BMSC13002 - Advanced Clinical Biochemistry

General Information

Unit Synopsis

On completion of this unit, you will be able to evaluate the evidence base for biochemical tests used in the diagnosis and management of diseases in the major organ systems of the body. Problem solving and decision making skills will be developed through use of authentic case studies. Skill development in instrument calibration, best practice measurement, interpretation of test results and test quality control monitoring will occur through practical exercises. You will be required to attend a residential school at the biochemistry laboratory on the Rockhampton campus.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites:

BMSC12010 Clinical Biochemistry and (BUSN11016 Introduction to Study and Professional Practice or BMSC11003 Introduction to Medical Sciences).

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2023

Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Mixed Mode
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Mixed Mode
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Case Study 20%
2. Laboratory/Practical 0%
3. Practical Assessment 30%
4. Examination 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 50.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 22.22% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Student feedback.
Feedback
Students appreciated the case-based assessment task as it allowed them to strengthen theoretical knowledge by putting it into context.
Recommendation
Continue to develop case-based assessment tasks for Assessment #1
Action Taken
Assessment #1 remained a Case Study.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
The students found the Residential School beneficial to their learning.
Recommendation
Continue to provide the Residential School .
Action Taken
The Residential School format was retained .
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Students appreciated the practical assessment task being incorporated in the Residential School schedule.
Recommendation
The practical assessment task will continue to be incorporated in the Residential School schedule.
Action Taken
The Practical Assessment was scheduled on the final day of the Residential School.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
The weekly study/tutorial questions were appreciated by the students.
Recommendation
Continue to develop weekly study questions for discussion at the weekly tutorials.
Action Taken
The weekly Study Questions were discussed in the weekly tutorials.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Some students found the extensive use of guest lecturers resulted in a lack of consistency across the unit.
Recommendation
Refresh the lectures with a limited use of guest lecturers in highly specialised areas only.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Students appreciated the weekly tutorials but some felt that weekly revision quizzes in addition to the Study Questions would enhance learning.
Recommendation
Consider adding weekly revision quizzes (formative) to the tutorials.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Informal student feedback
Feedback
The Residential School was appreciated by students as it allowed them to put theory into practice.
Recommendation
Continue the format of the Residential School.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain the various processes involved in biochemical method evaluation, interpretation and development
  2. Explore the limitations of laboratory procedures, regulatory aspects including external quality assurance and accreditation bodies
  3. Describe the rationale and clinical correlation of specialised biochemical tests used in the detection and monitoring of processes affecting the major organ systems
  4. Demonstrate skills in the use of biochemical instrumentation, including specimen handling and test processing in automated systems and institution of appropriate corrective action as required in response to errors in automated instrumentation function
  5. Evaluate biochemical clinical cases to derive a provisional diagnosis.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Case Study • •
2 - Laboratory/Practical •
3 - Practical Assessment • •
4 - Examination • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10