Clinical Embryologist field

We accepted our first students in the fall of 2020.

What is a Clinical Embryologist?

As a Clinical Embryologist, you are an essential member of an IVF team. 

You are responsible for all the laboratory components contributing to the generation and continuing development of healthy embryos that lead to pregnancy.

You review physician treatment orders, confirm patient reproductive history details and apply best procedures to ensure optimal results. Using your communication skills and empathy, you help patients understand laboratory-related components of their treatment and their potential impact on outcomes.

You work with reproductive tissues, gametes and embryos using specialized equipment, advanced technologies and general protocols applied by CEs world-wide.

You use your team working skills to help train your colleagues and often conduct research to ensure your laboratory is using the very latest techniques and equipment.

You typically work in a hospital or fertility clinic.

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What and how you will learn

You will complete 9.5 full course equivalents (FCE) over two years.

In your first year, you will learn core academic competencies required to succeed in the field.

In your second year, you will complete a mix of academic and practical components and work on your Capstone Project throughout the year. You will also complete ART lab rotations towards the end of your second year.

The Clinical Embryology Skills Development Lab (CEDSL)

You will complete your practical components in our custom-built dedicated CE Skills Development Laboratory.

Containing state-of-the-art equipment, you can learn essential skills using animal samples. This allows you to learn techniques and hone your skills before being exposed to live human samples in ART rotations towards the end of the program.

ART rotations take place at:

Mission statement

In our Master of Health Science degree in Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Embryology Field, at the University of Toronto, we are committed to deliver an excellent professional graduate training program for health care learners that graduates highly qualified Clinical Embryologist professionals.

Program goals

Through the delivery of foundational and applied knowledge courses and technical application courses, this program seeks to:

Impart deep content expertise and essential practical skills to enable the trainee to address complex clinical problems and make evidence-based judgements during clinical practise.
Equip trainees with skills necessary to apply their knowledge to complex decision-making, including consideration of serious ethical issues, and to develop a strong sense of personal accountability and intellectual rigor and independence.
Develop critical thinking and lifelong learning skills necessary to critically interpret nascent research and appropriately incorporate new concepts and techniques to improve infertility treatment.

Program learning objectives

If you graduate from this program, you will possess the fundamental basic and clinical knowledge and practical and professional competencies required to practice as a Clinical Embryologist.

You will be able to:

Demonstrate professional and ethical behavior along with effective interpersonal communication skills when engaging with patients and other ART health care professionals.
Possess a comprehension of, and respect for, the roles of various ART healthcare team members as they work collaboratively to support the patient’s infertility care.
Implement quality assurance principles and adhere to standard operating procedures consistent with laboratory accreditation standards and clinical laboratory management practice to ensure safe and effective handling of reproductive materials.
Engage in continuing professional development activities to extend and maintain professional competence.
Evaluate clinical research studies to assess applicability and validity with respect to clinical embryology and the clinical embryology laboratory.
Employ a logical and systematic problem-solving approach based on theoretical and applied knowledge when encountering difficulties or errors with laboratory procedures and instrumentation.
Recognize the importance of and maintain security and confidentiality of patient health information.
Engage in gamete collection and storage, embryo generation and storage, and gamete and embryo assessment in accordance with laboratory standard operating procedures.
Ensure integrity of accurate specimen (gametes and embryos) identification through appropriate labeling and tracking systems used in the laboratory.
Maintain laboratory equipment in accordance with standard operating procedures, including calibration and quality control assessment documentation.
Accurately document relevant information in patient’s chart or electronic medical record.