Training activity information
Details
Maintain for routine use, a range of laboratory equipment and analysers in accordance with local policies and manufacturers’ instructions
Type
Entrustable training activity (ETA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion.
Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.
Considerations
- Principles of operation and function of equipment/analysers used
- Cleaning, calibration and maintenance procedures
- Quality control procedures
- Troubleshooting
- Incident reporting
- Post maintenance/repair procedures
- Calibration
- Use of PPE
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
What does success look like?
- Identify what is expected of you in relation to performing routine maintenance procedures on various laboratory equipment e.g., thermocyclers, centrifuges, analysers.
- Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically in relation to employing safe working practices to maintain laboratory equipment and practicing in accordance with quality standards.
- Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity of what is expected of you in relation to specific schedules (daily/weekly/monthly), detailed documentation in logs, and protocols for escalating failures.
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about laboratory safety, basic mechanical maintenance, and following technical manuals.
- Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as encountering unexpected error messages during a check, difficulty identifying the root cause of minor equipment failures (e.g., unusual noise), or finding necessary maintenance consumables (e.g., filter, lubricant) unavailable.
- Recognise the scope of your own practice for this activity i.e. know when you will need to seek advice or help, and from whom. You will need to seek advice from your Training Officer when required, for example if routine maintenance reveals a major fault that requires specialised engineering input and may compromise upcoming testing schedules.
- Acknowledge how you feel about ensuring the continued operational readiness and safety of critical, high-value laboratory equipment.
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop, such as systematic adherence to maintenance checklists or efficient use of technical manuals for troubleshooting.
- Identify the specific insights you hope to gain into the internal workings and operational limits of the various H&I analysers and equipment.
What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experiences of equipment operation, troubleshooting, or maintenance.
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as reviewing the specific local policy for the equipment (e.g., Luminex analyser, liquid handler), the manufacturer’s instruction manual, and the current maintenance log to determine outstanding checks.
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst performing routine maintenance on laboratory equipment and analysers?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- A piece of equipment behaving unexpectedly during maintenance (e.g., error message, unusual noise, failure of a check that normally passes)?
- A critical consumable or part required for maintenance being unavailable or discovered to be faulty?
- The maintenance log or records showing unexpected omissions or patterns (e.g., overdue checks) that require immediate rectification?
How are you reacting to the unexpected development?
- How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately? Are you adapting or changing your approach to troubleshooting or documentation?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Immediately halting the procedure and consulting the manufacturer’s instructions or technical SOP to diagnose the unexpected error message
- Documenting the unexpected failure meticulously in the maintenance log and escalating the issue to senior technical staff
- How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to troubleshoot an electrical or mechanical issue? Is it affecting your confidence in performing the maintenance task independently?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, are you successfully completing the routine daily maintenance check and documenting all steps? Or are you needing support because the unexpected equipment malfunction requires a specialised engineer call-out, placing the equipment out of use?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you mastering the manufacturer’s troubleshooting guide for a specific analyser? Or gaining insight into the criticality of maintaining detailed, up-to-date maintenance records?
On action
What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key steps you took when performing routine maintenance procedures on the specific equipment/analyser.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important, such as how you cleaned the fluidics system, checked calibration logs, or performed a self-test on the analyser.
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, immediately documenting an unexpected error code and consulting the manufacturer’s manual or halting the procedure and escalating when a safety check failed.
- How did you feel during this experience, e.g., did you feel responsible for equipment longevity or challenged by complex repair steps?
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding performing routine equipment maintenance. What strengths did you demonstrate, e.g., meticulous adherence to maintenance schedules/documentation?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident, e.g., troubleshooting complex mechanical failures or unfamiliarity with certain manufacturers’ instructions?
- Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice improved in employing safe working practices?
- Identify any challenges you experienced, such as unexpected error codes, complex instructions, or needing advice on scope of practice regarding minor repair vs senior technical call-out, and how you reacted to this.
What will you take from the experience moving forward?
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learnt, including from any feedback you have received, with regards to improving your skills in equipment maintenance and your knowledge of relevant procedures.
- What will you do differently next time you approach performing maintenance, for instance, by proactively scheduling maintenance tasks according to usage rather than fixed calendar dates?
- Do you need to practise any aspect of the activity further, such as fluidics calibration or key learning outcomes related to practicing in accordance with quality and accreditation standards?
Beyond action
Have you revisited the experiences?
- How have your subsequent experiences of maintaining laboratory equipment and analysers since completing this specific training activity led you to revisit your initial approach or decisions during that activity? For example, how a subsequent equipment breakdown caused by missed preventative maintenance forced you to re-evaluate the diligence of your adherence to maintenance schedules and documentation during your first attempt at this training activity.
- Considering what you understand about preventative maintenance, equipment performance, and the link between maintenance and assay quality now, were the actions or considerations you identified after your initial reflection on this training activity sufficient?
- How have you since implemented or adapted improvements in your adherence to maintenance schedules or documentation of maintenance based on further learning and experiences? For example, how you proactively reviewed and implemented a standardised checklist for daily QC checks on critical analysers based on further learning.
- Has discussing the importance of preventative maintenance or common equipment issues with colleagues, peers, or supervisors changed how you now view your initial experience in this training activity? For example, how professional storytelling with a senior colleague about a time when a hidden equipment fault compromised a run of patient results refined your understanding of the critical nature of following technical instructions and quality control.
How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How has the learning from this initial training activity, in combination with subsequent experiences of equipment maintenance, contributed to your overall confidence and competence in ensuring laboratory equipment is functioning correctly and reliably, particularly in preparing for general observed assessments (DOPS or OCEs) related to safe working practices and quality standards? For example, how your accumulated ability in following technical instructions and troubleshooting now enables you to manage minor equipment issues confidently during an assessment.
- How has reflecting back on this specific training activity, combined with everything you’ve learned since, shaped your current approach to equipment maintenance and use? How does this evolved understanding help you identify when an equipment issue is beyond routine maintenance, requires specialist technical expertise, or could compromise patient results and when this is beyond your scope of practice? For example, how your evolved approach means you now routinely seek specialist technical expertise immediately when a complex analyser displays a persistent, unresolvable error, recognising this falls outside routine technical scope.
- Looking holistically at your training journey, how has this initial maintenance experience, revisited with your current perspective, contributed to your development in meeting the learning outcomes related to employing safe working practices and practicing in accordance with quality standards? For example, how this foundational experience has supported your development in transferable skills such as following technical instructions and understanding equipment-data quality relationship that will be valuable in future roles or responsibilities.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 7 |
Outcome
Employ safe working practices to maintain laboratory equipment, prepare, handle and store laboratory reagents and patient samples. |