On 22 April, the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University, represented by the Department of Allied Health sciences organized the International Biomedical Laboratory Science Day at Muscat City Centre under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Advisor at SQU.
International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science established BLS Day in 1996 at the World Congress in Oslo, Norway. This day is celebrated annually on April 15, in recognition of the key role played by biomedical laboratory personnel in diagnostic and preventive health care systems. The aim of this day is to educate the public about the hard work of these specialists in finding the causes of diseases, altogether with the medical team.
The event included an exhibition consisting of two sections: The first section is about the biomedical sciences program in the Allied Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University and the Institute of Health Sciences. The other section of the exhibition represented biomedical specialties, namely: Histopathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Genetics and Biochemistry. Staff from College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Khoula Hospital participated in this event.
The Biomedical Science program (BMS) at SQU follows a curriculum that provides a systematic training the undergraduate students to become successful biomedical scientists, thereby augmenting the excellence of health care in the Sultanate. The curriculum encompasses both theoretical and hands-on laboratory training in a clinical setting, provided in the disciplines of Biochemistry, Hematology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology. The program runs for 4 years following the foundation course.
Keeping in perspective the progress in biomedical researches endeavors both locally and globally, a comprehensive research module and laboratory work ethics are included in the curriculum. This allows the student to outline research proposal, set experiments, and perform the basic data-analysis using a good technological equipment, and to get and analyze information rapidly and accurately in a work environment that keeps in mind the ethics and work quality.
Graduates of BMS program can be employed in diagnostic hospital laboratories and biological and health care research centers, or they can pursue Masters and PhD programs so they will be able to achieve academic positions at higher education institutes.