Abstract:

Introduction:
An EU-funded Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) has been established between six countries educating Biomedical Laboratory Scientist (BLS). The aim is to map existing BLS-education and to develop guidelines for assessing Continuing Professional Development Programmes (CPD) for BLSs.
Material and methods:
The project is funded for a period of two years. A questionnaire on education has been distributed to program coordinators at 322 institutions providing BLS-training throughout Europe.

Results:
The survey includes 56 unique responders in 14 European countries, and 95% of the BLS-training takes place in universities or university colleges providing bachelor degrees. Most institutions require in-depth studies in science prior to entrance. The educational programmes last 3-4 years, and 82% of the institutions used ECTS-credits to validate the courses. The number of teaching weeks per year varied from 20-40, the amount of contact time per student per week varied from 10 to >30. Core sciences are taught at all institutions, and clinical training is mandatory for all but two. Most institutions teach all laboratory disciplines, but the number of ECTS-credits awarded for the same subject varied from 1 to 38.

Conclusion:
BLS-education programmes vary within Europe. The most significant difference is how many laboratory disciplines that are covered. Some cover only 1-2, whereas others cover much more. This reflects each country’s needs and priorities, but may cause challenges to mutual recognition of qualifications and staff mobility throughout Europe.

Keywords:

Lifelong Learning Programme, Biomedical Laboratory Scientist, Education, Continuing Professional Development, questionnaire on education.