Microbiology Program
Medical Microbiology in the Pakistan encompasses both practical laboratory and clinical skills. The award of the Certificate of Completion of Training will require evidence of satisfactory completion of training in core aspects of medical microbiology, which are outlined in CPSP curriculum.
Program Director Message
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Microbiology Residency Training Program at Shifa International Hospital. I am proud to be running this highly competitive and highly desired residency program. Our aim is to provide training of the highest quality through hands-on experience leading to emergence of qualified academic professional who later can produce safe, internationally accepted immunology laboratory results in area relating to solid organ transplants, bone marrow and stem cell transplants, immune deficiency diseases, autoimmune disease, allergy and para-protein related diseases. Not only this, the trained individual is motivated to develop with great interpersonal skills to rationally efficiently interact with colleagues practicing the art and science of medicine in the relevant fields.
The aim of the Fellowship Programme in Microbiology is to produce specialists in the field who have attained the required competencies. By the end of the residency programme, the resident will be able to:
- Obtain appropriate history to comprehend the presenting request for a pathological test
- Collect / receive patient specimens according to prescribed protocol
- Perform requested tests
- Interpret the results of tests and prepare reports to help clinicians make diagnoses
- Apply the requisite knowledge and skills to think critically and solve problems
- Be an effective team player, leading the team if necessary
- Communicate effectively with:
- Patients and their attendants with empathy and compassion
- Seniors, peers, juniors, learners and other health professionals
- Demonstrate risk analysis
- Ensure patient safety
- Manage emergencies related to the specialty
- Present well in multi-disciplinary team meetings, conferences, and journal club meetings CPCs, slide seminars, data interpretation sessions, quality control meetings.
- Keep up to date and practice evidence based medicine
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity and timeliness (punctuality and task completion)
- Maintain confidentiality, patient autonomy, take appropriate consent and do no harm
- Consults with colleagues and refer as necessary
- Demonstrates effective teaching skills
- Program Director
- Associate Program Director
- Chief Resident
- Program Coordinator
Length of Training: Four 4 years
Intermediate Module after 2 years
The supervisor and the training faculty shall ensure that trainees follow a professional development plan to cover four basic structures required to transform trainees into dependable, competitive, ethical professionals for patient, community, staff, students and the Nation. The four areas for professional development are:
The residents will present lectures from the core curriculum on a weekly basis. This will be followed by a case discussion of patients with similar problems. Once a week in the journal club recent articles published in the premier journal of the specialty will be discussed.
These sessions will be an opportunity to discuss the performance and clinical utility of the laboratory tests.
Laboratory demonstrations: Laboratory demonstrations will be scheduled six days a week. All work will be supervised by a consultant and residents will learn first-hand the art of an efficient and thorough preparation and performance of laboratory tests leading to the establishment of diagnosis or monitoring of disease activity utilising a variety of immunological laboratory techniques. Residents will be able to see the results of correct and timely preparation and delivery of laboratory results in the follow-up investigations and in their rotations through the relevant clinics.
CPCs and Morbidity and Mortality Meetings Weekly participation in CPCs are mandatory for all residents and consultants in the department of medicine. In the monthly M&M meetings all serious complications and deaths are discussed and strategies made to improve protocol and prevent, if possible such complications in the future.
The residents will participate and present case in Immunology meeting on every Monday. They will also attend and present in National & International Immunology/ Pathology conferences.
This will be done in accordance with CPSP recommendations, on the basis of overall conduct of the resident, improvement in clinical and technical skills, complemented with ability to make vital diagnostic decisions. A written and or oral exam will also be conducted half yearly to subjectively assess the resident and results will be discussed with the trainees to high-light areas of deficiency and those requiring improvement.
Trainee feedback on supervision shall also be reviewed through feedback Performa’s.
Objectives for satisfactory completion of fellowship training
Basic:
- BLS certification
- Satisfactory performance review by program supervisor in consult with the Head of Microbiology
- Satisfactory attendance.
- Taking an active teaching role in the department
Clinical:
- Ability to handle situations under faculty supervision
- Ability to handle moderate-complex clinical scenarios independently
- Successful completion of required rotations with satisfactory feedback
- Continued development of clinical skills, decision-making and treatment planning and execution.
- Ability to demonstrate competency as Microbiologist.
- Completion of log book
- Completion and final submission of dissertation
- Ability to perform departmental quality audit
- Ability to counsel patients and family
- Sufficient experience and ability to sign off clinical reports.
Academic:
- Completed essential CPSP workshops
- Self-learning
- CME
- Demonstrate ability to design (abstract/ synopsis/) research work.
