Okanagan College adding new medical lab programs with provincial funding
Image of the Health Sciences Centre at the Okanagan College Kelowna campus (Image Credit: Okanagan College)
Okanagan College is expanding its health-care training options with a $1.5 million investment from the Province of British Columbia to help launch new Medical Laboratory Technologist and Medical Laboratory Assistant programs.
The programs, expected to begin in September 2027, will provide students with hands-on training to prepare for careers in hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, community health centres and other health-care settings.
The investment will support the development of specialized learning spaces, equipment and resources needed to train the next generation of laboratory professionals. The province says the programs will help address ongoing workforce shortages in medical laboratory services across B.C.
Medical laboratory professionals play a critical role in health care, collecting and analyzing specimens that help diagnose, treat and prevent disease.
Okanagan College president Dr. Neil Fassina says the new programs will create more opportunities for students to build careers close to home while helping strengthen the health-care system.
“Medical laboratory professionals play a critical role in diagnosis, treatment and health outcomes every day,” Fassina said.
Okanagan College says it will become the first college in the Interior to offer the Medical Laboratory Technologist diploma program. Details about program admission requirements and application timelines will be announced in the coming months.
