15 Free Online Medical Laboratory Courses
We’ve curated these free online medical laboratory courses to help your lab technicians and scientists perform better at work. With these courses, they’ll be more confident in their skills and knowledge when working with laboratory instruments, equipment, and potential hazards.
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #1
Bloodborne Pathogens
The first free online medical laboratory course on this list is just one of the many ways to obtain your OSHA bloodborne pathogens certification with SC Training (formerly EdApp). In just four microlessons from this Bloodborne Pathogens course, your employees will learn how to handle contaminated sharps and how to maintain personal protective equipment (PPE). They’ll also learn about the safer use of medical devices and the steps to take in case they’re exposed to bloodborne pathogens or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM).
Cost: Free
Created by: SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Scope: Handling contaminated sharps, Hepatitis B vaccination protection, exposure incidents, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #2
Hazard Communication (For Healthcare)
It’s important to know how to keep your employees safe from injuries and illnesses when dealing with chemical hazards at work. If they’re working in a lab, they need to be equipped with the communication skills necessary to protect themselves and others from unnecessary risk. Hazard Communication (For Healthcare) by SC Training (formerly EdApp) is a three-lesson course about what is hazard communication, how to properly read chemical labels, and how to understand safety data sheets.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Created by: SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Scope: What is hazard communication standard, reading chemical labels, safety data sheets
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #3
Microbiology Laboratory Technician
Microbiology Laboratory Technician by Alison is a free online medical laboratory course that can be finished in just three hours. Learners will be introduced to the importance of microorganisms and microbes, and how they affect our bodies. Microbiology lab technicians will also uncover the history of key figures that helped develop the technology and allowed us to research and discover these life forms. At the end of this course, they’ll have to take an assessment and get a score of at least 80% in order to get a certificate.
Cost: Free
Created by: Alison
Scope: Introduction to microorganisms, microbes and laboratory equipment, course assessment
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #4
Medical Technology and Evaluation
Coursera offers its Medical Technology and Evaluation course as a part of its Healthcare Marketplace Specialization track. In just four weeks, your team will learn about medical technology assessment in the current healthcare financing and regulatory environment. After completing these medical technologist programs online, your healthcare workers should be able to perform the methodology required to critically evaluate medical technologies.
Cost: Free
Created by: Coursera
Scope: Medical technology assessment, clinical trials and insurance claims data, elements of medical technology assessments, methodological approaches and considerations
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #5
Biomedical Equipment: Repairing and Maintaining Biomedical Devices
Biomedical Equipment: Repairing and Maintaining Biomedical Devices is a course offered on the educational platform edX. In this course, your learners will develop the knowledge and skills needed to properly maintain and troubleshoot hospital-based equipment to increase their lifespan in facilities. They’ll go through the basics of anatomy and physiology and a variety of commonly used diagnostic, therapeutic, and laboratory instruments.
Cost: Free
Created by: edX
Scope: The basics of anatomy and physiology, basic phenomena driving biomedical devices, proper and effective maintenance and troubleshooting, use of diagnostic, therapeutic, and laboratory instruments
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #6
Introduction to Medical Software
Another free online medical laboratory course by Coursera is their Introduction to Medical Software course. When working in a laboratory, healthcare workers will also deal with software, so it’s important that they know what they’re working with. In this free online medical course, your team will be introduced to topics such as medical informatics, electronic medical record, medical software regulation, health record system, and patient data privacy.
Cost: Free
Created by: Coursera
Scope: Introduction to medical software and digital health, medical software regulation, the healthcare environment, quality and risk management
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #7
Machine Learning for Healthcare
Machine learning methods have revolutionized many aspects of healthcare. Learning more about this relevant subject is beneficial to medical lab technicians. Machine Learning for Healthcare by edX begins with an introduction to clinical care and data. Then, it explores the use of machine learning for diagnosis, disease progression modeling, improving clinical workflows, and more. The course also provides real clinical data for your team to work with to get a better grasp on the course and its topics.
Cost: Free
Created by: edX
Scope: Overview of clinical care and data, risk stratification and diagnosis, clinical text, imaging, and physiological data, disease and its progression, human factors, causal inference and reinforcement learning
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #8
An Introduction to Good Lab Practices
Alison’s An Introduction to Good Lab Practices is a course that your team can take to learn about the systems and principles involved in good laboratory practices (GLP). In 3-4 hours, your healthcare workers will learn about laboratory basics, laboratory safety guidelines, liquid handling systems, and the operation of laboratory instruments. At the end of the course, they’ll be given a lesson summary and a course assessment to help them retain their knowledge and understanding of the course materials.
