Date: Wednesday 27th July 2011

Start time: 9.30 am

Location: Humphreys Room, Medical School, U of B

Exam Board

Date: Wednesday 27th July 2011 (Following on from the Vivas above)

Start time: 4.00 pm

Location: Humphreys Room, Medical School, U of B

Morning and afternoon refreshments will be provided, with a buffet lunch at 12.00 noon.

Vivas will consist of a 10 minute talk followed by 10 minutes for questions.

                          

Taught Component

• The MSc consists of nine taught modules.
• There will usually be nine teaching days per term.
• The nine taught modules will be spread over two years, with 4.5 modules taught in each year.

Summer exams for 1st year trainees

Trainees will sit one essay paper and one short answer question paper comprising a choice of one from two essay questions and five short answer questions (three clinical/analytical and two calculations) from each of the four completed modules (3,7,8,9) covered in the year. Both papers will contribute to the final MSc mark.

Summer exams for 2nd year trainees

Trainees will sit two essay papers and one short answer question paper comprising a choice of one from two essay questions and five short answer questions (three clinical/analytical and two calculations) from the following five modules (2,3,7,8,9) covered in the year. All papers will contribute to the final MSc mark.

End of term assessments

Assessments shall be set at the end of the Autumn and Spring Terms.  They shall consist of an essay paper and a short answer question paper.  The essay paper consists of a choice of two from four questions on topics covered during that term.  The short answer paper consists of ten short answer questions (both calculations and clinical/analytical questions). The calculation won’t necessarily relate to topics covered during the term. These assessments will not contribute to the overall MSc mark but they will be used in the overall assessment of the trainee..

Past examination papers

Examination papers pre 2008 may be found a http://www.wmtc.org.uk/examinat.htm

Plagiarism

The University of Birmingham has a strict anti-plagiarism policy, details of which may be found in the course handbook

Ethics Approval

>It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that ethics committee approval is sought, where required, for any research projects undertaken by the trainee.

Mitigation

Under achievement in examinations and late submission of project and / or dissertation work owing to genuine mitigating circumstances will be viewed sympathetically.  Details of the mitigation process may be found in the Course Handbook and trainees must contact Dr Glenn Matthews, University lead for the course (g.m.matthews@bham.ac.uk) as soon as possible, as retrospective mitigation cannot be submitted.

Website

Course website www.wmtc.org.uk

Course dates  (provisional)

1. Autumn Term 2010: Dates on website
2. Spring Term 2011: 14/1, 21/1, 28/1, 4/2, 11/2, 25/2, 4/3, 11/3 exam 25/3
3. Summer Term 2011: 29/4, 4/5, 6/5, 11/5, 13/5, 20/5, 3/6, 10/6, 17/6, exam 1/7

                          

Room WF42 (was WF40A) located West Wing, First floor, Medical School, University of Birmingham

0930 – 1045     Module 5

1100 – 1330      Modules 4 & 6

1430 – 1545      Module 1

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

The immune response, autoimmune disease, immunodeficiency states, , renal calculi, infertility, pregnancy, Downs screening, fetoplacental function, free radicals, cytokines and the acute phase response

Analytical / Managerial

Medical ethics, counselling, evidence-based medicine, sources of information

1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the immune system and the immune response
2. Demonstrate a knowledge of the mechanisms of autoimmunity
3. Evaluate the role of the laboratory in the provision of a immunology service
4. Evaluate the role of the laboratory in the investigation and management of renal calculi
5. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the biochemistry of pregnancy and the problems associated with the pregnant patient
6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the role of free radicals in disease and their measurement
7. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the manner in which clinical governance impinges on the delivery of clinical biochemistry in a healthcare environment

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

Oncology incl. tumour markers, biochemistry of the elderly, provision of specialist services such as paediatric biochemistry, obstetric services, screening, clinical biochemistry of intensive care, trauma

Analytical / Managerial

Data handling and laboratory information systems: management topics such as purchasing equipment, staff selection, budget handling use of time. Laboratory staff organisation and communication

1. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of oncogenesis and the use of tumour markers in screening, monitoring diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
2. Evaluate the laboratory’s role in the investigation of prostatic, breast and neural crest tumours.
3. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the effect of extremes of age on biochemistry results
4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the metabolic response to trauma
5. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of information systems and their application to the manipulation of data
6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the manner in which issues of equipment procurement, staff selection, laboratory reengineering, clinical governance, provision of specialist services and laboratory budgeting impinge on the delivery of clinical biochemistry in a healthcare environment

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

Inborn errors of metabolism, basic genetic principles, screening, methods of treatment,
Understanding of selected disorders including Cholinesterase deficiency, amino acid disorders involving phenylalanine, tyrosine, methionine, and homocysteine. Renal tubule transport disorders cystinuria, Hartnup disease, organic acidurias, Glycogen storage disease, galactosaemia, erythrocyte defects, mucopolysaccharidoses, and cystic fibrosis.

