Laboratory Medicine Curriculum
This laboratory medicine curriculum is designed to reinforce key concepts that apply to laboratory tests ordered for patients in the health care system. These concepts help to maintain high quality of health care through:
Choosing the best tests to order to arrive at a diagnosis and treatment plan in a timely manner.
Interpreting test results properly in the context of testing methodologies and inherent variabilities.
Avoiding orders for tests that negatively impact care through misleading results or higher costs or subjecting patients to unnecessary or unfavorable procedures or treatments.
This curriculum is divided into 5 modules that represent key areas of testing. The two smallest sections are combined to correspond with the 5 exam (quiz) modules. This curriculum is based upon the outline published in: Smith BR, Aguero-Rosenfeld M, Anastasi J, et al; Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists. Educating medical students in laboratory medicine: a proposed curriculum. Am J Clin Pathol. 2010 Apr;133(4):533-42.
A useful resource is Choosing Wisely with recommendations regarding usage of tests and procedures in medical care.
Your Participation
If you want to participate in a project to track your progress and effectiveness of this curriculum, then...try a quiz to assess your knowledge. Then go through the module(s) associated with the quiz, then repeat the quiz to consolidate your learning.
Quiz Menu
Create for yourself an alphanumeric login of eight or more characters that you will enter each time you take one of the tests (multiple choice question format).
This information is collected for educational research only, and no information is collected that is specific to users, so all users remain anonymous.
These quizzes simulate a timed laboratory "practical" examination with 1.5 minutes per question to complete a quiz.
A pop-up window is used to start each quiz; disable pop-up blocking temporarily or allow pop-ups for this site in your web browser.
Laboratory Medicine Curriculum - Modules
Module 1 - Fundamentals - - 9 sections
- Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values
- Reference intervals
- Test variability
- Preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical variables
- Critical values
- Test interference
- Point-of-care testing
- Test panels
- Physician office testing
- Self-Assessment Questions for Module 1 - Fundamentals
Module 2 - Chemical Pathology & Immunology - - 12 sections
- Drugs of abuse testing
- Therapeutic drug monitoring
- Metabolic testing
- Acute coronary syndromes
- Hyperlipidemia
- Diabetes mellitus and complications
- Renal function tests
- Urinalysis
- Hepatic, pancreatic, and GI tests
- Plasma proteins
- Immunology tests
- Tumor markers
- Self-Assessment Questions for Module 2 - Chemical Pathology
Module 3 - Molecular Diagnostics - - 4 sections
- Screening, diagnosing, and monitoring
- Pharmacogenetic testing
- Legal, social, and ethical implications
- Genetic testing techniques
- Self-Assessment Questions for Module 3 - Molecular Diagnostics
Module 3 - Hematology - - 7 sections
- Complete blood count
- WBC differential
- Blood cell morphology
- Differential diagnosis of blood cell increase/decrease
- Anemias
- Body fluid cells
- Coagulopathies
- Self-Assessment Questions for Module 3 - Hematology
Module 4 - Microbiology - - 11 sections
- Preanalytic variables, specimen collection
- Common organisms at body sites
- Turnaround time
- Staining techniques
- Serology
- Antimicrobial sensitivity testing
- Epidemiology, infection control, resistance
- Hepatitis testing
- Genital tract infections
- Mycobacterial disease
- HIV testing
- Self-Assessment Questions for Module 4 - Microbiology
Module 5 - Transfusion Medicine - - 12 sections
- Blood components, substitutes, thresholds, and indications for transfusion
- Lifespan of transfused products and monitoring efficacy of transfsuion
- Transfusion reactions
- Transfusion-associated infections
- Patient safety
- Compatibility testing
- Massive transfusion
- Hemolytic disease of the newborn
- Blood product modification
- Blood donation and donor screening
- Apheresis
- HLA (MHC) system
- Self-Assessment Questions for Module 5- Transfusion Medicine
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