Validate
Check sample flags, units and age-appropriate laboratory ranges.
MEDIVEERSETHE PRACTICAL HUBOBSERVE / REASON / EXPLAIN
CBC interpretation station
Present a structured interpretation of a blood count without jumping to a diagnosis.
Your practical station
A teaching CBC has reduced haemoglobin and a low MCV. Describe the pattern and a focused approach to further assessment; no treatment dose is requested.
Recognise and interpret
Counts, indices, reference intervals and trends answer different questions and should be interpreted together.
- Check identity and units
- Review haemoglobin, white cells and platelets
- Relate indices to the clinical question
Describe
Identify which cell lines and indices are abnormal.
Plan
Correlate with the film and history; suggest a focused next investigation.
At the viva table
Try answering aloud, then open the suggested answer. Examiner questions vary.
01 / Is a laboratory flag a diagnosis?
No. It is a prompt for review.
02 / What does MCV describe?
The mean red-cell volume.
03 / Why review more than haemoglobin?
Indices, other cell lines and trends help characterise the pattern.
04 / Do reference intervals apply identically to everyone?
No. Age, pregnancy, population and laboratory methods can matter.