City and Guilds of London Institute · RQF Level 3
City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Pathology Support
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 3
- Total credits65
- Guided learning411 hours
- Units in this qualification39
Awarded by City and Guilds of London Institute · on the Ofqual register
Start here
See how this course maps onto your role
Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this qualification rather than a generic one.
About 5 minutes · No card · Nothing to commit to
What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
These are the units City and Guilds of London Institute registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
Causes and Spread of InfectionReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the causes of infection
- Understand the transmission of infection
Cleaning, Decontamination and Waste ManagementReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to maintain a clean environment to prevent the spread of infection
- Understand the principles and steps of the decontamination process
- Understand the importance of good waste management practice in the prevention of the spread of infection
Collate and communicate health information to individualsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice in collating and communicating health information to individuals
- Identify the information to be collated and communicated
- Communicate health information
Conduct routine maintenance on clinical equipmentReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice related to conducting routine maintenance on clinical equipment
- Understand the procedures involved in conducting routine maintenance on clinical equipment
- Prepare to carry out routine maintenance on clinical equipment
- Carry out routine maintenance on clinical equipment
- Report and record on routine maintenance carried out on clinical equipment
Contribute to effective multidisciplinary team workingReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the workings of the multidisciplinary team
- Participate in multidisciplinary team working
- Communicate effectively when working in a multidisciplinary team
Contribute to the effectiveness of teamsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the importance of own role and how it contributes to the team performance
- Use feedback to improve personal team performance
- Manage time and commitments effectively
- Establish effective working relationships with all members of the team
- Comply with organisational, national and European legislation
Deliver training through demonstration and instructionReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to deliver training through demonstration and instruction
- Deliver training by demonstration and instruction
- Review learning and training
Despatch biomedical samplesReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice related to despatching biomedical samples
- Understand methods for containing and transporting biomedical samples
- Understand how to manage risks and hazards when handling, storing and transporting biomedical samples
- Prepare biomedical samples for despatch
- Complete records and documentation associated with despatching biomedical samples
Dispose safely of biomedical specimens and samplesReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to the disposal of biomedical specimens and samples
- Understand requirements for the retention or disposal of biomedical specimens and samples
- Safely dispose of biomedical specimens and samples
- Record and report on disposal of biomedical specimens and samples
Engage in personal development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand what is required for competence in own work role
- Reflect on practice
- Evaluate own performance
- Agree a personal development plan
- Use learning opportunities and reflective practice to contribute to personal development
First Aid EssentialsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the role and responsibilities of a first aider
- Assess an incident
- Manage an unresponsive casualty who is breathing normally
- Manage an unresponsive casualty who is not breathing normally
- Recognise and assist a casualty who is chocking
- Manage a casualty with external bleeding
- Manage a casualty who is in shock
- Manage a casualty with a minor injury
Influencing Others at WorkReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the value of networking
Investigate biomedical specimens/samples at a microscopic levelReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to investigations at a microscopic level
- Understand the purpose of and considerations when preparing a microscopic investigation
- Prepare to investigate biomedical specimen/samples at a microscopic level
- Investigate biomedical specimen/samples at a microscopic level
- Record and conclude a microscopic investigation
Maintaining quality standards in the health sectorReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to provide a quality service within legislation, policies and procedures
- Understand the importance of working with others to provide a quality service
- Monitor quality standards
- Understand the importance of prioritising own workload to reduce risks to quality
Manage own performance in a business environmentReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to plan work and be accountable to others
- Understand how to behave in a way that supports effective working
- Plan and be responsible for own work, supported by others
- Behave in a way that supports effective working
Manage the availability of physical resources to meet service delivery needs in a health settingReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to manage the availability and use of physical resources in a health setting
- Know factors which may have an effect on use of resources in a health setting
- Manage the availability and use of physical resources to meet service delivery needs
Monitor and maintain the environment and resources during and after clinical / therapeutic activitiesReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Know the procedures for monitoring and maintaining the environment and resources
- Operate equipment
- Monitor and maintain the environment and resources
- Clean resources in own work area
Monitor own work practice in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of monitoring work practices
- Prepare to carry out monitoring activities
- Carry out monitoring activities
- Respond to the outcomes of monitoring activities
Obtain venous blood samplesReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand legislation, policy and good practice related to obtaining venous blood samples.
- Understand the anatomy and physiology relating to obtaining venous blood samples.
- Prepare to obtain venous blood samples.
- Obtain venous blood samples.
- Prepare venous blood samples for transportation.