- Confident in teaching and presenting through lectures, tutorials, National/ International seminars and meetings.
- Generating case based discussions
- Able to assist in organize scientific meetings
- Able to formulate a professional development plan, through:
Syllabus/ Curriculum will be followed as prescribed by CPSP outlines of which are as follows.
Infectious diseases etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, management complications and infection control including following topics:
- Blood stream infections
- Upper and lower respiratory tract infections
- Gastro-intestinal and intra-abdominal infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Skin and soft tissue infections
- Central nervous system infections
- Bone and joint infections
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Endocarditis and pericarditis
- Neonatal infections
-Infections of the ear and eye
- Fungal infections
- Mycobacterial infections
-Infection control in health care
- Fever of unknown origin
- Transplant related infections
- Zoonosis
- Outbreak investigation
- Sterilization and disinfection
- Antimicrobial agents’ indications, mechanisms of action and resistance, interactions, pharmacology, adverse effects of:
- Disinfectants
- Anti-bacterial agents
- Anti-virals
- Anti-fungals
- Anti-parasitic drugs
- Microscopy topics including:
- Gram stain
- Acid fast stain
- Auramine stain
- Wet mount
- KOH preparation
- India ink preparation
- Culture based diagnosis including following topics:
- Processing of different specimen
- Culture media preparation
- Bacterial, fungal and mycobacterial identification
Staining
Routine biochemical tests
Serological tests
Commercial identification systems e.g API 10S, 20E, 20NE, Vitek-2
- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing by:
Agar disk diffusion
MIC by agar dilution
MIC by broth dilution
Vitek-2
-Environmental cultures for water and air
- Mycobacterial culture & susceptibility with MGIT and agar based media
- Panic value reporting
- Interpretation of tests and their clinical correlation
- Serodiagnosis of infectious diseases including following topics
- Brucellosis
- Hepatitis
- HIV
- Syphilis
- Amoebiasis
- Echinococcus
- Dengue
- Cryptococcus
- Meningitis
- Rota/adeno
- RSV
- Influenza
- Aspergillosis
- Molecular (PCR) diagnosis of infectious diseases including following topics
- Tuberculosis
- Clostridium difficile
- STD
- Respiratory tract infections
- Meningitis/encephalitis
- Gastroenteritis
- Use of equipment and automation in microbiology including following:
- Urinalysis
- Vitek 2
- Biosafety cabinets
- Bactec and bactalert blood culture systems
- Bactec MGIT
- Multi-point inoculator
- Autoclaves
-Incubators
- Centrifuges
- Auto-stainers
- Optical microscope and LED microscope
- GeneXpert PCR
- Filmarray Biofire multiplex PCR
- ELISA reader
-Millipore for water testing
- Lab Management including following topics:
- Quality management
- EBLM
- Pre-analytical variables
- Inventory management
- Communication skills with lab staff, patients, administration and vendors
- Sample Collection, transportation, storage
- Lab Safety and security
- Lab waste management
-Cumulative laboratory data collection & analysis e.g antibiogram
-Significant isolates archiving
Rotational Training:
During the fellowship training the trainee will undergo rotations in various specialties to broaden his/ her experience as prescribed by CPSP.
DEPARTMENT | DURATION |
Histopathology | 10 weeks |
Hematology | 10 weeks |
Chemical Pathology | 10 weeks |
Blood Bank | 6 weeks |
Immunology | 3 weeks |
Virology | 3 weeks |
During rotational training in each discipline, the residents will be required to cover only the cognitive part of the discipline, while during rotation of the selected specialty, they shall also be required to practice some skills included in the curriculum of the discipline.
Each resident does an average of one night in four on-calls within the Hospital premises, although occasionally one night in three or two may be necessary.
- Residents are evaluated by faculty every month, based on their rotation. Feedback is provided by the Programme Director and Coordinator, every 3 months.
- Annual TOACS and Year end PGME exams are conducted. In addition, formative assessments based on assorted topics may be arranged every 2-3 months.
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- Entry list
- Interview
Step 1. Register yourself
Step 2. Check your email address and click on the received link
Step 3. Login
Step 4. Fill the Profile necessary information
Step 5. Submit
Step 6. Ok
Step 7. Online Application Form
Step 8. Select Program or Medical Officer
Step 9. Select specialty
Step 10. Submit
Step 11. Print application form.
All residents are encouraged to get involved in audits and research projects, however research project as per CPSP requirements is mandatory for all.
The program seeks candidates based upon their academic credentials, preparedness, ability, communication skills, motivation and integrity.
Eligibility: The applicants must meet the following qualifications:
House Job and FCPS part I in Pathology
