Medical Laboratory Technology Course

Lesson 1 • Role of the Medical Laboratory

Defines the laboratory's function within healthcare and its impact on diagnosis. Contextualises the technologist's role across clinical settings.

Lesson 2 • Laboratory Equipment Fundamentals

Introduces common instruments, their operating principles, and maintenance routines. Prepares students to operate equipment safely and accurately.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory and Ethical Standards

Introduces accreditation frameworks, patient confidentiality, and professional ethics. Ensures compliance awareness throughout all laboratory activities.

Lesson 4 • Laboratory Mathematics and Units

Builds quantitative skills essential for reagent preparation and result interpretation. Directly supports accuracy in all analytical procedures.

Lesson 1 • Capillary and Arterial Specimen Collection

Addresses fingerstick, heelstick, and arterial puncture methods for specialised testing. Expands collection competency beyond routine venepuncture.

Lesson 2 • Non-Blood Specimen Collection

Details collection of urine, stool, sputum, swabs, and other body fluids. Ensures proper technique for diverse specimen types used across departments.

Lesson 3 • Specimen Labelling and Chain of Custody

Establishes labelling standards, barcoding, and documentation to prevent misidentification. Links pre-analytical accuracy to downstream result reliability.

Lesson 4 • Specimen Transport and Stability

Covers temperature requirements, transport containers, and time limits for specimen integrity. Prevents pre-analytical errors caused by improper handling.

Lesson 1 • External Quality Assessment Programmes

Introduces proficiency testing schemes, peer comparison, and performance evaluation cycles. Validates laboratory accuracy against external benchmarks.

Lesson 2 • Statistical Quality Control Fundamentals

Covers mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and Levey-Jennings charts. Builds the statistical literacy needed to monitor analytical performance.

Lesson 3 • Internal Quality Control Practices

Teaches daily QC run procedures, acceptance criteria, and corrective action protocols. Ensures analytical runs meet performance standards before patient results are released.

Lesson 4 • Method Validation and Verification

Covers accuracy, precision, linearity, and reference interval verification for new methods. Ensures new assays meet performance requirements before clinical use.

Lesson 1 • Laboratory Data Analytics and Reporting

Introduces turnaround time monitoring, workload statistics, and trend reporting using LIS data. Supports operational decision-making and performance improvement.

Lesson 2 • Data Integrity and Audit Trails

Addresses record retention, audit trail review, and data correction procedures. Maintains legal and regulatory compliance for all laboratory records.

Lesson 3 • Order Entry and Specimen Tracking

Covers electronic test ordering, specimen accessioning, and real-time tracking workflows. Reduces pre-analytical errors through systematic order management.

Lesson 4 • Laboratory Information System Architecture

Explains LIS components, interfaces with analysers, and integration with hospital systems. Provides the structural understanding needed for effective system use.

Lesson 1 • Haematological Malignancy Recognition

Introduces leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma laboratory findings for early flagging. Prepares students to recognise critical morphological alerts.

Lesson 2 • Full Blood Count Analysis

Covers automated FBC parameters, reference intervals, and flagging criteria. Connects instrument output to clinical decision-making.

Lesson 3 • Anaemia Classification and Diagnosis

Applies morphological and index-based criteria to classify anaemia types. Builds diagnostic reasoning using laboratory data patterns.

Lesson 4 • Coagulation Testing and Haemostasis

Teaches PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, and D-dimer testing with clinical correlation. Supports monitoring of anticoagulant therapy and bleeding disorders.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Photometric Analysis

Explains spectrophotometry, colorimetry, and Beer-Lambert law as applied to chemistry assays. Provides the optical foundation for most chemistry analyser methods.

Lesson 2 • Lipid Profile and Endocrine Testing

Addresses cholesterol fractions, triglycerides, thyroid, and adrenal hormone assays. Expands chemistry competency to endocrine and cardiovascular risk assessment.

Lesson 3 • Urinalysis: Physical and Chemical Examination

Teaches colour, clarity, specific gravity, and dipstick interpretation for urine. Establishes systematic urinalysis as a rapid diagnostic screen.

Lesson 4 • Urine Microscopy and Sediment Analysis

Covers centrifugation, slide preparation, and identification of casts, cells, and crystals. Completes urinalysis competency with microscopic examination skills.

Lesson 1 • Mycology, Parasitology, and Virology Overview

Introduces fungal, parasitic, and viral detection methods relevant to clinical labs. Broadens microbiology competency beyond bacteriology.

Lesson 2 • Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Covers disk diffusion, broth microdilution, and MIC interpretation using breakpoint standards. Enables accurate reporting to guide antibiotic therapy.

Lesson 3 • Culture Techniques and Isolation

Teaches inoculation methods, incubation conditions, and colony morphology assessment. Builds hands-on skills for isolating pure cultures from clinical specimens.

Lesson 4 • Biochemical and Rapid Identification

Applies biochemical test panels and rapid identification systems to characterise isolates. Connects phenotypic results to organism identification.

Lesson 1 • Transfusion Reactions and Adverse Events

Identifies acute and delayed transfusion reaction types, workup steps, and reporting. Prepares students to respond to and investigate adverse transfusion events.

Lesson 2 • ABO and Rh Blood Group Systems

Teaches forward and reverse ABO typing, Rh determination, and discrepancy resolution. Core competency for all transfusion and compatibility testing.

Lesson 3 • Immune System and Serological Principles

Reviews innate and adaptive immunity, antigen-antibody reactions, and assay formats. Provides the immunological foundation for all serological testing.

Lesson 4 • Antibody Detection and Identification

Covers antibody screen, panel testing, and identification of clinically significant alloantibodies. Prevents haemolytic transfusion reactions through accurate detection.