An Algorithm for Curriculum Decisions in Medical Laboratory Science Education

Abstract

A AB BS ST TR RA AC CT T Advances in medical science occur at a dramatic rate, leading to new knowledge and technology that changes clinical laboratory practice. To prepare students for entry level practice and careers in the clinical laboratory profession, MLT and MLS educators need to continually review their curricula to decide what should be added or deleted. Decisions about deleting content are difficult but important in order to avoid curriculum saturation and to facilitate learning. This article presents a rationale for deleting some content and an algorithm that can guide decisions about what to teach and what not to teach.C Cl li in n L La ab b S Sc ci i 2 20 01 17 7; ;3 30 0( (2 2) ): :1 10 05 5--1 11 11 1 S Su us sa an n B Be ec ck k, , P Ph hD D, , M ML LS S( (A AS SC CP P) )

Development and Validation of a Clinical Practicum Assessment Tool for the NAACLS-Accredited Biomedical Science Program

“…Indeed, many committees and task forces from the NAACLS, ASCLS, and ASCP have provided road maps to help MLS programs develop well-constructed assessment plans for entry-level competencies and their effective contribution toward graduate employability. It is also well recognized that the quality of clinical education and training reflected in such assessment plans should be based on surveys [ 4 , 12 , 13 ]. Such surveys, which are widely used by MLS programs, might serve the goal of complying with accreditation bodies, but they might need revision to ensure their continuing validity.…”

“…This tool is currently used by Department of Biomedical Sciences at QU to assess program graduate satisfaction with the clinical practicum. Entry-level competencies were categorized according to the three domains of learning (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective) by the research team and expert colleagues, as described by the ASCLS and ASCP ( Table S2 ) [ 12 , 13 ]. Figure 1 shows a flow chart depicting the validation process.…”