Amrah Heikkinen
Contact
Name and title: Amrah Heikkinen
Phone: +46812076297
Workplace: Department of Education Länk till annan webbplats.
Visiting address Room 2611Frescativägen 54
Postal address Institutionen för pedagogik och didaktik106 91 Stockholm
About me
I am a licensed Biomedical Laboratory Scientist educated at University of Khartoum and Karolinska Institutet, with several years of professional experience in healthcare laboratories in both Sudan and Sweden, across public and private sectors. Throughout my career, laboratory medicine has remained a deeply meaningful part of my professional and personal identity.
My fascination with laboratories began in childhood. I was captivated by the small test tubes that could barely be held between fingers, the microscope that revealed invisible worlds, and the precision of glassware and pipettes that made scientific discovery possible. I was also drawn to the role of colours in laboratory diagnostics, where visual interpretation can contribute to identifying and understanding disease. These early experiences shaped my curiosity and eventually guided me toward biomedical laboratory scientist. Alongside my interest in laboratory work, I have also developed a strong interest in professional development and how healthcare professionals continue to grow in their roles. This interest was reflected in my research project, which explored aspects of professional development within the biomedical field and deepened my understanding of the importance of continuous learning and improvement in healthcare practice.
Over the years, supervising students during their journey to becoming biomedical laboratory scientists has been particularly meaningful. Supporting their professional growth and witnessing their sense of belonging within the profession has inspired me and strengthened my own commitment to education.
Through my professional experiences, I became increasingly interested in the communication and interaction between humans, technology, and laboratory instruments. Exploring these relationships from a scientific perspective has become a long-held dream that I am now pursuing through research, with the ambition of contributing meaningful and truthful knowledge to the field.
Gender in Caring, Health and Learning, 7.5 ECTS credits, basic level, Stockholm University
The education program for Specialist Assistant Nurse in Laboratory Medicine is a one-year higher vocational education program (200 YH credits) studied full-time. It provides advanced knowledge in specimen collection techniques, clinical immunology, and laboratory technology. The program prepares students for a role with greater responsibility, often within clinical laboratories, and leads to a higher vocational education diploma, Lernia Yrkeshögskola
Professional development is a central component of healthcare education and practice, encompassing the continuous formation of professional knowledge, technical competence, ethical awareness, and professional identity throughout education and working life. In contemporary healthcare systems, rapid technological advancement, increasing specialization, and complex interprofessional collaboration place new demands on healthcare professionals to continuously adapt and develop their expertise. While professional development has been widely explored in professions such as nursing, medicine, and physiotherapy, limited attention has been given to biomedical laboratory scientists (BLS), despite their essential role in modern healthcare.
Biomedical laboratory scientists are responsible for producing reliable diagnostic analyses that directly influence clinical decision-making, disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient safety. Although their work is often conducted in laboratory settings with limited patient interaction, their role requires advanced scientific knowledge, technical expertise, critical thinking, and collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Ongoing developments in laboratory automation, digitalization, and diagnostic technologies further emphasize the need for continuous professional development within the profession.
This research project is part of the Doctoral programme, Medical Education. The project examines how professional development is experienced and supported during BLS education and in the transition into early professional practice. The study focuses on how students and newly graduated professionals understand their professional role, develop competence, and navigate the expectations associated with entering the profession. It also explores how educational structures, workplace learning environments, and support systems facilitate or hinder this development.
Drawing on sociocultural perspectives on learning, the study conceptualizes professional development as a socially situated process shaped through participation in professional communities, collaboration, and shared practice. Using an inductive qualitative approach, the project investigates experiences of students and early-career professionals in both educational and workplace settings. The study aims to generate transferable knowledge that can inform the development of educational practices that better support professional development within biomedical laboratory science and healthcare education more broadly.