‘alternate careers’ suitable to IEMLTs • Preparation of communication materials, delivered at key intervention points, regarding alternate careers

16. Key Activities • Mapping of Competency Profile and Essential Skills information for MLTs to other jobs (not limited to healthcare) • Provision of alternate career information to applicants re: 10-12 appropriate unregulated fields

17. Advisory Committee • Regulators (CMLTM - MB, NBSMLT - NB) • Settlement agencies (HealthForce Ontario, JVS, ON), • Educators (Mohawk College, Michener Institute - Ontario), • IEMLTs (ON, NS), • Third Party Assessment Agency (WES, ON) • a Canadian MLT who was an internationally educated high school teacher (MLT is her alternate career, BC) • BioTalent Canada (experience in Alternate Careers, ON) Having the right people, at the right place, at the right time is critical

18. Many Experts Required • Project Manager • Advisory Committee • CSMLS Management Committee • Researcher • Competency/Skills Experts • Focus Group Facilitator • Focus Group Participants • Plain Language Support • Communications/IT Support

19. Focus Groups • Qualitative and Quantitative data needed for recommendations • Qualitative – 8 Focus Groups • Quantitative (verification of Qualitative) – Online Survey • Exit Interviews from online content Use of CSMLS Research Ethics Board – ensure research is conducted ethically and in accordance with high standards. • Audience: recently certified IEMLTs and those enrolled in the PLA process

20. Perception and Timing • Validate research recommendations – ASAP (even before PLA, and throughout) • How do Alternate Careers reflection on the IEMLTs? • Are the ACs seen as “lesser”? • Opinion on the term – Alternate Career

21. Types of Careers • What factors make an AC appealing? • How do they feel about the draft ACs? • Health vs Nonhealth • Science-related – is this a MUST?

22. Type of Information • What kind of information might they need? How detailed? • What information would help with ‘selling’ alternate careers? Hard numbers, or personal testimonials?

23. Methodology • Website visitors and focus groups • 5-7 minute questionnaire about website implementation, quick read on the opinion of AC • Need about 100-150 responses for quantitative analysis – otherwise, a more qualitative approach will be taken

24. Website Intercept Survey

25. Focus Groups • 6-8 participants • Urban/rural • Mix of in-person and online • Mixed experience groups (certified, working, starting PLA, finished PLA, etc) • REB approval – vulnerable population • Need to avoid GroupThink to explore the topic • Watch for differences between paper and in-group responses

26. Some Possible Alternate Careers • NOC2221 – Biological Technologists and Technicians • NOC3212 – Pathologist’s Assistants • NOC3213 – Animal Health Technicians and Veterinarian Technologists • NOC6221 – Technical Sales Specialists • NOC1252 – Health Information Management • NOC2212 – Assayers (Geological and Mineral Technicians/Technologists)

27. Where are we at? • Completed - Literature review (not much information available!) • Completed - Skills experts have created of Occupation Fact Sheets Up Next • Plain Language stage for fact sheets • Starting knowledge transfer (CNNAR Conference, CASIIP, OCASI, Metropolis, this venue, CSMLS Labcon….) and we aren’t even finished! • Focus groups

28. To Do… • Conceptualizing the CSMLS microsite • Beta testing microsite • Marketing/communications plan • Project end! (September 2014)

29. cHRISTINEN@csmls.org