91001 Applied Pathology Technology
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
Practical skills in pathology are required to perform and interpret histopathological and cytological tests to establish the presence or absence of disease. Despite the rise of molecular techniques, microscopy observation remains a routine approach for both cellular and tissue samples.
In this subject students build on the knowledge acquired in Histology and Advanced Haematology & Pathology Diagnosis and get introduced to Cytology as a discrete discipline. Students learn how to prepare specimen and recognise normal and disease features on tissue biopsies, aspirations, smears and other cellular samples in both gynaecological and non-gynaecological conditions. Tissue preparation includes dissection techniques, microtomy, special stains, immunohistochemistry and other specialised techniques such as electron microscopy. Content delivery is supported by experts from the industry.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Undertake preparation of histological and cytological samples. Show competency at performing special stains and immunohistochemical stains. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Identify and rectify technical issues that may lead to inappropriate diagnosis. |
| 3. | Recognise normal and pathological features on prepared specimen. |
| 4. | Demonstrate the need for quality control and quality assessment for all laboratory tests. |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
1. Disciplinary Knowledge
2. Research, inquiry, and critical thinking
3. Professional, ethical, and social responsibility
5. Communication
Teaching and learning strategies
Workshops, practical classes, tutorials, self-paced learning.
Content (topics)
- Different types of tissue and cytology specimen
- Fixation techniques for histology and cytology
- Histological and cytological features of the main diseases observed in Australian Pathology laboratories (cervical cancer, leukaemia, cancer, infectious diseases, …)
- Gross anatomical pathology specimen handling
- Quality control and risk assessment related to histology and cytology
- Embedding and microtomy techniques
- Routine stains and specialised stains
- Histochemistry, cytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry