Career prospects

I

Graduates in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques are health care professionals who are responsible for the tasks laid down in Ministerial Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 745 of 26 September 1994, including subsequent amendments and additions. They are responsible for the tasks that fall within their remit, carry out laboratory analysis and research activities relating to biomedical and biotechnological analyses and in particular clinical biochemistry, clinical microbiology, parasitology and virology, pharmacotoxicology, pathology, immunology, medical genetics, haematology, cytology and histopathology. Within the scope of their role, they are also responsible for the proper fulfilment of the analytical procedures and their implementation. Graduates of the degree course in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques check the correspondence of the services provided to indicators and standards predefined by the head of the facility; they check and verify the proper functioning of the equipment used; they provide maintenance and troubleshoot minor incidents. They also participate in the planning and organisation of work within the structure in which they work.

The biomedical laboratory technician must possess basic scientific skills (e.g. physics, biology, anatomy, histology, chemistry, statistics) and high technical-specialist knowledge (in particular, of clinical biochemistry, clinical microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, haematology, immunology, genetics, pathological anatomy). This knowledge helps the biomedical laboratory technician to use laboratory equipment appropriately, and to be familiar with the organisation and management of activities specific to the work environment in which he/she is employed, as well as with the regulations protecting health and safety in the workplace. In addition to specific theoretical and technical knowledge, he/she must acquire precise knowledge of the profession's code of ethics and be able to relate effectively with colleagues and other health professionals. In view of the continuous evolution of the scientific/technological field, the technician must have the ability to self-test, self-learn and continuously update their knowledge/skills, and possess strong organisational and time-management skills. They must be up to date on the different methods used in the various fields of laboratory medicine and, importantly, of information technology for the purposes of organising and consulting databases of clinical and scientific interest and archiving reports.

The degree course in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques must provide students with the communication skills needed to work as part of a team, i.e. to contribute to the planning and monitoring of laboratory production activities. Communication skills will also have to be applied remotely through the use of computer systems to interact with colleagues and other figures in biomedical laboratory work. The graduate will also have to demonstrate skills geared towards passing on their specific knowledge to colleagues and potentially mentoring student interns.
The teaching methods and tools used to develop the expected learning outcomes in terms of the student's communication skills are frontal lectures which will include the interactive discussion of practical cases, internships in the various laboratories in which students acquire specific complementary information/skills and are stimulated, under supervision, to behave as if they were making independent decisions by interacting with the other laboratory technicians.
The results are assessed through oral and/or written examinations as well as formative assessment, including practical tests, which the various professors/instructors conduct to test the degree to which students assume autonomy and responsibility, and their ability to interact with the other people in the laboratory.