EPN-V2

HETEK4300 Bacteriology and Antimicrobial Resistance Course description

Course name in Norwegian
Bakteriologi og antimikrobiell resistens
Study programme
Master´s Programme in Health and Technology - Specialisation in Biomedicine
Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Empowerment and Health Promotion
Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Nutrition Competencies for Health Professionals
Master´s Programme in Pharmacy
Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Psychomotor Physiotherapy
Master's Programme in Health Sciences - specialisation in Public Health Nutrition
Master´s Programme in Health and Technology - Specialisation in Radiography
Weight
10.0 ECTS
Year of study
2025/2026
Curriculum
FALL 2025
Schedule
Programme description
Course history

Introduction

Det benyttes en intern og en ekstern sensor til sensurering av besvarelsene. Et uttrekk på minst 25 % av besvarelsene sensureres av to sensorer. Karakterene på de besvarelsene som er vurdert skal danne grunnlag for å fastsette nivå på resten av besvarelsene.

Recommended preliminary courses

Individual in writing home examination (multiple choice test), two hours.

The examination will be in English.

Required preliminary courses

Students must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health and Technology. The course is also offered as an individual course. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required for admission to individual courses.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

  • can convey advanced knowledge of the clinically most relevant bacteria, their pathogenesis, epidemiology, how they are diagnosed in the lab and how infection spreads in the environment
  • can acquire and convey specialised and updated knowledge of different antimicrobial agents, their mechanisms of action and areas of application
  • can acquire and convey updated knowledge of resistance development, how this is monitored and what measures are taken to counteract it
  • can describe and elaborate on the need to use new technology such as mass spectrometry and next-generation sequencing in diagnostic and epidemiological research
  • can explain general approaches to resistance testing and account for possibilities, limitations and future approaches in diagnostics
  • can account for the global health challenge antibiotic resistance represents

Skills 

The student 

  • can analyse and convey key aspects of different types of source material, such as official national and international recommendations and research literature
  • can apply knowledge from the syllabus, research literature and from the course’s seminars to explain the reasons for the most common infections and how they are diagnosed

General competence  

The student 

  • can discuss complex correlations between epidemiology, clinic and resistance development, and view them in light of local/national guidelines and global sustainable strategies
  • can convey academic points of view and their own independent work, both to specialists in medical microbiology and the general public
  • can comply with ethical research norms and legislation regulating biomedical research in clinical microbiology

Teaching and learning methods

Language of instruction: Norwegian and English

Development and changes in the health and social care field are often based on new research. To become a good professional practitioner within health sciences, it is necessary to understand and apply research literature and to see it in conjunction with clinical experience and professional development. Theory of science is an important part of the basis for understanding scientific activity. The course stimulates students to take an inquisitive and critical approach to knowledge development in order to make them better equipped to assess the grounds on which health-related decisions are made. The course also provides an overview of the most commonly applied methods in qualitative and quantitative research, and of key principles of research ethics. Insight into the various methods means that as professional practitioners, they will be able to identify research literature that is suitable to answer questions related to the health sciences.

Course requirements

Admission to the programme.

Assessment

Written home exam over 4 days in groups of 2-3 students, up to 3500 words.

The paper can be written in English or a Scandinavian language.

Permitted exam materials and equipment

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grading scale

The course will use varied, student-active work methods. The teaching will be digital, including blended learning.

Work and teaching methods include digital lectures, digital group assignments, in-depth and reflection assignments at seminars on relevant topics, and self-study. The students will give oral presentations at the seminars, and receive oral feedback from fellow students on their group work and oral feedback from the lecturer.

The lectures on campus are given in Norwegian, for English-speaking students digital lectures are published in English. In group work, mutual assessment, etc., the students will be divided into groups according to language. Most of the syllabus is in English, but there are good alternative syllabus books in Norwegian.

Examiners

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the examination:

  • Read a qualitative and a quantitative research article. Use the relevant CASP checklist to critically assess each article. Include in the appraisal summary of the check lists the key points that need to be considered when assessing the validity and usefulness of the results (200-300 words per article).
  • Assess the critical assessments of a fellow student (peer assessment) (in total, 200-300 words).

Admission requirements

This course involves visiting libraries, archives, and/or museums linked to a chosen theme. The theme is selected with guidance from the course supervisor, and the visits are aligned with it. Students can pick themes related to various aspects, such as services, policies, collections, knowledge organization, universal design, leadership, marketing, dissemination practices, and current issues relevant to institutions. Visits may encompass libraries, archives, museums, or combinations of these. Additional information and cultural institutions can be included if pertinent to the theme. Visits typically involve meetings with relevant staff members and students' informal observations.

Overlapping courses

None.