MIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA AS A MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST/BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST
OVERVIEW.
Applicants
wishing to apply to migrate to Australia as a Medical Laboratory Scientist or
Medical Laboratory Technician under the General Skilled Migration visa
categories will need to have their skills assessed by AIMS. AIMS
will assess applicants as "suitable" or "not suitable" for
the nominated occupation against the requirements it has established.
The
Department of Immigration and Border Protection Australian Skills Recognition
Information website (http://border.gov.au/ ) also provides information on
working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Medical Laboratory Technician in
Australia.
Medical Laboratory Science / Laboratory Medicine in
Australia
In Australia, most of those
engaged in medical laboratory science are employed in public hospitals or
private diagnostic pathology laboratories. There are two levels of practice:
Medical Laboratory
Scientists are normally employed in
diagnostic clinical laboratories, and they work in the field of laboratory
medicine. They conduct medical laboratory tests on blood, body fluids and
tissues and apply knowledge and methodology from various scientific disciplines
to assist clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human
disease. Responsibilities include the quality and reliability of test results
and may include interpretation of these results and the development of new test
procedures.
Medical
Laboratory Technicians perform or assist with laboratory tests on blood, body fluids and tissues
in medical and pathology laboratories under the direction of medical laboratory
scientists and operate diagnostic and monitoring equipment used in support of
health professionals.
Employment in Australia
As in most countries, the
practice of a profession in Australia requires evidence of an appropriate level
of education and practical experience. There is no statutory registration of Medical Laboratory Scientists in Australia.
Successfully
migrating to Australia as a Medical
Laboratory Scientist or Medical
Laboratory Technician is no guarantee of employment in Australia as a
Medical Laboratory Scientist or Medical Laboratory Technician.
The AIMS assessment Process
AIMS can provide advice only on
applying for a skills assessment. All other questions relating to migration
should be directed to the Australian Government Department of Immigration and
Border Protection (DIBP).
Applicants’ skills and
qualifications will be assessed by AIMS to determine whether they are suitable
for the applicant to work as a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Medical
Laboratory Technician. AIMS will assess applicants as "suitable" or
"not suitable" for the nominated occupation against the requirements
it has established. An applicant’s skills assessment must be included with
their visa application to the DIBP, and applicants must be prepared to show
DIBP all the documentation they have relied upon when seeking a skills
assessment. Applicants should keep a certified copy of their skills assessment
and all other relevant documentation for their own records.
Please note
that all applicants are assessed on a case-by-case basis and this information
is provided for guidance purposes only. The assessment committee determines the
eligibility of the applicant to work as a Medical Laboratory Scientist or
Medical Laboratory Technician.
To be assessed as a Medical Laboratory Technician
The minimum requirements for a
Medical Laboratory Technician are that an applicant has completed an award in
medical laboratory science assessed as comparable to an Australian diploma from
a Technical and Further Education College, based on the AEI Country Education
Profile criteria, plus a minimum of two years diagnostic medical laboratory
experience within the five year period immediately prior to applying for
assessment OR registration with the New Zealand Medical Laboratory Science
Board.
Applicants
who do not qualify to sit the Professional Examination or who fail to pass the
Examination may also be classified as a Medical Laboratory Technician.
To be assessed as a Medical Laboratory Scientist
The assessment process for
Medical Laboratory Scientist is in two stages and usually includes a written
examination (the AIMS Professional Examination).
Stage 1: Document assessment
The first stage is a
document-based assessment. Applicants who hold an AIMS accredited degree will
be classified as a Medical Laboratory Scientist and will not be required to
take the written examination. It is the responsibility of all prospective
applicants who hold an AIMS accredited degree to ensure the subjects completed
comply with the AIMS accredited pathway in order to gain assessment as a
Medical Laboratory Scientist or Professional membership of AIMS. These
requirements are stated in the AIMS accreditation report held by the
university. Prospective applicants should contact the program co-ordinator at
the University for Advice on these requirements.
The skills and qualifications
of applicants who do not hold an AIMS accredited degree will be assessed
individually to determine eligibility to sit the Professional Examination.
Applicants who have an
acceptable science degree (equivalent to Australian Qualifications Framework
level 7 or 8) and two years post graduate professional experience in a
diagnostic medical laboratory within the five year period immediately prior to
applying for assessment will usually be assessed as eligible to sit the
Examination.
An acceptable science degree is
one with subjects relevant to pathology that meets the AIMS minimum
requirements and is assessed as comparable to an Australian bachelor degree
based on the AEI Country Education Profile criteria.
An acceptable science degree
should include FULL units (not part units) of the following subjects:
Ø Human Anatomy
Ø Human Physiology
Ø Chemistry
Ø Biochemistry
Ø Immunology
Ø General Microbiology
Ø General Pathology
Ø Human Molecular Biology
and should include at least two (2) of the
following professional subjects:
Ø Clinical chemistry
Ø Haematology
Ø Medical microbiology
Ø Transfusion science (Immunohaematology)
Ø Histopathology/Diagnostic cytology
Pharmacy and biotechnology
degrees are not normally acceptable degrees, but some units of these degrees
may be acceptable.
