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.
Thursday, 9 May 2013
Offer of Admission from Michener Institute
I'm very excited that I received an offer of admission for the Medical Laboratory Science Program at the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences earlier today. I attended the multiple mini interview last week, which included nine stations and two rest stations. It was an intense but really interesting process. I ended up doing better than expected in the interview and it was probably a result of the adrenaline that kicked in once i got up to the interview circuit. It was still a nerve racking week waiting for the offers to come out and I'm glad I ended up getting good news. I'm really excited to start school this fall and I already know that this is going to be an incredibly rewarding experience :)
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Inner Life of a Cell
I was shown this video in my second year Molecular Biology course while I was attending the University of Toronto. It was amazing to see the processes talked about in class to be presented in a three-dimensional environment. The video is incredibly accurate as it was created by a group of Harvard researchers and shows the various areas of the cell in incredible detail. I'm amazed by the level of complexity that exists within each and every cell in the body.
Preparation of Tissue Samples for Microscopic Analysis
1. Fixation
2. Infiltration
3. Embedding
4. Sectioning
5. Staining
6. Coverslipping
This video provides an overview of the steps involved in order to prepare tissue samples for microscopic analysis. Medical laboratory technologists working in the field of histology must be able to prepare slides which are then analyzed by a trained pathologist that can detect abnormalities on the cellular level.
Comprehensive List of Laboratory Tests
A1c
ACTH
AFP maternal
AFP tumour markers
Albumin
Aldosterone
Allergies
ALP
ALT
Amylase
ANA
AST
Bilirubin
Blood culture
Blood gases
BMP
BNP
Bone marks
BRCA
BUN
CA-125
Cardiac risk
CBC
CD4
CEA
Chlamydia
Cholesterol
CK
CK-MB
CMP
CO2
Cortisol
Creatinine
CRP
Electrolytes
ESR
Estrogen
Fecal occult blood
Ferritin
FSH
GFR and EGFR
GGT
Glucose
Gonorrhea
Gram Stain
H-pylori
hCG
HDL
Hepatitis
Herpes
HIV antibody
Homocysteine
HPV
hs-CRP
Iron
LDL
Lead
LH
Lipase
Lipid profile
Liver panel
Lyme disease
Microalbumin
Myoglobin
p24
Pap smear
Prealbumin
Prothrombin time
PSA
Rheumatoid factor
Rubella
Serum iron
Sickle cell
Strep throat
Syphilis
Testosterone
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
TORCH
Total protein
Transferrin and TIBC
Triglycerides
Troponin
TSH, T3, T4
Uric acid
Urinalysis
This is a very comprehensive list of laboratory tests that are currently used as tools to diagnose diseases and assess the health of patients. There is a more complete list and explanation of each individual test available from the following website
http://labtestsonline.org/
ACTH
AFP maternal
AFP tumour markers
Albumin
Aldosterone
Allergies
ALP
ALT
Amylase
ANA
AST
Bilirubin
Blood culture
Blood gases
BMP
BNP
Bone marks
BRCA
BUN
CA-125
Cardiac risk
CBC
CD4
CEA
Chlamydia
Cholesterol
CK
CK-MB
CMP
CO2
Cortisol
Creatinine
CRP
Electrolytes
ESR
Estrogen
Fecal occult blood
Ferritin
FSH
GFR and EGFR
GGT
Glucose
Gonorrhea
Gram Stain
H-pylori
hCG
HDL
Hepatitis
Herpes
HIV antibody
Homocysteine
HPV
hs-CRP
Iron
LDL
Lead
LH
Lipase
Lipid profile
Liver panel
Lyme disease
Microalbumin
Myoglobin
p24
Pap smear
Prealbumin
Prothrombin time
PSA
Rheumatoid factor
Rubella
Serum iron
Sickle cell
Strep throat
Syphilis
Testosterone
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
TORCH
Total protein
Transferrin and TIBC
Triglycerides
Troponin
TSH, T3, T4
Uric acid
Urinalysis
This is a very comprehensive list of laboratory tests that are currently used as tools to diagnose diseases and assess the health of patients. There is a more complete list and explanation of each individual test available from the following website
http://labtestsonline.org/
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