Dear all. Thank you very much to come to my blog. This blog is dedicated to all (professionals) who are interested in a medical specialisation called clinical biology.
You might be not familiar with this medical specialisation. In many Francophone countries (included the countries where French influence is co-existed with other official local languages such as Belgium and Canada), it is one of medical specialisms that you can do after you finish your medical school. It means that a clinical biologist has the same status as for example a surgeon, a rheumatologist or a radiologist.
Yet, unlike other medical specialisation, this profession is not solely reserved for a medical doctor. In Belgium, where I am doing my residency, it is also possible for a pharmacist to be a clinical biologist, even though that the selection is very tough.
In English speaking country, this specialisation is part or as a form of a fellowship after pathology specialisation. There , it is sometimes called clinical pathology or laboratory medicine program.
In Belgium, clinical biology consists of three main parts: medical microbiology, clinical chemistry and hematology. For each part, it is compulsory to perform 6 months training rom the total of 5 years. The last 3.5 years of the training can be spent freely in one or more of the three parts of clinical biology. Personally, I want to be a medical microbiologist.
Medical microbiology itself is in some countries in Europe known as a medical specialisation, such as in The Netherlands adn Switzerland. In these countries, medical microbiologist is mainly lab based and participated in clinical treatment of patients from the distance. They do not perform history and physical examination on the patients.
In another countries, such as UK and Ireland, this specialisation is more clinical oriented. In Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and John Radcliffe
Hospital in Oxford where I spent one month as an ESCMID observer, I observed that the microbiologists are responsible for treatment policy of the ICU and ward patients with infection problem. They do perform limited history and physical exams in the patients, but they do not admit the patients.
A quite recent extension to the job description of a medical microbiologist is the infection control and prevention. This theme is hot, not only for the microbiologists themselves but also for the patients and public. The theme of infection control is media sensitive. It is right to give an attention to this area since 30% of infection in the hospital can be prevented (SENIC study) and if we do not handle infection properly (meaning proper antibiotic use), we will end up with a great problem of antibiotic resistance. When bacteria can not be killed anymore by antibiotics, infected patients will have big problem. In Southern European countries, more than 20% of bacterial isolates is resistance to important hospital bacterias such as MRSA and ESBL.
Several links and further readings about this specialisation:
1. Spitzer ED, et al. A laboratory medicine residency training program that includes clinical
consultation and research. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1990, 114(4):360-2.
.
Yet, unlike other medical specialisation, this profession is not solely reserved for a medical doctor. In Belgium, where I am doing my residency, it is also possible for a pharmacist to be a clinical biologist, even though that the selection is very tough.
In English speaking country, this specialisation is part or as a form of a fellowship after pathology specialisation. There , it is sometimes called clinical pathology or laboratory medicine program.
In Belgium, clinical biology consists of three main parts: medical microbiology, clinical chemistry and hematology. For each part, it is compulsory to perform 6 months training rom the total of 5 years. The last 3.5 years of the training can be spent freely in one or more of the three parts of clinical biology. Personally, I want to be a medical microbiologist.
Medical microbiology itself is in some countries in Europe known as a medical specialisation, such as in The Netherlands adn Switzerland. In these countries, medical microbiologist is mainly lab based and participated in clinical treatment of patients from the distance. They do not perform history and physical examination on the patients.In another countries, such as UK and Ireland, this specialisation is more clinical oriented. In Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and John Radcliffe
Hospital in Oxford where I spent one month as an ESCMID observer, I observed that the microbiologists are responsible for treatment policy of the ICU and ward patients with infection problem. They do perform limited history and physical exams in the patients, but they do not admit the patients.
A quite recent extension to the job description of a medical microbiologist is the infection control and prevention. This theme is hot, not only for the microbiologists themselves but also for the patients and public. The theme of infection control is media sensitive. It is right to give an attention to this area since 30% of infection in the hospital can be prevented (SENIC study) and if we do not handle infection properly (meaning proper antibiotic use), we will end up with a great problem of antibiotic resistance. When bacteria can not be killed anymore by antibiotics, infected patients will have big problem. In Southern European countries, more than 20% of bacterial isolates is resistance to important hospital bacterias such as MRSA and ESBL.
Several links and further readings about this specialisation:
1. Spitzer ED, et al. A laboratory medicine residency training program that includes clinical
consultation and research. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1990, 114(4):360-2.
.
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