News Article

The Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) program at College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Grand Falls-Windsor campus has been awarded a full, six-year accreditation term by the Canadian Medical Association.
 
The accreditation is the first for the MLA program, which was established nearly three years ago at the central Newfoundland campus. The accreditation team spent four days onsite conducting a thorough review of the program.
 
“The accreditation team’s comments were extremely positive and there were zero non-conforming items identified in the report… that is truly incredible for a first accreditation,” says Jane Gamberg, CNA’s Dean of Health Sciences.
 
“The program was implemented three years ago in response to requests from the provincial health care sector, and a successful accreditation validates the program’s academic excellence and ensures that our learners continue to receive the highest quality learning opportunities.”
 
Since the program’s inception in 2009, graduates have consistently scored above the national average on the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science national certification exam and have had a pass rate of 100 per cent each year, says Campus Administrator Joan Pynn.
 
“The program’s success can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and the strong partnerships we have developed with the Regional Health Authorities, which provide our clinical placement sites,” she continues. “It is the strong commitment of these clinical sites that ensure that our graduates are prepared for their entry into the challenging field of medical laboratory science.”
 
The Medical Laboratory Assistant program is a one-year (36-week) program and is only offered at the Grand Falls-Windsor campus. To learn more about the program visit www.cna.nl.ca.
 
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Media contact:
 
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca