Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand

The Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand (formerly known as the Medical Laboratory Science Board) is one of sixteen New Zealand health regulation authorities appointed by the Minister of Health under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (the Act).  The Council is responsible for the administration of the Act in regard to two separate health professions - the profession of medical laboratory science and the profession of anaesthetic technology.

The primary responsibility of the Council is to protect the health and safety of the New Zealand public by ensuring practitioners registered in the professions of medical laboratory science and anaesthetic technology are competent and fit to practise.

Registration for Qualified Overseas

If you hold an overseas qualification you must be able to satisfy the Council that your education and experience equips you with clinical and theoretical knowledge and skills which are at least equivalent to the competencies of a New Zealand graduate at point of entry to the Register.

REGISTRATION AS A MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST - HOLDERS OF AN OVERSEAS QUALIFICATION APPROVED AS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT:

If you hold an overseas qualification approved as being substantially equivalent to the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science degree you are eligible to register with the Council providing you meet all registration requirements. Applications are to be made on the Council-issued Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form.  See link at bottom of this page to download a copy of the Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form. Applications must be signed and dated and be accompanied by the following documentation:

• An original or certified copy of your qualification.  A photocopy may be certified as a true copy by a solicitor, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, or an Officer of the Court
• Two Certificates of Good Character (one professional and one personal) that have been completed by persons unrelated to you.  See the link at the bottom of this page to download a Certificate of Good Character form.
• One passport-style photograph signed with your usual signature and certified to be a true likeness of yourself (stating your name) by a referee of a Justice of the Peace on the reverse.
• If you are registered with a licensing/registration authority in your home country, please provide evidence of your current registration status and a current (that is, not more than 6-months old) Certificate of Good Standing.  The Certificate of Good Standing should state that there are no outstanding complaints against you in regard to your conduct as a health professional.
• If trained in a language other than English, your results from an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) must be provided, or two testimonials from English-speaking supervisors stating that you can communicate effectively in English in the laboratory environment.
• Your application must be accompanied by a Fee Payment Form along with the payment of the registration fee of $480.00.  See link at the bottom of this page to download a copy of the Fee Payment form.
• Evidence of a minimum of 12-months fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory, or 2-years fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory if you hold a relevant post graduate degree in science.
• If you wish to be registered in a name different to that on your qualification documentation you must also provide an original document or certified copy of the relevant document (e.g. marriage certificate).

Providing your application is received with all the required documentation and the full registration fee payment, your application will be processed within 10 working days and you can expect to receive confirmation of registration within 15 working days from the day your application was received by the Council. Once registration has been granted you must apply to the Council for an annual practising certificate in order to be allowed to work as a registered medical laboratory scientist in New Zealand.

REGISTRATION AS A MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST - HOLDERS OF ANY OTHER OVERSEAS QUALIFICATION

If you hold an overseas qualification outside of the prescribed qualification or a qualification that has been approved by the Council as being substantially equivalent to the prescribed qualification, your registration application will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Your registration application is referred to the Council's Registration Committee. Your application is to be made on the Council-issued Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form.  See link at bottom of this page to download a copy of the Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form. Your application must be signed and dated and be accompanied by the following documentation:

• An original or certified copy of your qualification.  A photocopy may be certified as a true copy by a solicitor, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, or an Officer of the Court
• Evidence of a minimum of 12-months fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory, or 2-years fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory if you hold a relevant post graduate degree in science.
• Two Certificates of Good Character (one professional and one personal) that have been completed by persons unrelated to you.  See the link at the bottom of this page to download a Certificate of Good Character form.
• One passport-style photograph signed with your usual signature and certified to be a true likeness of yourself (stating your name) by a referee of a Justice of the Peace on the reverse.
• If you are registered with a licensing/registration authority in your home country, please provide evidence of your current registration status and a current (that is, not more than 6-months old) Certificate of Good Standing.  The Certificate of Good Standing should state that there are no outstanding complaints against you in regard to your conduct as a health professional.
• Your application must be accompanied by a Fee Payment Form along with the payment of the registration fee of $480.00.  See link at the bottom of this page to download a copy of the Fee Payment form.
• A complete academic transcript (in English) of the medical laboratory science course from the training institution where your course of study was undertaken.  To include a list of the subjects taken, the grades/marks obtained, and associated inFormation on the grading system used.
• If you wish to be registered in a name different to that on your qualification documentation, you must also provide original document or certified copy of the relevant document (e.g. marriage certificate).
• If requested by the Council, you may also need to supply a complete academic syllabus (curriculum), detailing the contents of each subject and hours required for each year of study.

