Certificate IV in Pathology

Admission requirements

You are eligible if:

* you have successfully completed the Australian year 12 including passes in mathematics and biology, or equivalent in your country
* you are a minimum of 21 years old
* you have achieved a minimum of either:

* IELTS 6.0 academic (no band score lessthan 5.5);
* TOEFL computer based 213 (minimum TWE 4.0);
* TOEFL internet based 80 (minimum 19 in all sections);
* PTE Academic 50 (no score lower than 42); or
* Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) 52.

Intake

February and July

Books and equipment (AUD)

Supplied through the materials fees, however students will be required to supply their own personal stationery.

Material fees (AUD)

$200. Students will be supplied with workbooks, materials used in the laboratory and a shirt.

Study pathways

On completion of the certificate IV, graduates may be eligible to continue their study in the Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled nursing) (071146E) at Kangan Institute.

Career pathways

On completion of the certificate IV, graduates may seek employment as a pathology collector - industry areas include: hospitals, home visiting and clinic settings.

Course structure

This course provides graduates with the mandatory entry-level qualification for work as a pathology collector of blood and other pathology specimens for routine and specialised testing. The course is designed to provide graduates with an in-depth knowledge of collection practice, the industry standards and client complexities.

The certificate IV consists of 18 units. In a typical week students will attend classes three days per week with approximately 60 per cent theory and 40 per practical work in the laboratory. As part of the course it is expected that students will participate in live bleeding (taking blood from one another).

Classes are scheduled between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Wednesday. Practical placement is the last week of the course for a five day period. The course also includes excursions to a pathology laboratory and a blood bank organisation.

The teaching methods used include lectures, class discussions, flexible delivery, group work and coursework practical placement. The assessment methods include tests, assignments, class presentations, role play, reports, skills assessment, work sheets and coursework practical placement.

Special Note: This course has a clinical component and prior to undertaking the placements all students must obtain a Victorian Police Check, a Working with Children clearance (WWC). Students will be responsible for the costs associated with these requirements. If placements are undertaken outside of metropolitan Melbourne any accommodation costs that may be incurred will be the responsibility of the student.

Major study areas

* Customer service
* Medical terminology
* Communication skills
* Leadership
* Blood and pathology collection
* Electrocardiography (ECG)
* Law and ethics
* Infection control
* Workplace policies and procedures
* Occupational health and safety

Units

Deliver a service to customers
Contribute to effective workplace relationships
Use basic medical terminology
Confirm physical health status
Communicate and work effectively in health
Contribute to organisational effectiveness in the health industry
Show leadership in health technical work
Implement and monitor compliance with legal and ethical requirements
Comply with infection control policies and procedures in health work
Contribute to occupational health and safety processes in the health industry
Operate efficiently within a pathology and specimen collection environment
Perform blood collection
Identify and respond to clinical risks associated with pathology specimen collection
Perform electrocardiography (ECG)
Collect pathology specimens other than blood for specialised testing
Perform blood collection for specialised testing
Measure spirometry/flow volume loop
Undertake home visits