Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Program Learning Outcomes describe what a graduate can do on the day they complete the program. They were rewritten in 2026 to match the revised curriculum and to state competence at the level of a two-year technical diploma rather than that of a clinical scientist. They are aligned to the entry-level competency domains recognized internationally for medical laboratory technicians — the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of the total testing process, quality management, biosafety, communication and professional conduct — and to the requirements of ISO 15189 for the competence of personnel in medical laboratories.
| Code | Learning Outcome |
| PLO1 | Perform the routine analytical procedures of a medical diagnostic laboratory across hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology and bacteriology, mycology and virology, immunology and serology, parasitology, histotechnology and molecular diagnostics, using the instruments and reagents of a standard laboratory in the region. |
| PLO2 | Manage the pre-analytical phase correctly: identify the patient, collect or receive the specimen, apply acceptance and rejection criteria, and transport, store and document specimens so that analytical integrity is preserved. |
| PLO3 | Apply quality control and quality assurance to a diagnostic run, judge whether the run is valid, and determine whether a result may be released, repeated or referred. |
| PLO4 | Interpret laboratory results against reference intervals and clinical context, and recognize results that require repeat testing, confirmatory testing, urgent notification, or escalation to a clinician. |
| PLO5 | Operate, calibrate and maintain the standard instruments of a diagnostic laboratory, and identify and troubleshoot the common causes of instrument and assay failure. |
| PLO6 | Apply biosafety, biosecurity and waste-management requirements, including assignment of biosafety level, documented risk assessment, correct handling of high-risk organisms, and correct response to laboratory accidents and exposures. |
| PLO7 | Communicate laboratory information accurately — producing clear written reports and records, and conveying findings, limitations and urgency verbally to clinical colleagues and appropriately to patients. |
| PLO8 | Practice ethically and professionally: maintain confidentiality, respect patient dignity, report honestly, observe the ethical requirements attached to genetic and infectious-disease testing, and work within the defined scope of the technician role. |
| PLO9 | Recognize the advanced diagnostic technologies that lie beyond the scope of the diploma — next- generation sequencing, real-time PCR, flow cytometry, fluorescence in-situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and automated platforms — describe what each contributes, and refer or route specimens appropriately. |