Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Codes of practice
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
enterprise procedures, SOPs and operating manuals
incident and accident/injury reports
instructions to comply with legislation, standards, guidelines and codes
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flows and laboratory layouts
statutory and enterprise occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
training program contents
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
Equipment, materials and systems
Equipment, materials and systems may include:
centrifuges, water baths and incubators
manual and automated spectrometers and other related measurement devices
various discrete and multi-channel analysers for chemical analytes
laboratory information management systems (LIMS), databases, record and filing systems
chemicals, reagents and biological materials, including immunological reagents and DNA probes necessary for laboratory testing
laboratory glassware and measuring equipment
materials suitable for the safe collection and disposal of biological and non-biological wastes
Communication
Communication may include:
supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)
other laboratory or clinical personnel
patients and clients
external auditors and accreditation agencies (e.g. National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA))
Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements
OHS and environmental management requirements:
all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
identify chemical substances that are associated with organ dysfunction or are indications of success or failure of treatment
test for biological activity (e.g. assessment of enzyme activity indicative of organ/tissue damage)
monitor humoral immune system components
apply DNA techniques
test for evidence of prior exposure to infective agents, as in the case of identifying plasma changes that are consequent to or associated with immune responses
discriminate between significant data and artefact
use the enterprise information system efficiently (e.g. networks or ordering for consumable materials)
critically analyse information or documents and respond appropriately to an abnormal result
prepare documentation that is accurate, concise and in accordance with enterprise requirements
use samples, reagents and materials correctly and economically
dispose of wastes safely
communicate appropriately with a diverse range of internal and/or external customers
reportequipment malfunction or liaise with contracted service technician to ensure equipment downtime is minimised.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL9314002A Apply quality system and continuous improvement processes.
Resources may include:
enterprise documents, standard chemical pathology laboratory with relevant equipment, samples and reagents
enterprise procedures, test methods and equipment manuals.
Under duty of care requirements, off-the-job training providers should ensure that blood samples are known to be antibody free for hepatitis B and C, syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but this does not preclude the use of universal precaution in the use of blood samples.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of results/data/records generated by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors to confirm that enterprise procedures are consistently followed and that results meet enterprise requirements
oral and/or written questions associated with laboratory determinations and record keeping
integrated assessment with a case focus, such as the measurement of single or multiple chemical substances and metabolites in serum or other bodily fluids.
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.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment.

This competency in practice
Industry representatives have provided the case study below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Biomedical
A patient's blood sample and request form have been brought to the laboratory. The sample has been recorded in the laboratory's log as 'urgent cardiac enzymes'. The specimen has been processed ahead of the other routine samples. The technical officer selects the panel of tests in the cluster designated cardiac enzymes on the automated analyser. The technical officer also ensures that the instrument has adequate reagents, quality control sera and reference sera loaded before placing the sample for analysis. At the end of the analysis cycle, the quality control is validated and the result report generated. An elevated troponin is noted. The technical officer alerts the supervisor and confirms that this result can be phoned through to the requesting physician. The rest of the sample is refrigerated awaiting immediate follow-up tests. Within 24 hours, it will be frozen for a week in case more tests are requested. At the end of the day, the technical officer sets the analyser on standby, stows sensitive reagents in the refrigerator, cleans his/ her work area, and safely disposes of biological and non-biological wastes.