Training the Future Laboratory Medicine Specialist in Chemical Pathology

Training and career issues in laboratory medicine within the Nigerian healthcare system often mitigate against efficient utilisation of scarce resources from in-fighting and friction among the different professionals. Within chemical pathology, there are three categories of practitioners: medical consultants (post-MBBS), laboratory scientists (post-PhD) and medical laboratory science officers (MLSOs). While the designation and career progression of the MBBS graduates and MLSOs are clear, there are no such guidelines for the PhD scientist, essentially because they (the latter) have no specific training and certification programmes resulting in frustration. To address this deficit, this review evaluates current local and international training programmes for the scientific and medical specialists in chemical pathology, in relation to the peculiarities in Nigeria. This review, therefore, suggests and outlines locally appropriate training and certification programmes for the scientists to enhance their career recognition and progress. For the medical specialists, the author suggests curricular reform to enhance relevance at the direct patient care interface.