The Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Laboratory Medicine) is a four-year course with a clinical placement providing you with work-ready skills and experience in diagnostic pathology.

The course is aligned with both Australian Institute of Medical Science (AIMS) and IBMS accreditation.

RMIT is the only Victorian university to offer all of the following majors including haematology, transfusions and transplantation science, anatomical pathology, medical microbiology and clinical biochemistry.

You’ll have flexibility in choosing your major disciplines and will also complete a major clinical placement, providing you with work-ready skills and practical experience.

In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to study a discipline-focused laboratory medicine project to develop your research skills. Graduates are qualified as medical scientists and play a vital role in the healthcare system.

It's estimated that up to 70% of clinical decisions made by doctors are based on information provided by medical laboratory scientists.

Laboratory medicine is the science of pathology - detecting and diagnosing disease. It involves analysing samples and conducting tests using body tissues (e.g. biopsies, pap smears) and fluids (e.g. blood, urine) to diagnose diseases and provide information about treatment or future prevention.

Medical scientists perform diagnostic tests of biological samples and work with doctors to help them diagnose and enable treatment.

As an RMIT graduate your skills will be in high demand and employment opportunities are excellent throughout urban and regional areas in Australia and overseas.

In Australia, employment opportunities for medical laboratory scientists have grown significantly over recent years and are expected to continue growing.

You may find employment in:

• hospital laboratories
• private pathology providers
• research centres
• pharmaceutical companies
• food and cosmetic industries
• veterinary sciences
• forensic science laboratories
• state health laboratories
• universities
• government agencies

Examples of major Victorian hospitals that employ laboratory medicine graduates are Monash Medical Centre, St Vincent's, Royal Melbourne, Royal Children's, the Alfred and Austin hospitals.

Professional recognition and accreditation

The program is accredited with the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists.