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Medical Scientist: Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS)

If you intend to apply for migration to Australia under one of the General Skilled Migration categories, you must have a nominated occupation which is on the Skilled Occupations List at the time you apply. In order to make a valid application, you must have obtained a skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation.

 Do You Qualify For Immigration As A Medical Scientist?

AIMS is the assessing authority for the following occupations:

• Medical Scientist; and
• Medical Laboratory Technical Officer.

In Australia, most of those engaged in medical laboratory science are employed in public hospitals while others work in private laboratories.

There are 2 levels of practice:

• Medical Scientists (also known as Medical Laboratory Scientists) conduct medical laboratory tests and apply knowledge and methodology from various scientific disciplines including biology, chemistry and physics to assist doctors in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human disease:
• • Duties involve determining the nature, cause and progress of disease through testing blood, body fluids and tissues in medical and pathology laboratories; and
  • Responsibilities include the quality and reliability of test results produced and may also include the responsibility for the interpretation of tests and the development of test procedures.
• Medical Laboratory Technical Officers perform or assist with laboratory tests on blood, body fluids and tissues in medical and pathology laboratories under the direction of medical scientists. They also operate diagnostic and monitoring equipment used in support of health professionals.

The disciples of medical laboratory science in Australia include: Histopathology; Immunology; Virology; Blood Transfusion; Haematology; Cytology; Clinical Biochemistry; and Microbiology.

Assessment Of Qualifications

Your skills and qualifications will be assessed by A.I.M.S. to determine, for the purposes of migration to Australia, if they are suitable to work as a Medical Scientist/Medical Laboratory Technical Officer.

Medical Scientist

The minimum criteria against which an assessment for Medical Scientist is made, are that applicants:

1. Have completed a professional medical laboratory science degree/or equivalent, or a non-directed science degree, which meets the minimum requirements for membership of the profession which prevailed at the time the applicant graduated from their course of training, and that is assessed as comparable to either an Australian Bachelor degree or an Australian Diploma based on the NOOSR educational assessment guidelines in the Country Education Profiles.

   The minimum requirements for a Medical Science program includes basic subjects such as:

   • Anatomy and Physiology;
   • Cell Biology;
   • Chemistry and Biochemistry;
   • Immunology;
   • General Microbiology; and
   • Molecular Biology.

   The professional subjects are as follows:

   • Clinical Chemistry/Endocrinology;
   • Haematology;
   • Medical Microbiology;
   • Transfusion Science; and
   • Histopathology/Cytology.
2. To have completed an award in medical laboratory science assessed as comparable to an Australian Associate Diploma from a Technical and Further Education college based on the NOOSR educational assessment guidelines in the Country Education Profiles.
3. Course Transcript including grades, as required.
4. To have a minimum of 2 years of medical laboratory experience within the 5 year period immediately prior to applying for assessment. Applicants will be required to provide evidence of employment history.

Medical Technical Officer

The minimum requirements for a Medical Technical Officer include:

1. To have completed an award in medical laboratory science assessed as comparable to an Australian Associate Diploma from a Technical and Further Education college based on the NOOSR educational assessment guidelines in the Country Education Profiles.
2. Course Transcript including grades, as required.
3. To have a minimum of 2 years of medical laboratory experience within the 5 year period immediately prior to applying for assessment. Applicants will be required to provide evidence of employment history.

English Language Requirements

From 1 January 2006, all applicants will be required to provide a certified copy of their IELTS Test Report Form, proving an overall Band Score of at least 6.5.

 Do You Qualify For Immigration As A Medical Scientist?