General provisions

The contents, length and level of the education are regulated by Ordinance 2008:1101 in the Swedish Code of Statutes.

The course is given in semester 1-3 of the Complementary Programme for Biomedical Laboratory Scientists with a Foreign Degree and consists of theoretical studies and practical proficiency training. The course's aim is for students to acquire the basics of cell biology, molecular biology, clinical microbiology, clinical chemistry, toxicology, pharmacology, pathology and clinical genetics as well as immunology and transfusion medicine including the associated methodology that is required to carry out tasks in lab rotations. The students should be able to assimilate advanced knowledge in the field of biomedical science.

Entry requirements

Foreign Bachelor degree or a completed 2-year post-secondary education specializing in Biomedical Laboratory Science. Besides Biomedical Laboratory Science, the previous qualification must include Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry and Biochemistry equivalent to 40 credits. Moreover, knowledge in Swedish equivalent to Swedish 3 or Swedish as a Second Language 3 and knowledge in English equivalent to English 6 are required.

Learning outcomes

Skills and abilities

On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• carry out various types of practical laboratory work in a quality assured way (chemical, biochemical, cell biological and molecular genetic as well as the specific methods that are used in clinical laboratories) by means of oral and written laboratory instructions.
• independently analyse, interpret and present results from analyses as well as by means of controls and reference ranges assess the relevance of the results for the patient
• account for the importance of quality assurance for the reliability of the method and give examples of quality assurance methods in different fields
• carry out blood sampling
• follow the safety regulations as well as the laws and regulations that control health care such as professional secrecy, the Communicable Diseases Act, The Swedish biobank act
• carry out searches in relevant databases in different fields
• show the ability to independently present facts through oral and written presentations
• demonstrate the ability to independently acquire and evaluate facts and the scientific foundations of the field
• demonstrate ability for teamwork and co-operation with both fellow students and teachers
• apply basic statistical analyses
• based on clinical information be able to suggest appropriate analysis as well as be able to explain and evaluate the relationship between patient, patient examinations and different diseases
• use aseptic techniques for cultivation and handling of eukaryotic cells and microorganisms
• describe relevant cellular and molecular changes for certain diseases as well as how these can be used for diagnostic purposes

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• account for the principles behind, illustrate applications of, as well as discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods/methodologies that were discussed during the course
• describe the organisation around the logistics and quality assurance in clinical laboratories
• describe and illustrate current research in different fields and the relationship between research and clinical application

Specific in the different fields:

Biochemistry

• account for biomolecules and how their structures influence their properties and thereby their function
• account for biological information transfer and illustrate relationships between genotype and phenotype for prokaryotes and eukaryotes

Microbiology

• describe the most common diseases caused by micro-organisms
• describe the importance of incidence, prevalence and epidemiology in microbiological diagnostic activities
• state the most important discoveries and inventions for the development of microbiological diagnostics
• describe the concept of normal flora and its importance
• describe the structure, morphology and life cycle of medically important micro-organisms
• describe the classification of medically important micro-organisms, especially the methods that are used for classification
• describe the theoretical background of the most common analyses in a microbiological laboratory.
• describe the mechanisms for transmission, virulence and pathogenicity in pathogenic micro-organisms
• describe the working mechanisms and resistance mechanisms of the most common antimicrobial treatments
• describe how resistance development and resistance transfer occur

Pathology

• account for how the changed morphology of different tissues can be used for diagnostic aims
• account for commonly occurring diseases and their prevalence
• account for the pathophysiological mechanisms behind the origin of diseases studied in the course
• account for how one classifies tumours

Genetics

• account for the importance of genetic factors for health and disease
• account for the different major groups of genetic diseases as well as how these are inherited

Clinical Chemistry

• distinguish the developmental stages of blood cells
• identify the haematological changes for different diseases
• describe the theoretical background in clinical chemical diagnostics for the most commonly occurring disorders in different organ systems
• explain the principles for drug effects and metabolism in the body
• explain and evaluate clinical pharmacological laboratory analyses as tools for drug dosage, intoxication diagnostics and drug abuse diagnostics.
• account for the pre-analytical factors that are important for the outcome, interpretation and quality of the analytical results.

