Laboratory Science Students Research Articles

Lights, Camera, Action! Using Visual Media to Teach Qualitative Research Skills to Medical Laboratory Science Students

Lights, Camera, Action! Using Visual Media to Teach Qualitative Research Skills to Medical Laboratory Science Students

Incorporating Clinical Laboratory Science Students in Clinical Simulation

Incorporating Clinical Laboratory Science Students in Clinical Simulation

Ethical and Professional Issues Training for Students and Staff of Laboratory Medicine

Background : Medical Laboratory plays a critical role in maintaining and promoting health. Increasing wide applications of laboratory medicine in clinical practice have highlighted specific topics in the areas of social, professional and ethical issues in the laboratory. Despite the important role of clinical lab in health system, ethical issues have been rarely discussed for clinical labs. Considering the need to provide efficient training program for students, this study was designed and conducted to assess the views of laboratory science educators about offering a professional ethical course in laboratory science curriculum. Methods: The study population was 28 laboratory science educators at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. A questionnaire was designed to assess instructors' views about the importance, quantity, quality, and the need to provide a professional ethical course for medical laboratory students. Results: The majority of respondents (82.15%) evaluated the importance of offering an ethical course for laboratory medicine to be at a very high level. Most educators (75%) believed that good clinical laboratory practice is extremely related to moral issues. Many lecturers (85.7%) completely agreed with the addition of professional ethical course for laboratory science students. Respondents (89.3%), also, believed that the educating professional ethical issues to medical lab students will enhance service quality and performance of the future laboratories. In addition, most professors suggested offering two credit points to cover such issues for the students (85.7%). Conclusion: We recommend offering a separate course in laboratory science curriculum to cover the clinical ethical issues, such as modality of taking samples, interaction with patients, the way of giving information about genetic tests, viral and malignancies, the way of storing data and access to medical records, the diagnosis of infertility, prenatal diagnosis, legal issues in poisonings, and the way of interacting with the doctor and medical private issues.

We Get Biased on Things That Make Sense

1. Merih T. Tesfazghi 1. PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Former, Graduate Assistant, Department of Pathology, Orotta Schools of Medicine and Dentistry; and Clinical Laboratory Scientist at National Health Laboratory, Department of Hematology, Asmara, Eritrea., Email: (merih.tesfazghi{at}med.fsu.edu) When I was teaching third year medical students, and bench-lecturing clinical laboratory science students, I emphasized the importance of clinical details and the history of patients in laboratory test processing, especially in the evaluation of peripheral blood films. During those times, one of my students stated, “but including details of patients might somehow affect the decision of the reviewer, and may lead to a bias.” I responded that we are biased on things that make sense. This means that we decide based on the evidence we see from a microscopy evaluation in the light of the clinical detail and history. How do clinical details and history help us reach decisions? If specimens are the “in vitro ambassadors” of patients to the laboratory, then properly completed request forms are their “credentials”. The content of the request form is thus a bridge that connects patients and clinicians with the laboratory. The more informative the request form is, the better and more accurate the outcome. Peripheral blood film evaluation and characterization of blood cells based solely on morphology is inherently complex and prone to error. The complex nature of blood cell morphology becomes apparent when we deal with undifferentiated or immature cells, or in conditions that are characterized by overlapping cellular features, and/or the coexistence of some diseases. These and other factors listed below are some of the reasons why we need to have clinical details and the history of patients included in a request form to maximally contribute to the accuracy of…

Board 115 - Program Innovations Abstract An Interprofessional Intensive Care - Laboratory Science, Medicine, Nursing and Respiratory Therapy Students and Trainees (Submission #560)

