Skill Profile
Laboratory Quality Management
"Running quality control and assurance processes in a laboratory—calibration, proficiency testing, documentation—so results meet accreditation standards and can be trusted clinically."
YOUR SKILLS
Problems This Skill Solves
- Inaccurate test results caused by uncalibrated or poorly maintained equipment
- Loss of laboratory accreditation due to non-compliance with quality standards
- Undetected drift in an assay's accuracy over time
- Inconsistent results between different analysts or shifts within the same lab
Tools Used
Quality management is just paperwork.
It's an active, ongoing process of monitoring real result accuracy—the documentation exists to evidence decisions already being made about patient safety.
Passing external accreditation once means a lab stays compliant automatically.
Accreditation requires continuous quality monitoring and periodic reassessment, not a one-off pass.
Research & Outlook
Automated QC flagging within LIMS systems now catches many statistical deviations instantly, shifting the biomedical scientist's role towards interpreting flagged anomalies and root-causing genuine process failures.
See This Skill In Action
Watch a professional demonstrate Laboratory Quality Management in a real working environment — what it looks like, how it's applied, and why it matters.
Healthcare / Clinical Science
Laboratory Quality Management
Also Known As
Growth Path
Runs daily QC checks and logs results following standard operating procedures.
Investigates QC failures, implements corrective actions and prepares documentation for accreditation audits.
Manages a lab's overall quality management system and leads successful UKAS accreditation and inspection outcomes.
How to Practise
- 1.Run and interpret a Levey-Jennings QC chart for a routine assay, identifying when a result breaches control rules
- 2.Complete an internal audit against ISO 15189 clauses in a training or real lab setting
- 3.Participate in an EQA/proficiency testing round and review your lab's performance report
- 4.Shadow a quality manager through a UKAS accreditation visit
How to Prove
- ·Completion of a recognised biomedical science qualification (e.g. IBMS-accredited degree) with quality management modules
- ·Evidence of contributing to maintaining or achieving UKAS/ISO 15189 accreditation
- ·A portfolio of QC investigations and corrective actions you have led