Cost: Free
Created by: Alison
Scope: Laboratory basics, GLP, safety guidelines, liquid handling systems, weighing balance, operation of laboratory instruments, preparation of solutions and buffers
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #9
Data Analytics and Visualization in Health Care
Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19 by edX is where healthcare workers can learn some of the best practices in data analytics, informatics, and visualization in healthcare. In this course, your team will discover more about the components of health care like care settings, public health, patient experience, and more. They’ll also be introduced to health informatics and its other related topics like regulations, types of data, health IT standards, and HIPAA security. Lastly, they’ll also practice their new skills and knowledge with real data and tools.
Cost: Free
Created by: edX
Scope: Introduction to health care, introduction to health informatics, introduction to data analytics, introduction to visualizations
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #10
Health Information Technology Fundamentals
The last free online medical laboratory course on this list is Health Information Technology Fundamentals on the mlearning training portal Coursera. In collaboration with John Hopkins University, your employees will receive an overview of the health IT ecosystem with a specific focus on the role of electronic health records (EHRs). This free med tech training opens with an introduction to EHRs and why they’re important for patient care. It also covers the importance of training, communication, and change management in healthcare.
Cost: Free
Created by: Coursera
Scope: Introduction to electronic health records, EHR applications and features, clinical decision support and databases, training communication, and change management
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #11
Medical Laboratory Technician
Henry Harvin's course is aimed at individuals interested in pursuing the medical lab technology field. It starts with an introduction to COVID-19, its epidemiology, and clinical features. There's also a lesson on medical terminology so your learners will easily understand concepts in the next lessons. Among the topics covered include the basics of hematology, medical emergencies, lab testing process, and infection control. Medical ethics and law will also be discussed to avoid any legal issues.
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #12
From Swab to Server: Testing, Sequencing, and Sharing During a Pandemic
FutureLearn's course is about uncovering how swab samples are crucial in understanding and figuring out how diseases spread. It discusses different sampling methods and how samples turn into valuable data. This course looks into the importance of testing and sampling as COVID-19 spreads. Knowledge in this course can then be used to address concerns related to public health.
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #13
Good Clinical Laboratory Practice
Made for medical lab professionals, this GLP training course focuses on key principles that ensure labs produce reliable and high-quality data, which is essential for making safe patient care decisions. This course takes about 45 to 60 minutes to finish and includes a quiz at the end for certification. Plus, it’s the first part of a larger series that’ll explore each principle in more detail, making it a great starting point for improving skills in medical lab work.
Cost: Free
Created by: The Global Health Network
Scope: Benefits of GCLP compliance, GCLP principles, GCLP guidelines
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #14
Complete Lab Technician Training
Anyone looking to become a skilled lab technician or improve their existing skills could also benefit from this medical lab training course. It covers essential topics such as laboratory safety, ethics, and best practices to make sure learners gain a solid understanding of their role. They’ll also learn important medical terminology, documentation techniques, and how to handle and collect specimens properly. This course is self-paced and takes about 1.8 hours to complete.
Cost: £12 (with free certificate)
Created by: Reed Courses
Scope: Role of lab technicians, legal concepts, best practices, medical terminology, documentation
Free Online Medical Laboratory Course #15
Laboratory Quality Management System Certificate Program
This online course covers 12 topics that are essential to running a successful lab, based on the CLSI guideline QMS01. With interactive lessons and knowledge checks, it can help your team learn how to meet regulatory and accreditation requirements, as well as set up and maintain a quality management system in the lab. They’ll also earn 13 continuing education credits for their participation and a PDF copy of the CLSI guideline for further reference.
Cost: No information available
Created by: CLSI
Scope: Facilities and safety management, supplier and inventory management, documents and records management
A medical laboratory course is designed to give learners comprehensive training in various laboratory techniques and procedures used in medical diagnostics and research.
Through this training, your learners will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to work in medical laboratories, where they analyze patient samples and conduct tests.
Courses like this are crucial in producing competent and skilled laboratory professionals who play a vital role in accurate disease diagnosis, patient care, and medical research.
What skills will learners develop in free online medical laboratory courses?
In these medical laboratory courses, your learners will develop skills in laboratory techniques, safety protocols, diagnostic procedures, and quality control measures. They’ll be familiarized with medical terminology and laboratory instrumentation, microbiology and molecular diagnostics, and data interpretation.
Soft skills such as effective communication, time management, critical thinking, and adaptability to the dynamic nature of the medical laboratory field will also be gained. These skills will prepare them for a successful career in medical laboratory science, where they can contribute to accurate diagnosis, patient care, and healthcare advancements.
Help your team learn how to work better in a lab with these free online medical laboratory courses
When it comes to healthcare, it's important that your technicians and professionals are confident in their roles and responsibilities. Working in a lab involves a lot of safety guidelines, rules, and policies to help ensure the safety of everyone involved. It's important that everyone is updated with the necessary relevant information needed in their jobs, so it's good to have them take learning courses every now and then.
Having access to free lab training programs and online courses makes it easier to encourage continuous learning in your teams because of the mobile and asynchronous nature of online learning. Take advantage of these resources and secure the health and safety of not only your employees but also the health and safety of their future patients.