Postgraduate Education Program in Clinical Cytology

Theory: Anatomy, physiology, histology and cytology of the cervix, serous cavities, urinary and respiratory tract. Screening program against cervical cancer, screening history and risk assessment, HPV and cervical cancer, HPV test methods, HPV vaccine and quality assurance. Additional techniques, such as immunocytochemistry, PCR etc. Practice: Assessment of cytological preparations from cervix, serous cavities, urinary and respiratory tract in microscope and digital.

Formalize the training in cytological assessment of cervical specimens after the workplace has trained the candidate to screen independently. Be able to recognize cells in cervical cytology that represent and suggest diagnosis by using cytological criteria for ASC-US, LSIL, ASC-H, HSIL, squamous cell carcinoma, AGUS, ACIS and adenocarcinoma. Enable the biomedical laboratory scientist to primary screen cytological specimens from the respiratory tract, urinary tract and serous cavities and recognize cells that represent malignant neoplasia and suggest diagnosis by using cytological criteria.

The program is organized as part-time study over one year. It takes place partly in the workplace, as self-study and in internal teaching, according to a detailed plan by leading biomedical laboratory scientist in cytology. There are two compulsory weekly sessions at the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Science at NTNU, where problem-based learning is largely used in addition to lectures.