The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report on antimicrobial resistance. It has made headlines around the world and this global threat to public health is currently receiving widespread global attention. I have attached a brief news clip that gives a general overview of the situation as well as the entire WHO report.
Rise of Superbugs
WHO Report on Antimicrobial Resistance
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Monday, 28 April 2014
Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) Tips and Sample Questions
So this week is the week that the Michener Institute is conducting multiple mini interviews (MMIs) to assess candidates on their ability to respond to various scenarios. Some of them are obviously related to healthcare and other scenarios focus on other areas. There might also be an acting station in which you must interact with the actor regarding a specific scenario. I really enjoyed the MMI circuit and found it much better than a traditional interview. It is a really interesting approach and McMaster University has published many articles on its efficacy.
The scenarios you encounter will be different than the ones you have used to practice so get used to thinking on your feet and logically working through a problem. Make sure to get a good night sleep before the interview and don't be too nervous during the circuit. If you think you did badly on a station, don't dwell on your mistakes and focus on the other remaining stations. The circuit will go by pretty quickly and most people have really good things to say about it once it is finally over. Best of luck if you have an interview this week :)
I have posted a bunch of sources with sample questions and I encourage you to check them out. Also practice as much as possible with a friend and have them formulate followup questions for you. I found that really useful for getting used to responding within the time limit.
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
The scenarios you encounter will be different than the ones you have used to practice so get used to thinking on your feet and logically working through a problem. Make sure to get a good night sleep before the interview and don't be too nervous during the circuit. If you think you did badly on a station, don't dwell on your mistakes and focus on the other remaining stations. The circuit will go by pretty quickly and most people have really good things to say about it once it is finally over. Best of luck if you have an interview this week :)
I have posted a bunch of sources with sample questions and I encourage you to check them out. Also practice as much as possible with a friend and have them formulate followup questions for you. I found that really useful for getting used to responding within the time limit.
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Sample MMI Questions
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Medical Laboratory Student Society (MLSS)
I was the first year representative during my first year of the medical laboratory science program at the Michener Institute and I'm very honoured that my classmates voted for me to be president for second year. The image below is the official MLSS logo that a student from a few years ago designed.
Awards Ceremony
I received an entrance scholarship from the Michener Institute last fall. It was an honour to be a part of the awards ceremony and hear more about the other award winners.
Research at Mount Sinai Hospital
I have been volunteering in the rapid response lab at Mount Sinai Hospital for over a year and I recently sent my resume up to the microbiology lab in the hope that they would have some volunteer positions available over the summer. I ended up doing an interview and getting a research assistant position with them over the summer. Dr. Susan Poutanen is one of the lead microbiologists and infectious disease consultants at Mount Sinai Hospital and her research focuses on the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and development of new testing methods. Barb Willey is the senior technologist that will supervise the summer research projects that will focus on developing new testing methods for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs). I'm really excited to be a part of their research team over the summer and I will try to update this blog once I start in June.
I have attached a link to a really interesting interview with Dr. Susan Poutanen. She also has tons of published articles that can be found with a simple google search so check that out if you have the opportunity :)
Interview
I have attached a link to a really interesting interview with Dr. Susan Poutanen. She also has tons of published articles that can be found with a simple google search so check that out if you have the opportunity :)
Interview
WASP System
This is an automated system used by large microbiology labs. The microbiology lab at Mount Sinai Hospital recently implemented this to process various specimens. It automatically streaks plates so they are ready for incubation. I had the chance to see it in action when i went on a tour of their lab.
Friday, 25 April 2014
Antimicrobial Stewardship
The first link that I have posted is a great overview of antimicrobial stewardship and its growing importance as antimicrobial resistance becomes a major threat to public health. This video was created by the Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and I highly encourage you to check out both the video and their website for more information :)
Why is Antimicrobial Stewardship Important?
Mount Sinai and UHN Antimircobial Stewardship Program
First Year of the Med Lab Program at Michener
I have just finished my first year at the Michener Institute and I have nothing but good things to say about the medical laboratory science program. I knew that the program would be much different than my university experience before starting the program. There is a large emphasis on the development of practical skills and it was amazing to spend just as much time in the labs as lectures during the school year. The schedule is also designed so that lectures early in the week directly correlate to the labs later in the week. The first semester emphasizes theory but the practical applications are a fundamental part of the second semester and I have heard from upper year students that it becomes an even bigger part of the second year.
Michener Institute is known as being really competitive so I was kind of worried that I would have a hard time keeping up with the workload especially after talking to some of the students at various recruitment events. I found it to be easier than university in the sense that there are constant small assessments like quizzes that make you stay on top of the material. By the time that midterms and final exams come around, you feel very prepared as a result of the regular assessments and labs.
I was also pretty scared at the thought of taking blood from a classmate during the venipuncture course but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The first half of the course involves practicing on a fake arm to get comfortable with the equipment and process. I also observed other people in the class take blood before I attempted it which helped calm my nerves. It is much easier after the confidence boost of a successful blood draw and almost everyone in my lab group got blood the first time!
We have had the opportunity to work with various types of instrumentation found in medical laboratories. We got to operate clinical chemistry analyzers such as the Vitros 250, Beckman Coulter AU480 and the Beckman Coulter Access 2. We have also started using the microbiology analyzer Vitek Compact 2. We had one lab that introduced us to blood gas analyzers and we learned how to operate the Siemens Rapidpoint.
