About Hematology: Introduction to blood Virtual Lab Simulation
Not only vampires are obsessed with blood – hematologists love blood as well! In this simulation, you will generate complete blood counts and prepare blood smears of control and patient samples to diagnose various blood disorders in three patients. Dive into the inner workings of the different blood components with immersive 3D animations, where you will get acquainted with the morphology and function of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Analyze complete blood counts
First, you will learn how to prepare control and patient blood samples for the automatic hematology analyzer. Before proceeding to the analysis of complete blood counts, you will first have to understand the difference between hematocrit and plasma and where white blood cells and platelets are found after separation of blood components. Then, explore the importance of each output from the hematology analyzer, including values for mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC).
Prepare peripheral blood smears
Continuing your investigation, you will then have to carefully prepare blood smears of multiple patients for observation using a light microscope and identify different blood cells using a Giemsa stain. Compare healthy and unhealthy morphologies of red and white blood cells and hypothesize the reason for each abnormality seen. To complete your hypothesis, relate the results of the blood smears to the results from the automatic hematology analyzer.
Help diagnose various blood disorders
Throughout the simulation, the results of the experiments are saved and recorded for you to compare at the end of the simulation. Based on your new conceptual understanding of each blood component and results from the blood analysis, will you be able to help a doctor to diagnose the different blood disorders in your three patients?
Get Started Now
Techniques In Lab
- Hematology analyzer
- Analysis of complete blood counts
- Peripheral blood smear
- Giemsa stain
Learning Objectives
At the end of this simulation, you will be able to…
- Explain the different functions of each type of blood cell
- Analyze complete blood counts
- Use an automatic hematology analyzer
- Prepare peripheral blood smears
- Identify different blood cells using Giemsa stain
Collaborators
Dr Carol D’Souza
Department of Life Sciences University of WestminsterDr Ray Camilleri
Department of Biomedical Sciences University of WestminsterDr Chrystalla Ferrier
Department of Life Sciences University of WestminsterHow it works
A million dollar lab in your browser
Perform experiments in virtual lab simulations to achieve core science learning outcomes.
All our simulations run on laptop and desktop computers, and you can play our simulations without having to install any browser plugins.
Hundreds of hours of science learning content
Our virtual laboratory simulations are aimed at university, college and high school level, within fields such as biology, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology, chemistry, physics and more.
With access to our simulations, you will have hundreds of hours of engaging, high-quality learning content available to you.