Introduction/Background The value of interprofessional simulation is increasingly being documented. Our group sought to develop a multi-patient, multi-professional extended simulation session for laboratory science, medicine, nursing and respiratory therapy participants. The intent of the simulation was to challenge learners with significant complexity to allow for critical thinking, prioritization and team-based communication challenges. We created a very difficult afternoon in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Methods A multi-professional team including laboratory sciences, medicine, nursing and respiratory therapy developed a four patient ICU based extended time simulation experience. Patient profiles were created by the simulation team. A timeline and set of expected actions was carefully crafted. The patient record was created and included nursing documentation on ICU based flow sheet as well as timed laboratory results. The patients that were in the mock ICU included a recent transfer from the floor with presumed septic shock who develops a transfusion related lung injury reaction, an expected new admit from the emergency department with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who needs bipap, a patient who recently received a tracheostomy and who is weaning off the respirator and a recent transfer from the floor with respiratory distress who is currently being evaluated for a pulmonary embolus. The nursing students arrived before the other learners and received check out from confederate nurses who were going off shift and had time to complete their assessments. The respiratory participants were briefed about available equipment and respiratory plan of care. Seven nurses, four laboratory students, two medical residents, one medical student and three respiratory therapy students participated in the simulation. Over 15 faculty members and confederates were present to assist with scenario flow, manikins management and debriefing. The entire scenario lasted 75 minutes and the debriefing was completed in stages, with a portion at the bedside, a portion with the entire group and additional discipline specific debriefing. Evaluation data included general evaluation which was solicited both in writing and in the form of a focus group. Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the experience. They highlighted the opportunity to practice the care of patients with other healthcare team members. Nursing students in particular had suggestions for improving the fidelity of the situation. Faculty involved provided feedback for future sessions. The faculty after action review focused on both discipline specific improvements, as well as overall opportunities for clarification. For example, for nursing and respiratory requested standardization of medications and supplies in a format that is more consistent with an actual ICU setting. The physicians reported that the fact that they were needed in many locations added to the realism but would have preferred to have the standard checkout sheet that they use in actual practice. Laboratory science students, who were located off site, would prefer to be closer to the action. Conclusion To our knowledge, this represents the first collaboration of these four disciplines in a multi-patient simulation scenario focusing on prioritization of multiple patients. The activity was well received; however, the quality of the simulation experience was likely related to the high proportion of faculty to students. Additional work is needed to streamline this educational effort to allow for widespread implementation. Reference ©1. Scherer et al. Interprofessional Simulation to Foster Collaboration between Nursing and Medical Students Clinical Simulation in Nursing (2013) e1-e9. Disclosures None.

Board 391 - Research Abstract Development and Construct Validation of the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS) for Assessing the Impact of Interprofessional Simulations (Submission #1233)

Introduction/Background Development of interprofessional competencies is essential in the training of practice-ready health professionals. Many interprofessional educational (IPE) programs use simulations to teach collaborative team skills. These IPE simulations should facilitate students meeting the recently published IPEC Core Competencies.1 However, determining whether this occurs is difficult since no validated tools currently exist to assess all four IPEC Core Competency domains. The goals of this study were to develop, validate and test a novel scale to assess interprofessional attitudes of students in the health professions. This scale was designed to incorporate the core competency domains defined in the IPEC Report and to be used in assessing the impact of IPE simulations on health professional student attitudes towards interprofessionalism. Methods An online survey containing 42 questions based in part on the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS)2-4 and new questions based on the IPEC Core Competencies was developed and administered in 2012 to a diverse group of 1549 health professional students from the University of Utah Health Sciences (UUHS). The UUHS is an academic health center composed of four schools and colleges (Health, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy), including nursing, medical, pharmacy, medical laboratory science, nutrition, occupational therapy, public health and physician assistant students. Analyses were performed to validate the assessment tool, eliminate redundant questions and cluster questions into subscales. Results The responses from the 42 item online survey tool were evaluated to assess construct validity and internal consistency reliability. A survey response rate of 45% (n=701) was obtained. After removing incomplete survey responses, a dataset consisting of 678 responses was randomly split into two datasets which were independently analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA, n=342) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n=336). The result of the EFA was a 27 item scale that we named the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS). The EFA identified five subscales with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.62 to 0.92 (Table 1). The CFA indicated the content of the five subscales was consistent with the EFA model. The collection of validated survey questions is being incorporated into surveys administered to students before and after IPE simulations to evaluate the impact of the simulations on interprofessional attitudes. These IPE simulations are designed to train students to work collaboratively in interprofessional teams and include students from all four schools and colleges at the UUHS at various levels of training. The Results of these on-going assessments using the IPAS will be described in more detail during the presentation. Conclusion We have created and validated an assessment tool, the IPAS, which contains items that reflect current interprofessional competencies. The IPAS is being used to assess the impact of IPE simulations on student’s attitudes towards working collaboratively in interprofessional teams.

