Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.
Where reference is made to industry Codes of Practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
This unit of competency describes the application and use of software packages in the context of laboratory or field work. Typically this software would be for the storage, retrieval, analysis and display of information.
There is no expectation that technical officers would be able to customise the software to meet specific needs. However, they should be able to use software application features and instructions to input, save, analyse, sort, retrieve and display the records or data. They may also make use of in house software manuals to augment their skills and solve operational problems.

Information sources could include
manuals of enterprise standard instructions
hardware manuals
software manuals
training materials to orient software to enterprise needs
on screen instructions embedded in the software.
Software packages could include: wordprocessing, spreadsheets, databases, graphical and statistical analysis and laboratory information systems.

Health, safety and environment
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
All operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. Users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council and State and Territory Departments of Health. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence.
Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard, using software for the analysis, reporting and management of laboratory and field data and information. In particular, the assessor should look to see that the candidate:

selects the most appropriate software package for the task from the suite of software applications available
uses routine instruction sets of the software package to complete the task
uses software to analyse data, such as quality control and instrument performance characteristics
backs up electronic storage
uses scanning software to protect in house software and data.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

the applications of the software package
the terminology associated with the software packages
the relationship between the package instructions and the data manipulation performed
types of database models that are available
the relationship between the protocol for data input and file storage of the data
general file and record maintenance
relevant health, safety and environment requirements.

Assessment context and methods
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of analysis tasks linking test results to the generation of meaningful reports by the candidate
review of simple statistical and/or graphical analysis of quality control data completed by the candidate
oral and written exercises in preparation for keyboard activities.
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

PMLDATA500B Analyse data and report results
Any unit in the

Resource implications

Resources may include:

access to a computer network or a personal computer
software packages that include a database package, spreadsheet, statistical analysis, simple graphics output
input and output data.

This competency in practice
A laboratory technician performs tests on starting materials, such as: appearance, identity, melting point, moisture content, trace elements, sulfated ash and assay. The results are entered in a computer database that allows trend analysis to be carried out on the test results for materials from each supplier. As a result, the technician may recognise when a supplier is experiencing potential problems with their production process. The technician would then notify the supervisor and/or supplier that there is a high probability that future supplies may be out of specification and that constant monitoring of starting materials will be required.
An important task of the technical officer in a pathology laboratory is to perform statistical analysis for QC purposes. The software package provides for the input of data, analysis of mean value and variance as well as graphical reporting. The technical officer uses a dedicated software package or a package within the customised pathology data management system in order to assess the validity of the results produced from the analytical instrument.
A technical officer is required to perform a nutrient analysis of a food product, the results of which will be displayed on the food container. The output from the nutrient analysis is fed into a software program that calculates the levels of these components 'per portion' and 'per 100g' and displays the information in the correct tabular format. The software package is designed so that the technical officer can input new data or access existing data and manipulate that data to provide a full and accurate nutrient display or report.

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation. The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit. These are stand-alone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Level (1) represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively
Level (2) represents the competence to manage tasks
Level (3) represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks.
Communicating ideas and information
(2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(2)

Planning and organising activities
(2)

Working with others and in teams
(2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(2)

Solving problems
(2)

Using technology
(2)