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Molecular Diagnostics: PCR, Infectious Disease Testing, Contamination Control, and Result Validity
This course reviews the principles and clinical application of PCR testing for infectious disease diagnosis. Designed for bench technologists, technical supervisors, and laboratory directors working under Florida licensure and federal CLIA requirements, it addresses molecular workflow, contamination prevention, assay validation, documentation, result interpretation, and common pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical errors.
This course material is intended for continuing education purposes for clinical laboratory personnel and should be used alongside, not in place of, current CLIA regulations, CLSI guidelines, and Florida Administrative Code requirements, which should always be consulted in their most current published form.
Course Objectives
- Describe the biochemical principles that allow PCR to detect trace amounts of pathogen nucleic acid.
- Explain the function of each thermal cycling step and how primer design affects specificity.
- Differentiate qualitative and quantitative real-time PCR and interpret a cycle threshold (Ct) value correctly.
- Identify specimen handling errors that compromise nucleic acid integrity before testing even begins.
- Match common infectious disease targets to the molecular platforms used to detect them.
- Recognize the mechanisms of amplicon and cross-contamination and apply unidirectional workflow controls.
- Apply CLIA and CLSI-based quality control practices to molecular test validation and daily monitoring.
- Interpret molecular results within their clinical context and satisfy Florida documentation requirements.
Course Author
Information
- Relevance: This course is relevant to clinical laboratory personnel who perform, supervise, validate, or interpret PCR based molecular testing for infectious disease diagnosis.
- Content Level: Intermediate
- Course Format: This course is offered as a self-paced distance learning format (reading-based online activity)
- System Requirements: This course is offered online. Internet connection required.
- Course Completion Information: To earn continuing education credit, professionals must register and pay the fee for the course. They must read the content and demonstrate understanding by earning a minimum score of 70 percent on testing materials. The certificate of completion will be able to be downloaded after the above is completed. Refunds will be granted upon request with the withdrawal of credit for the course. For questions, concerns, or to request special accommodations, please call 866-863-4225 or email ContactUs@BaysideCEU.com.
- CEBroker Course ID: 1391547
- Last Updated: July 19, 2026
This course is relevant to clinical laboratory personnel who perform, supervise, validate, or interpret PCR based molecular testing for infectious disease diagnosis.
- CEBroker Course ID 1391547