Using Performance Tasks Employing IOM Patient Safety Competencies to Introduce Quality Improvement Processes in Medical Laboratory Science Education

In order to contribute to improved healthcare quality through patient-centered care, laboratory professionals at all levels of practice must be able to recognize the connection between non-analytical factors and laboratory analysis, in the context of patient outcomes and quality improvement. These practices require qualities such as critical thinking (CT), teamwork skills, and familiarity with the quality improvement process, which will be essential for the development of evidence-based laboratory science practice. Performance tasks (PT) are an educational strategy which can be used to teach and assess CT and teamwork, while introducing Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students at both baccalaureate and advanced-practice levels to the concepts of quality improvement processes and patient outcomes research. PT presents students with complex, realistic scenarios which require the incorporation of subject-specific knowledge with competencies such as effective team communication, patient-centered care, and successful use of information technology. A PT with assessment rubric was designed for use in a baccalaureate-level MLS program to teach and assess CT and teamwork competency. The results indicated that, even when students were able to integrate subject-specific knowledge in creative ways, their understanding of teamwork and quality improvement was limited. This indicates the need to intentionally teach skills such as collaboration and quality system design. PT represent one of many strategies that may be used in MLS education to develop essential professional competencies, encourage expert practice, and facilitate quality improvement.

Survey of Laboratory Science Students' Views about the Advantages of Quizes during the Semester Including Microbiology Course

Introduction Traditional teacher-centered methods of teaching and learning are passive and affected by teacher's functions and horizons. Today, active teaching methods include teaching students to be able to observe the situation for exploring and thinking deeper about the issue or problem . So the aim of this study is to survey students' views about the advantages of quizzes in studying microbiology course. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Study population was all 24 students of the fifth semester of laboratory science. First, the students were taught about quizzes and methods, and then they were given a questionnaire containing 11 questions. These questions were classified in three domains: student motivation, class participation, and lower side activities. Students' responses were assessed according to the following scores: 1= strongly disagree to or less than 25%, 2= disagree, or between 26 and 50%, 3= agree, or between 51 and 75%, 4= strongly agree or more than 76 percent. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed with the help of experts and Cronbach's alpha test. Result At learning increase domain 55.17%, increasing student motivation 62.07%, participating in class 34.4% and decreasing the side activities 10.34%, from the view point of the students, quizzes were effective in teaching microbiology course. Conclusion The results of this study show that quiz taking is an effective way to increase student learning, so it is recommended that instructors increase the effectiveness of their teaching methods by applying them in their teaching schedule.

The Six-Month Internship Training Program for Medical Laboratory Science Education: An Initial Evaluation

In 2006, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) released CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) no. 14 which changed the duration of internship training program to six months as opposed to the previous memorandum order, CMO no. 27 s. 1998 which required a one-year internship schedule for Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students. Thirty-eight graduates of CMO No. 14 s. 2006 from Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas and 13 chief medical technologists (CMT) or senior medical laboratory staff from identified affiliate hospitals were surveyed about their perception on the attainment of the objectives, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the said program. Results show that objectives were achieved even if the duration of the training period was shortened. The graduate-respondents favored the one year timetable. This study can be used as a pilot study for other higher education institutions implementing the same CMO and can be used as a basis for a curricular reform by assessing the different parameters that were identified in order to enhance further the six-month internship training program in producing globally competitive medical laboratory scientists.

