Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care

UNIT 16: SCIENCE IN PRACTICE FOR HEALTHEssential guidance for tutorsDeliveryThis unit should be delivered by appropriately qualified tutor/s. Access to laboratoryfacilities will be necessary for the delivery and assessment of the unit.Planning of the delivery for this unit needs to be in partnership with tutors who areresponsible for delivering other scientific units within the programme. This willenable learners to apply theoretical knowledge in their development of practicallaboratory techniques. For example, analytical techniques could be related toenzymatic action, measurement of nutrient content of foods, movement of materialsacross cell membranes, or the composition of body fluids such as synthetic urine, allof which relate to other units in the programme.The microscopy techniques could be related to any of the units that require anunderstanding of histology, such as Unit 5: Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiologyfor Health and Social Care.Microbiological investigations could be related to, for example, the microbiologicaldeterioration of food on storage, or the effects of antibiotics or household/hospitalcleaning agents on microbial growth. Learners should only use materials and tissuespecimens appropriate for use by learners at this level.Ideally, visits to health-related laboratories should be organised. Learners would alsobenefit, if possible, from a period of work experience in such a laboratory. This couldbe included as part of the requirement of Unit 6: Personal and ProfessionalDevelopment in Health and Social Care, or Unit 44: Vocational Experience for Healthand Social Care. It would introduce the learner to the functioning of a healthlaboratory, raising awareness of issues such as organisation and management, healthand safety, and potential career pathways.Visits or work experience could also facilitate observation of analytical, microscopicor microbiological techniques not available in the school or college laboratory, thusaiding understanding of these techniques. Alternatively or additionally, apresentation from a laboratory supervisor/manager could be beneficial for learners.A series of laboratory investigations could be used, if necessary on a rotation basis, solearners can gain laboratory skills and become familiar with the use of the differentequipment needed for some of the laboratory techniques. Where calculations arerequired in order prepare solutions or to interpret results, for example, learnersshould be given opportunities and support to practice the mathematical methods.Learners need to maintain careful records of their practical activities through writingscientific reports for each, including the recording and analysis of raw data,evaluating and drawing conclusions. These reports should be monitored throughoutby tutors, with the use of formative feedback, in order that learners can developtheir understanding of the laboratory principles and the conventions associated withscientific practical work. The principles of experimental design should be developedas the programme of practical sessions progresses, in preparation for therequirements of assessment.222BN018467 – Specification – Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care– Issue 1 – February 2007 © Edexcel Limited 2007