The first year of the program is intended to provide the resident with an overview of Clinical Chemistry laboratory operations and a general understanding of human disease. Rotations may include (subject to change):
Laboratory operations and processes
Central laboratory processes - comparison of processes across laboratories of differing size and function and hands-on experience - sample labelling and receipt, patient registration, test accessioning, requisitions, referred-in, referred-out, laboratory information systems, test information manuals, lab reports, pre-analytical and post analytical errors, laboratory safety, phlebotomy.
Automated chemistry
Comparison of processes at hospital labs of differing size and hands-on experience: instrumentation (operation, maintenance, troubleshooting), workflow, quality practices, test methodologies & their benefits and limitations, critical results, auto-verification, method protocols, accreditation requirements, specimen archiving, urinalysis, clinical utility of tests.
Toxicology and pathology
Instrumental and analytical aspects of clinical, medical, and forensic toxicology. Management and treatment of poisoned patients. Roles of poison-control center, RCMP laboratory, therapeutic drug monitoring. Forensic cases will be reviewed from autopsy to the toxicology lab.
Molecular and Genomics Laboratories
Molecular techniques, genetic diseases, and Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). Time will be spent at the CancerCare Manitoba Next Generation Sequencing laboratory (Health Sciences Centre campus).
Hematology and immunology
Investigation of hemoglobinopathies, plasma cell dyscrasias, and other autoimmune diseases. In-depth look at electrophoretic and immunofluorescence methods, along with flow cytometry and routine complete blood counts.
Special chemistry
RAST (allergy) testing, Hemoglobinopathy investigation, biogenic amine quantitation, cholinesterase phenotyping, Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) phenotyping, porphyria investigation, metal analyses, fluid testing.