Perceived Emotional Aptitude of Clinical Laboratory Sciences Students Compared to Students in Other Healthcare Profession Majors

Emotional aptitude can be defined as the ability to recognize and manage one's own emotions and interpret the emotions of others. It has been speculated that Clinical Laboratory Sciences students may lack the emotional skills to most effectively interact with patients and other healthcare professionals, therefore a logical hypothesis would be that they would evaluate their own emotional intelligence lower than students from other healthcare majors. While this has been a topic of discussion in healthcare, a lack of research has been conducted to validate this assumption. This study assesses the perceived emotional aptitude of Clinical Laboratory Sciences students compared to students of other healthcare majors in the Dumke College of Health Professions at Weber State University. The perceived emotional aptitude of the healthcare students was determined by completion of a self-evaluation questionnaire that included questions about one's emotions, their understanding of others' emotions, and how they manage conflict. A total of 401 questionnaires were completed, compiled, and analyzed. Although minor differences were seen in the responses, statistical analysis found these differences to be insignificant. The perceived emotional aptitude of Clinical Laboratory Sciences students was insignificantly different than that of students of other healthcare majors at the Dumke College of Health Professions.

Students as Vital Participants in Research Projects

Inclusion of research coursework into a medical technology or clinical laboratory science program is currently viewed as a mark of a good degree program. Examples of this type of coursework are evaluation of scientific papers, techniques of scientific writing, application and performance of statistical analysis and introduction to research ethics (e.g., Institutional Review Board approval process). While many programs have the ability to recruit experienced scientists into research mentorship of medical technology/clinical laboratory science students, it is recognized that not all programs have this ability. It is also recognized that clinical laboratorians are performing critical diagnostic tests and, in this capacity, have the ability to identify research projects that are necessary, evidence-based and timely. It is hereby proposed that clinical laboratorians take advantage of this innate ability and create rich teaching experiences for students by including them in performance of research projects. Because of the fact that students are armed with up-to-date knowledge, have willing and enthusiastic spirits and are highly motivated to learn, they are vital participants in research. The students receive an invaluable active learning experience and possibly a future job; the clinical laboratorians meet and possibly exceed the research and scholarship expectations of their institutions; and the scientific community benefits by the science being shared through publication in scientific journals.

Preparing Clinical Laboratory Science Students with Teaching Skills

Training clinical laboratory science (CLS) students in techniques of preparation and delivery of an instructional unit is an important component of all CLS education programs and required by the national accrediting agency. Participants of this study included students admitted to the CLS program at Northern Illinois University and enrolled in the teaching course offered once a year between the years of 1997 and 2009. Courses on the topic of "teaching" may be regarded by CLS students as unnecessary. However, entry level practitioners are being recruited to serve as clinical instructors soon after entering the workforce. Evaluation of the data collected indicates that students are better prepared to complete tasks related to instruction of a topic after having an opportunity to study and practice skills of teaching. Mentoring CLS students toward the career role of clinical instructor or professor is important to maintaining the workforce.

Professionalism – A Required CLS/CLT Curricular Component

Determine the impact of requiring Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) students to participate in approved professionalism activities as part of a mandatory management course. Quasi-experimental, case study reporting qualitative results of 25 CLS students. During the admission interview, students complete a written response to questions about their perceptions related to professionalism. During the clinical educational year, students are required to complete approved professionalism activities as part of a management course. At the end of the course, students write a reflective paper focusing on their professional activities and how these experiences will influence their future professional practice. Overall themes of student reflections are provided. University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) CLS Program in Omaha. After participating in a mandatory professionalism curricular component requiring active student participation in professional activities, student reflective writings provide evidence this is one successful approach to nurture professional identity within future Clinical Laboratory Science/Clinical Laboratory Technician (CLS/CLT) practitioners.

Clinical Laboratory Tycoon case study: are you management material?

Many clinical laboratory scientists find themselves in a management position during their career, but have limited training to assume this role. The Clinical Laboratory Tycoon case study was designed to submerge students into the laboratory business by having the participant act as a laboratory manager with the capacity to make all the decisions about his or her own lab. The student participant completed a set of modules that each related to varying aspects of managing a laboratory including selecting what tests to offer, hiring employees, marketing the services, setting goals, budgeting, and evaluating overall success. This Clinical Laboratory Tycoon case study was used to instruct clinical laboratory science students in a university based clinical laboratory science program as part of their seminar in teaching, research, and management course. The size of these classes range from ten to twenty students and results reported in this paper are collected from a class size of sixteen students. The study could also be adapted for use in a hospital based program or as continuing education for laboratory employees. At the conclusion of the study, the student participants reported what they had learned during their time as managers and how their perspective changed. Student participants reported that they gained an understanding and appreciation for the responsibilities of the laboratory manager. For some, this study helped to define career goals.

