Certification / Registration of SIRT members

In New Zealand, the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill (2003) stipulates that all health practitioners must demonstrate their competence in order to be issued an Annual Practicing Certificate. In order to fulfil this requirement, IVF Scientists are required to be registered by the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand.

In contrast in Australia, there are no legislative requirements for IVF Scientists to be registered or certified. SIRT members have long been calling for improved professional recognition of IVF scientists in Australia, and therefore the development of a certification scheme was prioritised by the SIRT committee. SIRT developed a Competency Scheme in 2017 but this has now ceased to make way for an independent national scheme, Certification of Med Lab Scientists (CMLS).

To apply for certification, first read the Requirements for Certification page to determine which level of certification you are eligible for. If you are still not sure, please email certification@sirt.org.au and we will be able to assist.

Once you have determined your certification level, download the relevant Forms below (files will download automatically):

Required for all applications:

• CMLS Competency and Experience Declaration

Conditional Certification:

1. Conditional Certification Declaration
2. CMLS SIRT Conditional Scientist application - additional evidence

Or

1. Medical Scientist: SIRT Medical Scientist Additional Evidence Checklist
2. Clinical Scientist: SIRT Clinical Scientist Certification Additional Evidence checklist

Completed forms should be sent along with all relevant evidence attached to certification@sirt.org.au for review. As of August 2024, the Declaration of Experience & Competency must be submitted directly to certification@sirt.org.au by your supervisor responsible for completing the form.

Member organisations making up the Council include the Australasian Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Australian Institute of Medical Scientists, Australian Society of Cytology, Human Genetics Society of Australasia, Fertility Society of Australia/SIRT, Thrombosis Haemostasis Society of Australia and NZ, Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Australian Society for Microbiology, and Australian and NZ Society for Blood Transfusion. Each member organisation has a representative on the interim Board and has contributed to the implementation of the scheme. Currently, the CMLS register is managed by AIMS. The current SIRT board representative is Dr. Kristy Demmers, Vice-Chair of SIRT.