This unit provides you with an understanding of the role of the clinical biochemistry laboratory in the diagnosis and management of human diseases and disorders. The unit focuses on quality control in the pathology laboratory setting, the biochemical rationale for the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of blood electrolyte balance, blood gases, blood acid-base balance, hormones, diabetes mellitus, jaundice, cardiac and liver disease, gout, inherited metabolic disorders, renal dysfunction and malignant diseases. You will be instructed on correct procedures for preparing blood and urine samples for analysis, and for interpreting results in a clinical biochemistry laboratory. You will be required to attend a residential school at the biochemistry laboratory on campus. The exception to this is for nutrition students enrolled in CM60, CM61, or CM62. For these students, you will meet the learning outcomes required for your degree through an alternative assessment and are not required to attend the on-campus residential school. However, If you wish to gain laboratory skills, you may enrol for the on-campus residential school activity.

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Direct student communication, SUTE

Student feedback reflected an increased face to face delivery/tutorial component.

Consider additional face to face components for the tutorials

Feedback from SUTE; Unit Coordinator

The unit content includes a core foundation that can reasonably be maintained, however some modules are now outdated due to the changing body of knowledge underpinning the diagnosis and treatment of various pathophysiologies.

Continue to update course content to mantain currency