Objectives for Today’s 
   Presentation
   ⚙Brief introduction about this presentation – a teacher’s perspective
   ⚙Some background information about our school program and what brought 
    on the search for better ways to prepare students for the clinical workplace 
   ⚙Information about critical thinking: what exactly is it and how can we teach 
    it to our students
   ⚙Future projects for critical thinking and simulation at the Cegep.
   Today’s Medical Laboratory
   Work in the medical laboratory has undergone a significant change – especially 
   when it comes to technology: high tech equipment, LIS…
   Putting a « Do not use» Post-it on the broken down equipment doesn’t cut it 
   anymore. MLT’s can sometimes be considered modern day mechanics with 
   very complex instruments.
   Troubleshooting and problem solving is no longer left up to the laboratory 
   managers. The workplace needs employees who can analyze a situation and 
   make informed decisions - they need problem-solvers.
   Lets not forget that MLTs are part of a healthcare team – exceptional  
   communication and interpersonal skills are needed more than ever, especially 
   with the current workplace situation for MLTs.
   We can teach all of these concepts on paper, but does the student really know how 
   to apply this knowledge when you factor in the work environment and the stress ?
  A Little Background Information….
  o The MLT program at the Cegep is fairly new (only 5 years old)
  o We are a 3 year program
  o Our final semester is 19 weeks of clinical placement
    - 4 weeks in microbiology, immunohematology, hematology, biochemistry
    - 3 weeks in pathology
  o There are 2 groups of students who have graduated so far (approx. 14-16 
    students in each group)
  o This year’s group started in January and will be done at the end of May.
  o Considering our short clinical rotations, we have been searching for better ways 
    to prepare students for their placements before they leave their school 
    environment.  
   Program evaluation
   Ongoing program evaluations have provided us with valuable information for 
   curriculum improvement.
   Surveys were sent to preceptors/employers and students who have graduated 
   from the program.
   Employer’s survey:
   So far so good, but students and new employees need to improve stress management and 
   critical thinking skills: communication, prioritizing, technical troubleshooting…
   Student comments:
   When everything goes well in the lab, the workflow is easy. Unfortunately, this doesn’t 
   happen very often. It would be nice to have more ”troubleshooting” scenarios at school to 
   help us learn how to deal with day to day problems in the workplace.
         Teaching for a Medical 
         Laboratory Science Program
         I’m a Medical Laboratory Technologist by profession. 
         When I started teaching for the the MLT program at the Cegep, I thought to 
         myself  “ This his my field of expertise – how hard can it be ? ”
         I quickly learned there is a difference between knowing and teaching.
         As an educator, I have been exploring different ways to teach the 
         competencies necessary for MLTs, but what about the other criteria in the 
         Medical Laboratory Technologist profile:
         -   Autonomy
         -   Communication skills 
         -   Stress management
         -   Problem solving
         -   Organizational skills…
               “Critical thinking”