IFCC Young Scientists
Mapping the Future of Laboratory Medicine for Young
Scientists
in Countries Represented in BCLF
Contributed by: E.
Konsta ,Chemist, MSc in Clinical Chemistry, Phd, Scientific
Collaborator in Second Department of Internal Medicine, Division of
Hematology, ATTIKON General University Hospital, Athens,
Greece
"A changing laboratory
environment"
In Greece, there are
approximately 500 laboratories in public hospitals and 2500 private
laboratories (doing microbiology, hematology, biochemistry,
immunology and molecular techniques). Medical doctors
(biopathology), scientists (chemistry, biology, biochemistry,
molecular biology) and pharmacists are being able to practice in
the field of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. In
addition, in some laboratories, there are persons with academic
(usually technological) education without post-graduate
specialization.
In Greece, there is no officially organized training of the
specialists in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. In 1973,
the Greek State passed a law that was introducing the Clinical
Chemistry specialty for scientists (chemists, biologists,
biochemists, pharmacists; law 131/1973). This law is still active
but was never implemented due to the strong opposition by the
medical Biopathologists. The Greek Society of Clinical
Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry (GSCC-CB) via the NCCRC ({Greek}
National Clinical Chemistry Registration Committee) decided to
organize a voluntary specialists training (duration 5 years) for
scientists and pharmacists. This training includes both theory and
practice.
The theoretical education is based on the EC4 Syllabus. In its
November 2005 meeting in Prague, after voting among the European
countries, the EC4 Registration Committee decided that the
standards of the Greek Register were equivalent to the standards of
the European Register. A voluntary examination is organized by the
GSCC-CB and the NCCRC on the content of the educational program.
Success to the examination leads to a certificate of (theoretical)
competence. It is estimated that more than 40% of the scientists
who practice Clinical Chemistry in Greece, participated to this
educational activity. It should be noted that more than 80% of the
participants were ranked "good" or "very good" in the examination.
Nowadays, this program is provided as an e-learning application and
it is open for all scientists who want to follow the discipline of
clinical chemistry. The written examination is organized twice a
year under the responsibility of the Greek National Clinical
Chemistry Registration Commission. The GSCC-CB encourages all the
young scientists who enter the field of clinical chemistry and
laboratory medicine to follow this educational program and also to
follow the on-the-job training according to the log-book provided
by the GSCC-CB. The practical training is being realized by means
of a "professional training dossier (PTD)" (Logbook). The PTD
describes all the laboratory procedures that the trainee has to go
through.
Today, the Greek Register counts 224 members, whereas 108 of
them have become members of the European Register.
Reference: The organization of an educational
program for specialists in Clinical Chemistry by the Greek Society
of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry, Biochemia Medica,
21(1): 30-7 (2011).