Analytical / Managerial

Instrumentation and point of care testing, electrophoresis, effects of drugs on analytical methods,, finance and the NHS, writing papers/reports/business cases etc

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the laboratory investigation of the sick neonate
2. Demonstrate an understanding of genetics and the role of the laboratory as applied to single gene disorders
3. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the manner in which financial, operational and structural elements of Healthcare management impinge on the delivery of clinical biochemistry in a healthcare environment
4. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and practice of an agreed range of analytical methods including point-of-care testing.

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

Gastrointestinal (including pancreatic) function and pathology, malabsorption, hormones of the GI tract, liver physiology/pathophysiology, trace elements and vitamins

Analytical / Managerial

Biological variability, statistics and reference ranges concept of risk, quality assurance and control

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the pathophysiology of the GI tract
2. Evaluate the laboratory’s role in the investigation of GI dysfunction and pancreatic disease
3. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of tumour markers associated with the GI tract
4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of liver pathophysiology and the role of biochemical and virological tests in the investigation of liver disease
5. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of statistics as applied to biological variation, reference values, clinical sensitivity and specificity, risk assessment
6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and use of statistics as applied to quality assurance in laboratory analysis and interpretation of results

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

Neurochemistry, CSF and its analysis, principles of pharmacology, therapeutic drug monitoring, toxicology, cardiovascular disease inc. hypertension, ischaemia atheroma and Myocardial infarction, cardiac markers

Analytical / Managerial

Principles of clinical enzymology

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of pharmaco-kinetics and the principles of therapeutic drug monitoring
2. Evaluate the role of the laboratory in the investigation of the poisoned patient
3. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the factors governing blood pressure, its investigation and principles of
4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the biochemistry of the endothelium and the use of markers of cardiac damage
5. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of CSF biochemistry/physiology and interpret results of CSF analysis
6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the optimisation and standardisation of enzyme assays
7. Interpret results of common enzymological tests

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

• Haemoglobin physiology, iron and ferritin metabolism, porphyrins and the porphyrias, purine metabolism, B12 and folate; application of DNA to specific inborn errors of metabolism

Analytical

• Fluorimetry, DNA probe analysis, principles and practice of chromatography, mass spectrometry

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of specialist areas of haem metabolism in health and disease
2. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the biochemistry of iron and its storage forms
3. Have a knowledge of basic laboratory haematology, the red cell, erythropoiesis and anaemia
4. Have an advanced knowledge of specific diseases eg cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, Downs syndrome, fragile X syndrome
5. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and practice of an agreed range of analytical methods.

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

• Assessment of nutritional status, Water and electrolyte metabolism, acid base homoeostasis, renal physiology, endocrinology and chemical pathology.

Analytical / Managerial

• Ion specific electrodes, osmometry, methods of quality control

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the structure and function of the nephron and the laboratory assessment of kidney function
2. Demonstrate a basic understanding of water and electrolyte metabolism and its dysfunction in simple clinical situations
3. Demonstrate a basic understanding of acid/base metabolism and its disorders
4. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of renal failure and its metabolic consequences
5. Understand the basics of nutritional support and the laboratory’s role in total parenteral nutrition
6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and practice of an agreed range of analytical methods.

                          

Clinical / Biochemical

• Carbohydrates and diabetes, mechanisms of insulin action, classification of diabetes, investigation and treatment of diabetes, assessment of diabetic control, complications of diabetes, hyperosmolar coma, ketoacidosis, hypoglycaemia
• Lipid metabolism hyperlipidaemia investigation and treatment

Analytical

Methods of protein separation, principles of dry chemistry, laboratory assessment of abnormal lipid metabolism, ultracentrifugation, apolipoprotein estimation

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of glucose metabolism and how it is disordered in Diabetes
2. Evaluate the laboratory’s role in screening, diagnosis, monitoring and management of diabetes mellitus and insulin-resistant syndromes
3. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the causes of Diabetic complications
4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the structure and function of lipids and their role as risk factors
5. Evaluate the laboratory’s role in the investigation of hyperlipidaemia and CHD risk assessment
6. Discuss myeloma, haematological malignancies and the investigation of paraproteinaemia
7. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and practice of an agreed range of analytical methods.