DIPLOMA IN MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY (DMLT)

UNIT 1: Fundamentals of Medical Laboratory Science

Theory

• Introduction to Medical Laboratory Technology
• Role and responsibilities of a Medical Laboratory Technician
• Basic human anatomy and physiology
• Introduction to cells, tissues and organs
• Laboratory organization and workflow
• Basic medical terminology
• Laboratory ethics and professional conduct

Practical

• Introduction to laboratory equipment
• Identification of common laboratory instruments
• Basic measurement and weighing
• Laboratory record keeping
• Laboratory orientation and workflow
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) practices

UNIT 2: Laboratory Safety, Specimen Collection & Processing

Theory

• Principles of laboratory safety
• Biosafety and infection prevention
• Types of clinical specimens
• Patient identification and specimen labelling
• Specimen collection, transportation and storage
• Pre-analytical errors
• Biomedical waste management

Practical

• Demonstration of specimen collection procedures
• Blood specimen handling
• Urine and other specimen handling
• Labelling and documentation
• Specimen processing and storage
• Sharps and biomedical-waste segregation
• Spill-management procedures

UNIT 3: Hematology

Theory

• Introduction to hematology
• Blood composition and functions
• Red blood cells and hemoglobin
• White blood cells and platelets
• Hematopoiesis
• Anemia and common blood disorders
• Introduction to coagulation and blood-clotting mechanisms

Practical

• Hemoglobin estimation
• RBC and WBC counting principles
• Peripheral blood smear preparation
• Staining techniques
• Differential leukocyte count
• ESR demonstration
• Basic hematology reporting

UNIT 4: Clinical Biochemistry

Theory

• Fundamentals of clinical biochemistry
• Carbohydrate metabolism
• Lipid metabolism
• Proteins and enzymes
• Liver and kidney function concepts
• Electrolytes and minerals
• Quality control in biochemical testing

Practical

• Serum and plasma handling
• Glucose testing
• Basic lipid-profile testing principles
• Protein estimation demonstrations
• Bilirubin testing principles
• Enzyme-analysis demonstrations
• Recording and interpretation of laboratory results

UNIT 5: Clinical Pathology & Urinalysis

Theory

• Introduction to clinical pathology
• Urine formation and composition
• Physical and chemical examination of urine
• Microscopic examination
• Stool examination fundamentals
• Body-fluid examination concepts
• Pathological changes and laboratory findings

Practical

• Urine specimen handling
• Physical examination of urine
• Chemical examination demonstrations
• Urine sediment preparation
• Microscopic examination
• Stool specimen handling
• Basic stool examination
• Laboratory reporting

UNIT 6: Medical Microbiology

Theory

• Introduction to medical microbiology
• Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites
• Microorganisms and human disease
• Principles of sterilization and disinfection
• Culture media and bacterial growth
• Basic staining techniques
• Infection prevention and laboratory biosafety

Practical

• Microscopy techniques
• Preparation of laboratory slides
• Gram-staining demonstration
• Basic culture techniques
• Sterilization and disinfection procedures
• Microorganism identification demonstrations
• Microbiology laboratory documentation

UNIT 7: Histopathology & Cytology

Theory

• Introduction to histopathology
• Tissue structure and preservation
• Biopsy and surgical specimens
• Fixation and processing
• Paraffin embedding
• Sectioning and staining
• Introduction to cytology
• Basic principles of microscopic diagnosis

Practical

• Specimen receiving and documentation
• Fixation techniques
• Tissue-processing demonstrations
• Paraffin embedding
• Microtome sectioning demonstration
• Hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstration
• Slide preparation and labelling
• Microscopic observation

UNIT 8: Immunology, Serology & Blood Banking

Theory

• Fundamentals of the immune system
• Antigens and antibodies
• Introduction to immunological testing
• Serological testing principles
• Blood groups and Rh system
• Blood collection and storage principles
• Blood transfusion safety
• Compatibility testing concepts

Practical

• Blood-group identification demonstration
• Rh typing demonstration
• Serum and plasma handling
• Basic agglutination tests
• Serology test demonstrations
• Blood-bank documentation
• Storage and safety procedures

UNIT 9: Laboratory Instrumentation, Quality Control & Management

Theory

• Basic laboratory instruments
• Microscopes and centrifuges
• Spectrophotometer principles
• Automated laboratory systems
• Calibration and maintenance
• Internal quality control
• External quality assessment concepts
• Laboratory errors and corrective actions
• Laboratory information and documentation systems

Practical

• Microscope handling and maintenance
• Centrifuge operation
• Basic analyzer demonstrations
• Pipetting techniques
• Quality-control sample handling
• Calibration demonstrations
• Maintenance records
• Laboratory reporting and documentation

UNIT 10: Integrated Medical Laboratory Practicum

Theory

• Complete laboratory workflow
• Pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical processes
• Test selection and laboratory reporting
• Quality assurance
• Laboratory safety and infection control
• Professional communication
• Patient confidentiality
• Laboratory ethics and professional development

Practical

• Integrated specimen-processing workflow
• Hematology practical
• Biochemistry practical
• Clinical pathology practical
• Microbiology practical
• Histopathology observation
• Serology and immunology practical
• Quality-control procedures
• Laboratory report preparation
• Supervised clinical laboratory practicum

FINAL PROJECT

Medical Laboratory Testing & Quality Control Project

Students will complete a supervised laboratory project demonstrating the complete workflow from specimen receipt to laboratory reporting.

Project Components

1. Selection of a suitable laboratory investigation
2. Study of specimen requirements
3. Patient/specimen identification procedure
4. Specimen collection and handling
5. Sample processing
6. Laboratory testing procedure
7. Quality-control procedure
8. Recording of observations
9. Preparation of laboratory report
10. Identification of possible pre-analytical and analytical errors
11. Corrective-action documentation
12. Final project presentation and viva

Project Deliverables

• Project proposal
• Laboratory procedure record
• Observation sheets
• Quality-control records
• Sample laboratory report
• Project documentation
• Practical demonstration
• Final presentation and viva