As a holder of an "other" qualification, your registration application may, subject to being received with all the required documentation and the full registration fee payment, take up to 12 weeks to process, especially if the application needs to be referred to a full Council meeting. Once you have been approved for registration, confirmation of registration should be received within 5 working days from the day the registration application was approved by the Council. Once registration has been granted you must apply to the Council for an annual practising certificate in order to be allowed to work as a registered medical laboratory scientist in New Zealand.

REGISTRATION AS A MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNICIAN - HOLDERS OF AN OVERSEAS QUALIFICATION APPROVED AS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT

If you hold an overseas qualification approved as being substantially equivalent to the QMLT/QPT/QDT qualifications you are eligible to register with the Council providing you meet all registration requirements. Your application is to be made on the Council-issued Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form.  See link at bottom of this page to download a copy of the Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form. Your application must be signed and dated and be accompanied by the following documentation:

• An original or certified copy of your qualification. A photocopy may be certified as a true copy by a solicitor, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, or an Officer of the Court
• Evidence of a minimum of 12-months fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory, either in New Zealand or overseas.
• Two Certificates of Good Character (one professional and one personal) that have been completed by persons unrelated to you.  See the link at the bottom of this page to download a Certificate of Good Character form.
• One passport-style photograph signed with your usual signature and certified to be a true likeness of yourself (stating your name) by a referee of a Justice of the Peace on the reverse.
• If you are registered with a licensing/registration authority in your home country, please provide evidence of your current registration status and a current (that is, not more than 6-months old) Certificate of Good Standing.  The Certificate of Good Standing should state that there are no outstanding complaints against you in regard to your conduct as a health professional.
• Your application must be accompanied by a Fee Payment Form along with the payment of the registration fee of $350.00.  See link at the bottom of this page to download a copy of the Fee Payment form.
• If you wish to be registered in a name different to that on your qualification documentation, you must also provide original document or certified copy of the relevant document (e.g. marriage certificate).

Providing your application is received with all the required documentation and the full registration fee payment, your application will be processed within 10 working days and you can expect to receive confirmation of registration within 15 working days from the day your application was received by the Council. Once registration has been granted you must apply to the Council for an annual practising certificate in order to be allowed to work as a registered medical laboratory technician in New Zealand.

REGISTRATION AS A MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNICIAN - HOLDERS OF ANY OTHER OVERSEAS QUALIFICATION

If you hold an overseas qualification outside of the prescribed qualification or a qualification that has been approved by the Council as being substantially equivalent to the prescribed qualification, your registration application will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Your registration application is referred to the Council's Registration Committee. Your application is to be made on the Council-issued Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form.  See link at bottom of this page to download a copy of the Application for Registration/Change of Scope of Practice form. Your application must be signed and dated and be accompanied by the following documentation:

• An original or certified copy of your qualification.  A photocopy may be certified as a true copy by a solicitor, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, or an Officer of the Court
• Evidence of a minimum of 12-months fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory, or 2-years fulltime (or equivalent) employment in a medical laboratory if you hold a relevant post graduate degree in science.
• Two Certificates of Good Character (one professional and one personal) that have been completed by persons unrelated to you.  See the link at the bottom of this page to download a Certificate of Good Character form.
• One passport-style photograph signed with your usual signature and certified to be a true likeness of yourself (stating your name) by a referee of a Justice of the Peace on the reverse.
• If you are registered with a licensing/registration authority in your home country, please provide evidence of your current registration status and a current (that is, not more than 6-months old) Certificate of Good Standing.  The Certificate of Good Standing should state that there are no outstanding complaints against you in regard to your conduct as a health professional.
• Your application must be accompanied by a Fee Payment Form along with the payment of the registration fee of $350.00.  See link at the bottom of this page to download a copy of the Fee Payment form.
• A complete academic transcript (in English) of the medical laboratory science course from the training institution where your course of study was undertaken.  To include a list of the subjects taken, the grades/marks obtained, and associated information on the grading system used.
• If you wish to be registered in a name different to that on your qualification documentation, you must also provide original document or certified copy of the relevant document (e.g. marriage certificate).
• If requested by the Council, you may also need to supply a complete academic syllabus (curriculum), detailing the contents of each subject and hours required for each year of study.

As a holder of an "other" qualification, your registration application may, subject to being received with all the required documentation and the full registration fee payment, take up to 12 weeks to process, especially if the application needs to be referred to a full Council meeting. Once you have been approved for registration, confirmation of registration should be received within 5 working days from the day the registration application was approved by the Council. Once registration has been granted you must apply to the Council for an annual practising certificate in order to be allowed to work as a registered medical laboratory technician in New Zealand.

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