Overview

Play a vital role in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease, and work alongside doctors, pathologists and scientists in the healthcare field.

RMIT's Bachelor of Laboratory Medicine (Honours) will equip you with fundamental knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, develop your communication and professional skills and introduce you to factors that impact the health of individuals and communities, particularly our First Nations peoples. 

You'll build skills and knowledge of molecular diagnostics which will provide an overview of the detection and application of biochemical and molecular biology techniques (DNA or RNA) to provide clinical information in the study of human diseases, including infectious disease, inherited conditions and cancer. 

You'll also learn about clinical immunology and pathology, gaining an understanding of the diagnosis and management of patients with diseases or disease processes that result from disturbed immunological or pathophysiological mechanisms.

As a graduate of this laboratory medicine degree, you'll be qualified to practise as a medical scientist in the diagnostic pathology industry, be competitive for employment in medical research and be competitive for entry into PhD studies.

What is laboratory medicine?

Laboratory medicine is the science of pathology — detecting and diagnosing disease.

It involves analysing samples and conducting tests using body tissues (e.g. biopsies) and fluids (e.g. blood) to diagnose diseases, enable treatment of patients and provide information about future prevention. It's estimated that up to 70% of clinical decisions made by doctors are based on results and information provided by medical laboratory scientists.