Creating an Informational CD for Distance Clinical Laboratory Science Students

Traditionally the distance clinical laboratory science students visit Winston-Salem State University three or four times during the course of the semester. These visits are usually for orientation and testing purposes. While the students are aware that there is a library on campus, they are not familiar with all of the library's electronic resources that they have access to from their home computers. The distance and health science librarians decided to collaborate to design an informational CD-ROM specifically for these students.

Minimum Essentials for Problem‐Based Learning in Physiological Pedagogy (the Jos Experience)

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method that challenges students to “learn to learn,” working cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real world problems. These problems are used to engage students’ curiosity and initiate learning the subject matter. PBL prepares students to think critically and analytically, and to find and use appropriate learning resources. Objectives For pre-clinical students to acquire an extensive, integrated knowledge base of physiology that is readily recalled and applied to the analysis and care of patient problems; To foster the development of effective and efficient problem-solving/clinical reasoning skills, self-directed learning/team skills and sound clinical skills. In our university medical, pharmacy and medical laboratory science students are taught human physiology using a clinically-oriented course-unit system to adequately prepare them for their clinical years. Out of a normal class of 204 students 70% prefer PBL because it fosters “student-centred” learning. Minimum essentials for PBL in physiological education include: Students’ familiarity with informational technology, Creating personal mnemonics, Availability of self-test simulators of patient problems and clinical vignettes adapted for physiology trainees, Integrated-learning applying knowledge of anatomy, biochemistry, psychology, epidemiology, etc in addition to physiology, Ability to manage time and prioritise tasks. Finally, it is more interesting to highlight first how beta-blockers and diuretics lower blood pressure in man compared to stressing the adrenergic receptor and angiotensin-aldosterone mechanisms alone.

Student laboratories as a component of a web-based curriculum.

To enable place-bound working clinical laboratory technicians (CLTs) to benefit from hands-on student laboratory sessions taught in University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) facilities by UTMB professors. Weekend student laboratory sessions similar to "wet workshops" were implemented and integrated into regular coursework. Student laboratory sessions of 12 hours to 16 hours in length were provided. The UTMB student laboratories. Web-based education in Clinical Laboratory Science (WEBCLS) students who are working CLTs in rural place-bound situations. Course grades and certification examination scores on laboratory and comprehensive examinations given to both on-campus students and WEBCLS students. Of 68 WEBCLS students enrolled in laboratory courses during the calendar years 2003, 2004, and 2005, 66.2% earned grades of A or B in the course compared with 64.2% of students enrolled in the same laboratory courses on-campus. Over a three year period, the WEBCLS students averaged 564.8 on certification exam scores, while on-campus students averaged 470.9.

A model for educational enrichment and employment recruitment for clinical laboratory science students.

An educational partnership was initiated between a pharmaceutical company and a university-based clinical laboratory science program to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. This external enrichment site provides a unique educational experience for the students that cannot be duplicated any where else in the community. The framework for the educational experience was established with a full day's schedule of visits and presentations guided by a list of twenty learning objectives. Clinical laboratory science students interact with laboratory professionals who are employed by the pharmaceutical company and assigned to a variety of traditional and non-traditional roles. During the visit, pharmaceutical company employees observe student interactions in small group settings and assess the learners' interest in the work environment and specimen testing process. Employee feedback may be applied to future employment decision making. This article describes how employer outreach goals and initiatives and educational enrichment objectives can be met through cooperative team work.

Job Selection Criteria and the Influence of Clinical Rotation Sites for Senior Medical Laboratory Science Students

Job Selection Criteria and the Influence of Clinical Rotation Sites for Senior Medical Laboratory Science Students

Job Selection Criteria and the Influence of Clinical Rotation Sites for Senior Medical Laboratory Science Students

Job Selection Criteria and the Influence of Clinical Rotation Sites for Senior Medical Laboratory Science Students