Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Medicine - Bioanalytic

The wide network of medical laboratory workplaces in the Czech Republic creates a continuous demand for erudite bioanalysts with theoretical knowledge and practical skills corresponding to the increasing demands of laboratory medicine and in the context of Evidence Based Medicine. Therefore, the basic aim of this follow-up Master's programme should be to prepare graduates who have the prerequisites for a wide range of applications in all types of medical laboratory departments in the public and private sector, research and university institutes, as well as in laboratories of the health service and health institutes.

The specific feature of the Master's degree programme Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Medicine – Bioanalytic is the close cooperation of the academic teaching staff of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine of MU on the preparation and profiling of courses and the organisation of studies.

Courses comprising medically oriented clinical-laboratory disciplines within the scope of Decree No. 39/2004 Coll. (clinical biochemistry and toxicology, clinical haematology and transfusion medicine, clinical immunology, pathology and medical microbiology) are taught by LF MU teachers in close cooperation with experts from the application sphere of university hospitals. For the practical teaching of clinical and laboratory disciplines, the well-equipped teaching laboratory of the Department of Laboratory Methods of the Faculty of Medicine MU in combination with the routine laboratory facilities of the University Hospital Brno will be used to the maximum extent.

Natural science-analytical topics including molecular biology and genetics, perfect knowledge of which is the second determining condition for quality, creative and competitive employment of the graduate of the follow-up Master's degree programme, are included in the courses guaranteed by the team of academic teaching staff of the Faculty of Science of MU. Emphasis will be placed on analytical biochemistry, instrumental analytical chemistry, immunochemical and clinical biochemical methods, molecular biology methods including separation methods and mass spectrometry.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• perform creative work with analytical, instrumental and computer technology in all types of medical laboratories.
• acquire orientation in new pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical processes of individual laboratory disciplines, including knowledge of critical points and principles of good laboratory practice (GLP).
• master the requirements of the accreditation process of clinical laboratories with respect to national standards and the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 and 15189:2013 and will be able to implement them in practice.
• practically use all forms of two-way electronic communication with clinical workplaces, including progressive forms of identification of biological material and preparation of analytical samples.
• operate analytical and instrumental technology in accordance with standard operating procedures, including its effective functional and economic use.
• perform highly specialized laboratory tests, introduce new analytical methods and procedures, including optimal organization of internal quality control programmes and interlaboratory comparison.
• participate in the processing of data for economic purposes, as well as in the collection and evaluation of data of the research activities of the given laboratory.

In the composition of clinical laboratory teams (medical laboratory technician-bioanalyst-physician), university-educated bioanalysts occupy a key position in laboratory operations. Their knowledge and practical skills are crucial for ensuring the required quality of all laboratory outputs of the workplace.

Thus, a university-educated bioanalyst finds employment in both medically and scientifically oriented laboratory operations. The combination of courses with medical-laboratory and natural science-analytical topics predetermines the advantage of cooperation between the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine of MU.

For this reason, the programme has also been accredited by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic and the graduate of the follow-up Master's programme Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Medicine – Bioanalytic will be qualified to work in state and private healthcare facilities according to Act No. 96/2004 S., Section 26.

• Profession of Specialist in Laboratory Methods and in the Preparation of Medicinal Products

A compulsory part of the study of the follow-up Master's programme Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Medicine – Bioanalytic is a block professional practice at the workplaces of clinical laboratories of the following laboratory specialties at the University Hospital Brno.

The internship complements the practical part of the training in Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Haematology, Immunohaematology and Transfusion Service, Medical Microbiology, Medical Immunology, Medical Genetics and Pathological Anatomy. Students will become familiar with the organization of operations and basic documentation of laboratory departments and will practice selected tasks and activities.

It will provide high quality practical skills in the use of current analytical and instrumental laboratory equipment including routine logistical and operational procedures of laboratory workplaces. It will cover the main elements of the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical process including an understanding of the importance and practical application of teamwork.

The curriculum emphasizes the provision of quality practical instruction situated as much as possible in the routine clinical laboratory environment. For this reason, the following are sites of professional practice:

– University Hospital Brno – Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Clinical Haematology, Department of Medical Genetics, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Transfusion Department and the Institute of Pathology and Anatomy.

– St. Anne's University Hospital – Institute of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology.

The content of professional practice in individual laboratory disciplines is determined by the developed syllabus.

The thesis presents the results of the student's experimental work under the supervision of the thesis supervisor. The thesis topics are announced by the Board of the Department of Biochemistry on the proposal of the teachers and published in sufficient number. The student freely chooses the thesis topic from the current offer. The student requests the assignment of a thesis on the chosen topic from the teacher who proposed the topic at the beginning of the first semester of the Master's studies. By assigning the thesis, the teacher who suggested the topic becomes the thesis supervisor for the student who chose it. The Board of the Department of Biochemistry registers and archives the written thesis assignment. A student may suggest or agree on a topic for his/her thesis to any teacher. In this case, the teacher proposes a thesis topic for a particular student.

Guidelines and templates for bachelor's, master's and doctoral theses are given in the Dean's Measure.

More detailed principles of thesis preparation for biochemistry majors are given on the website of the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Science of MU.

Graduates of the follow-up Master's programme Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Medicine – Bioanalytic can continue in the PhD programme Bioanalytical Chemistry, which is designed primarily for graduates of this programme, and in the programmes Biochemistry, or Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics.