Recommendations for Course for technicians on "QA for Laboratories"

[Jim Morris]

I have to design a course to associate degree level in Quality Assurance for Laboratories. What do you recommend as topics to be covered?

 

[D.Scott]

Hi Jim and welcome to the Cove. I am sure you will get all the right topics from the lab experts, but please don't ignore the "non-quality" basics. Documentation and ethics are two areas I feel are imperative to good lab practice.

Good luck and please post your final curriculum once you figure out what topics are needed.

Dave

 

[Douglas E. Purdy]

Not knowing what type of laboratory, if calibration then what about a review or history of the standards for laboratory quality systems (e.g., ISO/IEC Guide 25, ISO 17025, ISO 10012, etc) and how they are regulated or adminstrered (i.e., Accreditation Scheme) in your country?

And there is always the actual Laboratory Manual and related methodologies and procedures?

 

[Jim Morris]

This course is to be administered at the local community college. It has to be a general course applicable to all persons, including people who will nevrer go on to work in a lab

 

[Ryan Wilde]

Is this for Metrology Labs, or Testing Labs, or Pharmaceutical Labs, or a single program for any "lab"?

Different disciplines require very different knowledge, but since this is a very general question, I'll give a general answer. All modern Quality Assurance tends to lean toward statistics, such as Statistical Process Control, Uncertainty, etc. Understanding Quality Systems is also a universal requirement.

Other than statistics and quality systems, the needs vary greatly for each type of lab, and I'll need more information.

Ryan