Module Information
Module Identifier
BR27700
Module Title
Bench to Bedside and Beyond
Academic Year
2026/2027
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Entrepreneurial Proposal 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | 2 Hours Direct observation of practical competence | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Entrepreneurial Proposal Students prepare a proposal for a product or grant application, based on a laboratory idea/technique , including costing of the project, and a consideration of ethical, regulatory and practical considerations. (e.g. a genetic testing consultancy, a mail-order paternity test, a new diagnostic test for implementation in the NHS, ...) 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Direct observation of practical competence | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Discuss the ethical, legal and regulatory elements of laboratory work, including the handling of errors.
Construct a business proposal for a laboratory idea/technique.
Demonstrate competent, safe and compliant performance of core laboratory techniques.
Understand standardisation and develop skills in laboratory quality management, validation, audit, quality assurance (EQA/IQC), and document control.
Brief description
This module integrates laboratory and clinical practice over one academic year. You will explore the ethical, regulatory, and governance aspects of laboratory work, including auditing procedures, quality assurance, and health and safety considerations. Practical laboratory skills will be developed alongside statistical evaluation techniques. You will gain hands-on experience, learn about quality assessment, and understand the steps necessary to maintain standards in a clinical laboratory. The module also addresses funding challenges in research and laboratory work.
In the second semester, you will engage in grant writing or entrepreneurial activities, developing a proposal within your chosen specialization. You will also cultivate professional development through case study and quality assurance workshops, laboratory visits with reflective reporting or lectures from clinicians and researchers or opportunities to shadow professionals or assist in clinical research.
In the second semester, you will engage in grant writing or entrepreneurial activities, developing a proposal within your chosen specialization. You will also cultivate professional development through case study and quality assurance workshops, laboratory visits with reflective reporting or lectures from clinicians and researchers or opportunities to shadow professionals or assist in clinical research.
Content
Unit 1 – core laboratory practical skills and statistical evaluation
Unit 2 – standardisation and regulatory requirements for a clinical laboratory
Unit 3 – ethics and governance of clinical laboratory work
Unit 3 – test development and implementation, entrepreneurship and funding opportunities and challenges
Unit 4 – clinical trials and intervention strategies, including data handling, processing and analysis
Unit 5 – streams/tracks in genetic testing and counselling, biochemistry, microbiology, disease monitoring and point of care analysis.
Unit 2 – standardisation and regulatory requirements for a clinical laboratory
Unit 3 – ethics and governance of clinical laboratory work
Unit 3 – test development and implementation, entrepreneurship and funding opportunities and challenges
Unit 4 – clinical trials and intervention strategies, including data handling, processing and analysis
Unit 5 – streams/tracks in genetic testing and counselling, biochemistry, microbiology, disease monitoring and point of care analysis.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Adaptability and resilience | Outside the formal contact hours, students will be expected to research materials, manage time and meet deadlines. The directed study elements will provide opportunity for students to explore their own learning styles and preferences and identify their needs and barriers to learning. Students will be able to review and monitor their progress and plan for improvement of personal performance. |
| Co-ordinating with others | Practical work will be undertaken in pairs to reinforce the concept of groupworking |
| Creative Problem Solving | Students will need to be creative when developing an entrepreneurial proposal, and during role-playing sessions with consultees, solving multi-faceted problems in an integrated fashion |
| Critical and analytical thinking | Students will be required to produce an academically appropriate proposal in which they will be expected to comment critically upon the experimental methods and their applications. |
| Digital capability | Reports will need to be produced and submitted electronically |
| Professional communication | Students are required to communicate to funders via a grant application/proposal or with providers of laboratory kits and quality materials to establish costings for the entrepreneurial proposal in the second semester. |
| Real world sense | This entire module is aimed at providing a real-world experience through role-playing scenarios and applying diagnostic techniques to professional healthcare laboratories. |
| Reflection | The assessment for the second semester allows students to reflect on work done throughout the year, bringing together aspects of governance ethics funding challenges and opportunities as well as the overall cost of implementation including quality considerations. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Understand the ethical, regulatory, and clinical aspects of diagnostic testing, as well as the professional standards and practical competencies required in a clinical laboratory. Develop an understanding of method development and implementation within clinical settings and statistical evaluation of IQC and EQA material. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5