Welcome to my ePortfolio!
My name is Laura Finlay, and I am a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT), located in the greater Toronto area.
As a medical laboratory professional, I am responsible to the public to provide reliable laboratory results to guide critical medical decisions.
To practice as a Laboratory Technologist in Ontario, I am registered with the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO). I’m bound by my Standards of Practice (CMLTO, 2017) and Code of Ethics (CMLTO, 2017). To ensure that the public is getting the highest quality result, we must also comply with the following legislation as MLT:
Medical Laboratory Technology Act, 1991, defines an MLT’s scope of practice, restricted occupational title and outlines authorized acts.
Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) – provides the regulatory framework and controlled acts fora number of health professionals.
Laboratory & Specimen Collection Centre Licensing Act, RSO 1990 c.L.1 – provides the requirements for licensed laboratories and collection centres.
Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) – Ontario’s privacy legislation for personal health information.
Although this may seem like a daunting list of legislation, it provides a great framework.
The professional conduct values, as outlined in the standards of practice (CMLTO), that best reflect my personal values are:
- Exercise independent judgment, assume responsibility and accept accountability for professional practice and fitness to practice
- Evaluate and analyze relevant information to facilitate continuous improvement of the laboratory process in the interest of quality patient care.
- Demonstrate the ability to adapt to the changing needs of the clients / patients, the profession and the health care system
I consider my strengths to be personal accountability, continuous quality improvement and adaptability to meet the needs of patients for patient centered care.
Although Laboratory staff are often working behind closed doors, I find myself a known presence around the hospital because of my enjoyment in collaborating across the organization on best practice projects.
Where I fit within the healthcare system
Medical Laboratory Technologists perform investigations on the human body using representative specimens (tissue, blood, or fluids) and complex instruments. Technologists provide the results of these specimens to physicians, who will then make diagnostic decisions.
Laboratory professionals have played a significant role during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. When Public Health Leadership determined that the best fight against Covid-19 was to test as many people as possible – Technologists have met that challenge. From January 15, 2020 to September 26, 2020, Ontario Laboratories have performed over 3.8 million SARS-CoV-2 tests (Ontario, 2020).
My goals for this ePortfolio
When I performed a search of my online presence, I found very little content for ‘Laura Finlay’ that was from me. This absence feels like a missed opportunity to promote my profession and the valuable work that we perform everyday.
My goal is to increase my online presence in a professional way to highlight my profession and share my opinions (which are my own and not those of my employer or professional College) on my blog.
How to contact
Connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-finlay-70a17148/