Stage 2: The AIMS Professional Examination
Applicants
assessed in stage one as eligible may apply to sit the Professional
Examination. This is a written short
answer paper of three (3) hours,
conducted twice a year in March and
September in a number of venues in Australia and overseas.
The examination consists of the
following sections:
Ø Clinical Chemistry 22 marks
Ø Haematology 22 marks
Ø Medical Microbiology 22 marks
Ø Transfusion Science 22 marks
Ø Histopathology/Cytology 12 marks
Total 100
marks
The Examination is set at the
level expected of a professional Medical Laboratory Scientist with at least two
years post graduate experience. All sections are compulsory. To pass the
Examination candidates must obtain a total of 50% or more, with a pass of at least 50% in each section.
Applicants who are successful
in the examination will be classified as a Medical Laboratory Scientist.
If assessed as eligible to sit
the AIMS Professional Examination, applicants must apply in writing using the
application form (which will be provided in the examinations pack once stage 1
has been completed).
Closing dates to receive this
application form are:
1st December for the March examination
1st June for the September examination
Applications
to sit the examination must be received no later than 4pm on the
specified date.
Compulsory Requirements for All Applications
All
documentation must be certified
Correctly certified
supporting documentation
A certified copy is a photocopy
that has been stamped and signed by a suitable certifying officer (as stated
below) who verifies that they have sighted the original document and that the
photocopy that they are certifying is a true copy of that original.
Each photocopied page of all documentation must be certified
on the face and must show clearly the words "certified true copy of the
original", the signature of the certifying officer and the name and
address or provider/registration number of the certifying officer. It must be
possible from the details provided for AIMS to verify the certifications by
contacting the certifying officer if necessary.
Who does AIMS accept to certify my
documents?
Documents certified in Australia may be certified by a Justice of
the Peace or a Notary Public.
Documents certified in a country other than Australia
must be certified by a Notary Public or an official of an Australian
Embassy or Consulate.
Please note that AIMS WILL
NOT accept any other form of certification. If incorrectly certified
documents are provided with an application it WILL NOT be processed and
the fee will NOT BE refunded.
All applicants submitting an
application for assessment of their professional skills and qualifications
whether seeking the classification of Medical Laboratory Scientist or Medical
Laboratory Technician are required to provide:
1. English Language
Requirement
A valid IELTS report form
showing an overall band score of 7.0 or better (Academic or General). AIMS
consider an IELTS report to be current for three years from the date of issue.
AIMS also accept the following
English language assessments as equivalent to an IELTS overall band score of
7.0: TOEFL (95 points), and Pearson PTE Academic (65 points).
2. Completed signed
application form
3. Supporting documentation
Must include all qualification
certificates (or statements of completion issued by the educational institute
in which the qualification was obtained) and all corresponding academic
transcripts (showing FULL subject names).
4. Photographic
identification
Applicants
must provide a certified copy of their passport.
5. Work experience (if
applicable)
Evidence of postgraduate
professional experience in a diagnostic medical laboratory (a verification
letter from an employer/past employer stating job title, hours of work, duties
required and the dates of employment, on company letterhead).
6. Three (3) passport sized
photographs signed on the back
Optional Documents that can be provided
1. Licences / Registrations
Evidence of current or previous
licences held
2. Record of completed
educational courses
3. Evidence of continued
education in the workplace
How to Lodge an Application:
Send three (3) certified sets
of documents: (one (1) originally certified set and two (2) duplicate
photocopied sets)
Checklist:
·
Completed
signed application form
·
Qualification
papers and academic transcripts (showing full subject names)
·
Photographic
identification (e.g. passport)
·
Evidence of
professional work experience (verifying dates of employment)
·
Evidence of
registrations / licences
·
Valid IELTS
Test Result (or TOEFL (95 points), and Pearson PTE Academic (65 points))
·
Record of
educational courses completed
·
Three (3)
passport sized photographs signed on the back
Submit to:
Postal address: Australian
Institute of Medical Scientists
PO Box 1911
MILTON QLD 4064 AUSTRALIA
Courier address: Australian
Institute of Medical Scientists
Unit 7 / 31 Black Street
MILTON QLD 4064
AUSTRALIA
Reviews and Appeals:
An applicant who believes that
his or her case has been wrongly assessed may seek a review of the assessment.
The application for the review must be in writing, and should include the
reasons for seeking the review. There is no charge for this review, which is
conducted by the committee that made the original assessment.
If, after the review, the
applicant still believes that he or she has been wrongly assessed, the
applicant may appeal the assessment. The appeal must be in writing, stating the
reasons for the appeal, and including additional documentation (if relevant).
The appeal will be conducted by a committee other than that which conducted the
original assessment. A fee of AUD200.00 is payable for the appeal.
Further Information:
Email: contact@aims.org.au
For complete information and
processes, please visit the official webpage of Australian institute of medical
scientists: https://www.aims.org.au/services/assessment-options/medical-laboratory-scientist
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