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Oh blast! series · Part 1

Oh blast! Morphology – Part 1: Beginner

A friendly, hands-on introduction to the blood film. Learn a systematic way to look at a film, recognise normal cells and the common abnormalities, and know which findings to escalate.

  • 7 modules
  • 26 interactive lessons
  • Workbook (PDF)
  • Certificate

What you will be able to do

  • Explain why a blood film is made and how sample handling affects what you see
  • Make and assess a wedge-spread film and find the right area to examine
  • Recognise the colours of a well-stained film and when a staining fault could mislead you
  • Describe where and how blood cells are made, and what young cells in the blood can mean
  • Examine a film systematically and perform a manual differential count
  • Identify normal red cells, white cells and platelets and the common abnormalities of each
  • Recognise common artefacts and the findings that need urgent escalation

What’s in the course

7 modules and 26 lessons, with an assessment at the end of each module and a final assessment. Your certificate records the learning time you actually spend, for your CPD record.

  1. Module 1: The blood film4 lessons
    Why we still look down the microscope, how the sample and its age affect what you see, how a film is made in brief, the anatomy of a good film, and what a well-stained film looks like.
  2. Module 2: Haematopoiesis: where blood cells come from5 lessons
    Where blood is made, the stem cell family tree, the rules every maturing cell follows, and what it means when young cells turn up on a blood film.
  3. Module 3: Looking systematically3 lessons
    Choosing the right magnification, a step-by-step approach that never misses the important finding, and how to do a manual differential count.
  4. Module 4: Red cells4 lessons
    The normal red cell, then changes in size, colour, shape, inclusions and arrangement — and what each one suggests.
  5. Module 5: White cells5 lessons
    The five normal white cells, the band form, common reactive changes, and a practice differential count.
  6. Module 6: Platelets2 lessons
    Normal platelets, abnormal sizes, and the artefacts that give a falsely low platelet count.
  7. Module 7: Artefacts and red flags3 lessons
    Telling artefact from real abnormality, the findings you must escalate immediately, and how to write a clear film comment.

Educational use: a training course for laboratory staff and students. Always follow your laboratory’s procedures and current national guidance.