Microscopic Urine and Sputum Specimen Examination Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply correct specimen collection, handling, and preparation techniques for urine and sputum microscopy.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify and differentiate cellular elements, casts, crystals, and microorganisms in urine specimens.
• Analyze sputum specimens to identify inflammatory cells, epithelial cells, and potential pathogens.
• Evaluate the clinical significance of microscopic findings and correlate them with patient conditions.
• Implement quality control measures and troubleshoot common issues in microscopic examination.
• Demonstrate adherence to laboratory safety protocols and proper waste disposal procedures.

Target Audience

This course is designed for medical laboratory technicians, clinical pathologists, and healthcare professionals who perform or supervise microscopic examination of urine and sputum specimens in diagnostic laboratories.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Hands-on practical sessions are essential for developing competence in microscopic examination of urine and sputum. Learners will practice specimen preparation, microscopy, staining, and reporting under supervision, ensuring they can apply theoretical knowledge in a laboratory setting.

Practical Activities

• Microscope Setup and Maintenance — Learners practice setting up, focusing, and cleaning a light microscope, and perform basic maintenance checks. (2h)
• Urine Specimen Preparation and Microscopy — Learners prepare urine specimens (centrifugation, decanting, resuspension) and examine wet mounts under low and high power, identifying formed elements. (6h)
• Sputum Processing and Gram Stain — Learners process sputum specimens, prepare smears, perform Gram stain, and examine for cellular content and bacteria. (6h)
• Ziehl-Neelsen Stain for AFB — Learners perform Ziehl-Neelsen staining on sputum smears and examine for acid-fast bacilli. (4h)
• Integrated Practical Assessment — Learners complete a timed practical assessment covering urine and sputum preparation, staining, microscopy, and reporting, simulating real-world conditions. (6h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.