Summary of First Year Courses
PPML110: Normal and Pathophysiology
-introduction to the body systems and physiological mechanisms
-case study presentations exploring various diseases
-class discussion regarding the case studies
AMML110: Gross and Microanatomy
-computer labs involve looking a microscopic images of normal tissues
-characteristics of tissue types and their microscopic appearance
CCML112: Clinical Chemistry
-characteristics of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids
-brief introduction to spectrophotometry and clinical chemistry analyzers
-quality control and maintenance procedures
HEML112: Introduction to Hematology
-prepared blood smears and observed them under the microscope
-focus on red blood cell morphology
-complete blood count (CBC) parameters
MIML113: Microbiology and Immunology
-basic microbiology lab techniques
-mycology and parasitology
-theory behind biochemical tests
HEML120: Hematology and Hemostasis
-correlation of red blood cell morphology with diseases such as megaloblastic anemia
-coagulation cascade and tests such as prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time
-introduction to the AcT 5 hematology and ACL Elite coagulation analyzer
HIML110: Introduction to Histotechnology
-gross dissection and processing of tissues
-embedding tissues into wax blocks for microtomy
-cutting tissue sections using a microtome and putting the sections on slides
-hematoxylin and eosin staining of slides
INML120: Instrumentation
-Westgard rules and quality control procedures such as checking lot numbers
-introduction to Siemens Rapid Point blood gas analyzer and gel electrophoresis
-immunoassays and introduced to the Beckman Coulter Access 2 immunoassay analyzer
-electrochemistry and introduction to the Vitros 250 and Beckman Coulter AU480
VPML120: Venipuncture and Specimen Procurement
-introduction to specimen containers including vacutainers for blood
-venipuncture and microcollection techniques for obtaining blood
-troubleshooting problems with venipuncture
-legislation related to medical laboratory science
MIML121: Applied Microbiology
-introduction to Vitek 2 compact microbiology analyzer
-introduction to API20E and API20E to performed miniaturized biochemical tests
-colonial morphology and correlation of appearance on plates to groups of bacteria
-appearance of gram stained bacteria under the microscope
-infections caused by bacteria such as Group A Streptococcus
BAIP113/BAIP124: Interprofessional Collaboration
-opportunity to work with students from other programs
-project and presentation on a vulnerable population in the healthcare system
-communication and teamwork skills
Michener Institute is known as being really competitive so I was kind of worried that I would have a hard time keeping up with the workload especially after talking to some of the students at various recruitment events. I found it to be easier than university in the sense that there are constant small assessments like quizzes that make you stay on top of the material. By the time that midterms and final exams come around, you feel very prepared as a result of the regular assessments and labs.
I was also pretty scared at the thought of taking blood from a classmate during the venipuncture course but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The first half of the course involves practicing on a fake arm to get comfortable with the equipment and process. I also observed other people in the class take blood before I attempted it which helped calm my nerves. It is much easier after the confidence boost of a successful blood draw and almost everyone in my lab group got blood the first time!
We have had the opportunity to work with various types of instrumentation found in medical laboratories. We got to operate clinical chemistry analyzers such as the Vitros 250, Beckman Coulter AU480 and the Beckman Coulter Access 2. We have also started using the microbiology analyzer Vitek Compact 2. We had one lab that introduced us to blood gas analyzers and we learned how to operate the Siemens Rapidpoint.
Summary of First Year Courses
PPML110: Normal and Pathophysiology
-introduction to the body systems and physiological mechanisms
-case study presentations exploring various diseases
-class discussion regarding the case studies
AMML110: Gross and Microanatomy
-computer labs involve looking a microscopic images of normal tissues
-characteristics of tissue types and their microscopic appearance
CCML112: Clinical Chemistry
-characteristics of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids
-brief introduction to spectrophotometry and clinical chemistry analyzers
-quality control and maintenance procedures
HEML112: Introduction to Hematology
-prepared blood smears and observed them under the microscope
-focus on red blood cell morphology
-complete blood count (CBC) parameters
MIML113: Microbiology and Immunology
-basic microbiology lab techniques
-mycology and parasitology
-theory behind biochemical tests
HEML120: Hematology and Hemostasis
-correlation of red blood cell morphology with diseases such as megaloblastic anemia
-coagulation cascade and tests such as prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time
-introduction to the AcT 5 hematology and ACL Elite coagulation analyzer
HIML110: Introduction to Histotechnology
-gross dissection and processing of tissues
-embedding tissues into wax blocks for microtomy
-cutting tissue sections using a microtome and putting the sections on slides
-hematoxylin and eosin staining of slides
INML120: Instrumentation
-Westgard rules and quality control procedures such as checking lot numbers
-introduction to Siemens Rapid Point blood gas analyzer and gel electrophoresis
-immunoassays and introduced to the Beckman Coulter Access 2 immunoassay analyzer
-electrochemistry and introduction to the Vitros 250 and Beckman Coulter AU480
VPML120: Venipuncture and Specimen Procurement
-introduction to specimen containers including vacutainers for blood
-venipuncture and microcollection techniques for obtaining blood
-troubleshooting problems with venipuncture
-legislation related to medical laboratory science
MIML121: Applied Microbiology
-introduction to Vitek 2 compact microbiology analyzer
-introduction to API20E and API20E to performed miniaturized biochemical tests
-colonial morphology and correlation of appearance on plates to groups of bacteria
-appearance of gram stained bacteria under the microscope
-infections caused by bacteria such as Group A Streptococcus
BAIP113/BAIP124: Interprofessional Collaboration
-opportunity to work with students from other programs
-project and presentation on a vulnerable population in the healthcare system
-communication and teamwork skills
Stained Tissues
During HIML110 (Introduction to Histotechnology) at the Michener Institute, we were given the opportunity to embed tissues, cut them using microtomy then stain then using hematoxylin and eosin. I have posted the final result of the slides that I ended up submitting at the end of the semester. I'm looking forward to next year when we get into special staining.
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