Perform biomedical specimen/sample preparationReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to biomedical specimen/sample preparation
- Understand how to prepare biomedical specimen/samples
- Prepare biomedical specimens/samples
- Complete the biomedical specimen/ sample preparation process
Perform first line calibration on clinical equipment to ensure it is fit for useReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice which impact on own role
- Understand the procedures involved in the calibration of equipment
- Run tests on equipment
- Conclude and report on tests on equipment
Perform point of care testingReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice related to point of care testing
- Prepare for point of care testing
- Perform point of care testing
- Record and report the results of point of care testing
Perform quality control of culture media and solutionsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice related to the quality control of culture media and solutions
- Use equipment, materials and procedures during the quality control process
- Carry out the quality control process for culture media and solutions
Perform standard tests on biomedical specimen/samples using an automated analyserReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to performing standard tests using an automated analyser
- Confirm that samples are suitable for analysis using an automated analyser
- Quality control an automated analyser
- Perform standard tests using an automated analyser
Perform standard tests on biomedical specimen/samples using manual methodologies or commercial kitsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to performing standard tests using manual methodologies or commercial kits
- Prepare to perform standard tests using manual methodologies or commercial kits
- Perform standard tests on biomedical specimen/samples using manual methodologies or commercial kits
- Record and conclude standard tests using manual methodologies or commercial kits
Planning and Monitoring WorkReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to work within the organisation’s policies, procedures and priorities
- Understand how to plan and allocate work
- Understand how to monitor a team’s work
Prepare culture media and solutionsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to the preparation of culture media and solutions
- Understand the hazards and risks associated with the preparation of culture media and solutions
- Prepare culture media and solutions
- Store products required for the preparation of culture media and solutions
Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how duty of care contributes to safe practice
- Address conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between an individual’s rights and the duty of care
- Respond to complaints
Promote and implement health and safety in health and social careReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand own responsibilities, and the responsibilities of others, relating to health and safety
- Carry out own responsibilities for health and safety
- Understand procedures for responding to accidents and sudden illness
- Reduce the spread of infection
- Move and handle equipment and other objects safely
- Handle hazardous substances and materials
- Promote fire safety in the work setting
- Implement security measures in the work setting
- Manage stress
Promote communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand why effective communication is important in the work setting
- Meet the communication and language needs, wishes and preferences of individuals
- Overcome barriers to communication
- Apply principles and practices relating to confidentiality
Promote equality and inclusion in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion
- Work in an inclusive way
- Promote diversity, equality and inclusion
Promote good practice in handling information in health and social care settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand requirements for handling information in health and social care settings
- Implement good practice in handling information
- Support others to handle information
Provide support to those undertaking point of care testingReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand national guidelines, policies, protocols and good practice related to point of care testing
- Understand the role of the labouratory in point of care testing
- Support point of care testing quality assurance
- Support those carrying out point of care testing
- Record and report point of care testing data
Select and wear appropriate personal protective equipment for work in health care settingsReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand legislation, local policy and protocol in relation to dressing for work in a health care setting
- Select and use personal protective equipment (PPE) in a health care setting
Service improvement in the health sectorReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to evaluate own work and that of others to identify potential improvements
- Understand how to make constructive suggestions about how services can be improved
- Understand how to discuss and agree improvements with others
- Understand how to make agreed improvements to own work and how to support others to make changes
Stain biomedical specimens and samplesReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to staining biomedical specimens and samples
- Prepare biomedical specimens/samples and equipment for the staining process
- Stain biomedical specimens and samples for investigation
Store biomedical specimens and samplesReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Know current legislation, national guidelines, policies, protocols, standard operating procedures and good practice related to storing biomedical specimens and samples
- Store biomedical specimens and samples
- Store biomedical specimens and samples
- Meet quality standards for storage of biomedical specimens and samples
The principles of Infection Prevention and ControlReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand roles and responsibilities in the prevention and control of infections
- Understand legislation and policies relating to prevention and control of infections
- Understand systems and procedures relating to the prevention and control of infections
- Understand the importance of risk assessment in relation to the prevention and control of infections
- Understand the importance of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the prevention and control of infections
- Understand the importance of good personal hygiene in the prevention and control of infections
The role of the health and social care workerReal unit · City and Guilds of London Institute
What you'll be able to do
- Understand working relationships in health and social care.
- Work in ways that are agreed with the employer.
- Work in partnership with others.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 3 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this

The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
- 12_Maintaining cell lines for laboratory activities using cryogenic storage
- Analysing samples using light microscopy in life sciences and related industries
- Assisting with the preparation of biopsy specimens for laboratory investigations
- Carry out clinical trials in health
- Carry out image guided biopsies
- Carry out testing using manual or automated equipment in life sciences and related industries
- Collect food, water and environmental specimens
- Communicate genetic and genomic information to individuals, families and other healthcare staff
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
Applied to your own work
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Pathology Support
39 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by City and Guilds of London Institute.
- Causes and Spread of Infection
- Cleaning, Decontamination and Waste Management
- Collate and communicate health information to individuals
- Conduct routine maintenance on clinical equipment
- Contribute to effective multidisciplinary team working
- Contribute to the effectiveness of teams
and 33 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.