Immunology

• account for the structure and function of the human immune defence at the molecular, cellular, organ and organism level
• account for the pathophysiological mechanisms behind the most common immunological diseases
• discuss the role of the immune system in different immunologically conditioned diseases such as hypersensitiveness, autoimmunity, immune deficiency and immunity against microorganisms
• explain the theory behind the production of antibodies

Transfusion medicine

• describe the genetics of the blood group systems and the structure of the AB0-system
• explain the importance of the Rh-system and the D-antigen in transfusion medicine
• account for the formation of antibodies in the different blood group systems
• account for blood component preparation

Critical thinking and attitude

On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• discuss ethical questions regarding the handling of sample material and analysis results in clinical practice
• show an ethical, diversity and equality perspective in the treatment of blood donors, patients and their relatives

Content

Basic knowledge in cell biology and molecular biology. Cell culture. Modern technologies for the analysis of DNA and RNA. PCR. Proteomics. Follow and write SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

Microbiology: Micro-organisms in the biological system. General and special bacteriology, general and special virology, mycology and parasitology as well as the related laboratory methodology. Bacterial physiology. Pathogenicity and virolence factors. Bacterial genetics. Antibiotics and chemotherapeutics. Micro-organisms and disease. Current research within medical microbiology. Obtain knowledge about the organisation, method validation, quality assurance, accreditation and areas of responsibility within medical microbiology. Library science. Statistics.

Pathology: General cellular pathology, pathological concepts and terminology, organ related tumour theory with tumor classification, inflammation, degeneration and storage disorders, autopsy, slide preparation, technologies for histopathology including light microscopic analysis, immunohistochemistry, molecular pathology, electron microscopy as well as cytohistologic diagnostics and its technologies.

Clinical Genetics: The organisation and inheritance of the genetic make-up, genetically conditioned diseases, advanced knowledge in how molecular biological methodology is used for gene diagnostics and gene analysis as well as methods for chromosome analysis.

Clinical Chemistry with pharmacology and toxicology: The relationship between patients, tests and the laboratory's clinical diagnostic importance in the daily work in health care. Haematopoiesis, normal haematology, leukemia and anaemia. Clinical chemistry diagnostics for the most common disorders in the different organ systems. The principles of pharmaceutical effects, metabolism in the body and the factors that influence these. Principles of drug analyses, toxicological analyses and drug abuse analyses. Laws and regulations in health care. Blood sampling. Literature search in relevant databases. Quality assurance.

Immunology and transfusion medicine: The organisation of the immune defence and the immune system, the molecular and cellular bases of the immune system. Monoclonal antibodies, vaccines. The natural immune defence and its components, immune genetics, cell cooperation. Hypersensitivity reactions, autoimmunity, immunological deficiency diseases, transplantation immunology, tumour immunology. Analytical methods based on antigen-antibody reactions. The biochemistry, genetics, antibody formation, importance for transfusion, pregnancy and transplantation of the AB0-system and the Rh-system.

The biochemistry of other blood group systems, common antigens, and their importance for transfusion and pregnancy. The most common blood group serological technologies, the importance of immunoglobulin categories, sources of errors. Blood donation, the production of blood components, storing and control. The organisation around logistic and quality assurance for blood donation and transplantation. Relevant legislation. Ethical issues in connection with blood donation.

Instruction

The teaching is given in the form of lectures, laboratory sessions, seminars, demonstrations, tutorials and study visits. The teaching will follow an individual study plan based on the student's earlier education and professional or vocational experience and is coordinated completely or partly with the Biomedical Laboratory Science Programme.

Assessment

Examination takes place as individual theoretical and practical tests. The number of examinations is decided based on the individual study plan. Furthermore, passed laboratory sessions and other compulsory parts are required for a passing grade as well as participation in seminars, demonstrations and study visits.

Students who failed the examination have the right to retake the examination an additional 4 times (= a total of 5 examinations) Each occasion the student participates in an examination is regarded as one examination attempt. Submission of a so-called blank examination counts as an examination. Practical tests can be gone through a maximum of three times.