Core competencies of biomedical laboratory scientists and possible implications for the practice in the future

Abstract

Background: The need to coordinate separate but interlinked professional skills has arisen in response to the growth in the complexity of health services. Objective: The purpose of this study is to shed light on the core competence of biomedical laboratory scientists and possible implications for the practice in the future. Methods: Cheetham and Chivers model of professional core competence was used to explore the biomedical laboratory scientists’ professional core competence. Seven biomedical laboratory scientists, from a medium-sized and a smaller hospital, contributed in a qualitative research interview. The interviews were transcribed and analysed from preselected categories. Results and conclusion: The results showed that biomedical laboratory scientists’ perceived core competence as basically related to analyses and the quality of biomedical laboratory work. Furthermore, the results revealed that Cheetham and Chivers model of competence was relevant for the description of biomedical laboratory scientists’ core competence. Practical implications for biomedical laboratory scientists are discussed, as well as student learning outcomes.

Keywords

• core competence
• biomedical laboratory scientist
• interprofessional collaboration
• interprofessional learning
• qualitative study