Biomedical and Medical Laboratory Science – Inherent Requirements

Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in a demanding role.

Student demonstrates behavioural stability to work constructively in a diverse and changing environment.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Objective and professional behaviour is essential to safety in the biomedical setting.

Adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in academic, laboratory and workplace settings.

Exemplars:

• Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback.
• Coping with own emotions and behaviours and maintaining a professional approach.

Consistent and effective knowledge and cognitive skills must be demonstrated to ensure safety in the laboratory and biomedical settings.

Student demonstrates:

• Capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information.
• Ability to process information relevant to practice.
• Ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Safe and effective practice in the biomedical sciences is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately.

Adjustments must ensure that a clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded.

Exemplars:

• Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
• Appropriately applying knowledge of policy and procedures in the laboratory and biomedical setting.
• Know and correctly interpret a wide range of scientific information to safely work in laboratory and other biomedical settings.

Foundational literacy skills are essential to safely work in the biomedical setting.

Student demonstrates the ability to:

• acquire information and to accurately convey messages.
• comprehend a range of literature and information.
• construct written communication appropriate to the circumstances.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to acquire, read, analyse and comprehend information from multiple sources and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safety in the laboratory and biomedical settings.

Adjustments must ensure that the student demonstrate a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply and communicate accurate information.

Exemplars:

• Conveying a spoken message accurately and effectively.
• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments.
• Producing accurate, concise and clear scientific documentation.

Foundational numeracy skills are essential to safely and effectively work in the laboratory and biomedical settings.

Student interprets and correctly applies data, measurements and numerical criteria.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Competent application of numeracy skills and the provision of accurate data to be acted upon by self or others is essential to ensure safe and effective care in the biomedical setting.

Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate and effective manner.

Exemplars:

• Understand and use mathematical concepts to perform accurate biomedical experiments and provide accurate, reliable data.
• Critical analysis of relevant literature, including numeracy in statistics.

Adequate visual acuity is required to safely and effectively work in the biomedical setting.

Student demonstrates sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to safely provide accurate data in the laboratory and biomedical settings.
• Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective work in the biomedical sciences.

Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in laboratory and other biomedical settings. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise the accuracy of experiments or safety of anyone.

Exemplars:

• Accurately choosing the correct reagent in laboratory experiments.
• Observing and detecting subtle changes of histological slides, specimens and experiments.

Adequate auditory ability is required to safely work in the biomedical setting

Student demonstrates sufficient aural function to undertake the required level of safety and accuracy in the biomedical setting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to safely and accurately work in the biomedical settings.

Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in the laboratory and other areas of biomedical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the hearing impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise safety or accuracy.

Exemplars:

• Identifying noises indicating instability in centrifuge machines; identifying timers and alarms that are aimed at accuracy and safety in the biomedical setting.
• Detecting sounds that indicate another person in the laboratory has been injured.
• Detecting sounds that indicate that the affected person is in danger.

Sufficient tactile ability is required to perform competently and safely in the biomedical setting.

Student demonstrates sufficient function to undertake the required experiments in the laboratory setting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to work safely and with accuracy in the biomedical setting.

Adjustments must have the capacity to ensure safety and accuracy in performing laboratory experiments.

Exemplars:

• Determining whether pipette tips are properly inserted, whether single or multiple fibre filters are being used

The laboratory technician and biomedical scientist has physical demands and requires gross motor function.

Student demonstrates the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform experiments and analyses in the biomedical sciences. Tasks that involve gross motor skills including lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others and a capacity to perform duties required in laboratories and other biomedical settings.

Exemplars:

• Respond safely in emergency situations.
• Maintaining balance while safely working in the biomedical setting.
• Safely retrieve, set-up and operate equipment.

The laboratory technician and biomedical scientist requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills.

Student demonstrates the ability to use fine motor skills to safely and accurately work in the biomedical setting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform experiments accurately and safely. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects. Biomedical science students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others and accuracy in laboratory activities.

Exemplars:

• Staining histology slides.
• Calibration of pipettes.

The biomedical scientist requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level to meet individual needs over time.

Student demonstrates:

• Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time.
• The ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately.
• The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance during an entire shift

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and accurate data

Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period.

Exemplars:

• Participating in tutorials and practicals throughout the day.

Effective and efficient verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to work safely and accurately with others.

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a professional and timely manner.
• The ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation.
• Timely clear feedback and reporting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or for successful completion of experiments.
• Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, and accuracy of the given task.

Adjustments for impaired verbal communication must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy issues to ensure safety.

Exemplars:

• Participating in tutorial, laboratory experiments and discussions.
• Responding appropriately to a change in protocol in the laboratory setting.
• Communicating in a professional manner towards other students and instructors.

Effective non-verbal communication is an essential requirement to work safely and accurately with others.

Student demonstrates:

• The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues.
• Consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours.
• Sensitivity to individual differences.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic, work and professional relationships.
• Displays consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures.
• Being sensitive to individual differences; displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.

Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of or appropriate response to effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner.

Exemplars:

• Recognising and responding appropriately in classroom situations.
• Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the practice environment.

Effective written communication is an essential requirement to work safely and accurately with others.

Student demonstrates capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Construction of multiple essays/assignments to academic standards is required in order to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter, procedures and professional practice.
• Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and lab books is vital to work safely and accurately in the biomedical environment.

Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and laboratory settings.

Exemplars:

• Constructing an essay to academic standards.
• Accurately providing the necessary information in a lab book in a timely manner that meets professional standards.
• Producing accurate, concise and clear scientific documentation.