Master the bench, recognise the spotter, answer the viva. This manual takes the second-year student through the work of the pathology bench one procedure at a time — from specimen to stained slide to signed report. Every chapter is built to the same plan, and every plan is mapped to the competencies the practical examination tests.
It covers the three practical domains in full: haematology, from the blood film to the anaemia, leukaemia and coagulation workups; clinical pathology, from urine and body fluids to the liver, renal and thyroid reports; and histopathology technique, from grossing and microtomy to the frozen section and immunohistochemistry.
• Every procedure built to one plan — competency anchor, principle, method, interpretation, pitfalls, viva

• Worked spotter cards and tiered viva questions, in the form the examiner uses

• Report-reading chapters that teach interpretation, not just performance

• Sources of error at every pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical step

• Mapped to the NMC CBME practical competencies, with certification levels flagged