Course Description

Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM) goal is to address the increasing need in Canadian and international laboratories for Laboratory Quality Managers as required by ISO15189:2022 ‘Medical Laboratories – Particular Requirements for Quality and Competence.’
The Laboratory Quality Management course is a completely on-line 20-week course designed to provide knowledge, discussion, and expertise for those interested in quality management for clinical and research laboratories.
The course is highly valuable for those who are or intend to be laboratory quality managers, and for those that work with quality management issues.
It is appropriate for technologists, physicians, administrators, and other laboratory professionals.
Our course has attracted students from across Canada and around the world including Botswana, Cambodia, China, England, Egypt, France, India, Lebanon, Mongolia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, St. Maarten, the United States of America..

2025 Course Schedule Draft(pdf) 

The following topics are covered during the course:

  • Reading, Understanding, and Implementing ISO15189, ISO 17025 and ISO 9001
  • Measurement Uncertainty
  • Who is my Customer?
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Complaints and Concerns
  • History of Quality Management
  • Do-It-Right-the First-Time
  • Quality Culture
  • Strategic Quality Planning
  • Quality Education and Leadership
  • Quality Partners
  • Quality Management
  • International Standards for Quality and Success
  • Developing Policies
  • Developing Procedures
  • Developing Standards
  • Accreditation
  • Document Preparation and Management

  • Document Control
  • Document Records
  • Cost of Quality
  • Costs of Poor Quality
  • Quality Control
  • Quality Indicators
  • EQA
  • Proficiency Testing
  • Risk Analysis
  • Risk Awareness
  • Risk Management
  • Understanding and Working with Error
  • Error Awareness
  • Error Detection
  • OFI reports
  • Examination Error
  • Pre-examination Error
  • Post-examination Error
  • External/Internal Audits
  • External Failure

  • Failure Mode Effects Analysis
  • Impacts of Error
  • Severity/Occurrence
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Causal Analysis
  • Conformance and Nonconformance
  • TEEM
  • Internal Failure
  • Lean
  • Six Sigma
  • Plan-Do-Study-Act
  • Continual Improvement
  • Continuing Education
  • Mission Statements
  • Vision Statements
  • Teamwork
  • Safety Audits
  • Modern Tools for Quality in the Medical Laboratory
  • Visual Boards

 

The program is delivered 100% online and features readings, written assignments, online discussion/learning among the participants and course facilitators, quizzes, and a final examination.

Delivery method

The course is delivered 100% online which allows for the participants to work their own pace and time. The LQM course utilizes Canvas, UBC's primary cloud-based learning platform for delivering online course content.

Course Length

20 weeks (January - June), excludes 1 week for writing final exam.

Time Commitment

The course will require a time commitment of approximately 10 hours per week (for reading, discussions, and assignments.)

Assessment is based on discussion participation, assignments, quizzes and a final examination (all conducted on-line.)
Minimum pass mark is 60%.

It is strongly recommended that all course participants should have at least one of the following credentials (BSc, BMLSc, MD, PhD, RT, MT) and at least 2 years of work experience in a medical or research laboratory setting.
This course will be limited to 75 participants.

Tuition 2025: $3300.00 CDN. Includes required e-texts, e-standards and examinations.

For more information visit the Registration page.

The Laboratory Quality Management 2024 program is accredited by the Division of Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.

These organizations will grant Continuing Education Credits to their members who successfully complete this course and receive proof of Certification.

  • Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Continuing Education Credits (MOC). LQM 2025-2027 programs are under UBC CPD accreditation and waiting for approval
  • American Society for Clinical Pathology.

More information

Dr. Lucy Perrone  Director, Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC

Dr. Michael Noble: Professor Emeritus, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
UBC

Mr. Mario Hemens MLT, Laboratory manager, Ontario Public Health, Ottawa

Mr. Kim Nicholson Strategic Lead, Medical Biochemistry, PHSA

Ms. Janice Bittante PMP, BMLSc, MLT, Interim Director of Strategic Planning & Projects, and Laboratory Operations Manager, Lower Mainland Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Provincial Health Service Authority, British Columbia

Mr. Phillip Morehouse MLT, CMQ/OE

Dr. Jaya Shrivastava UK NEQAS - Manager of Parasitology proficiency testing schemes

Mr. Kilian Songwe PMP, The AG Group, Regional Director -Africa

Web Manager: Mrs. Veronica Restelli

Program administrator: Maggie Ma

Frequently Asked Questions