The ACB is responsible for determining the specific content for courses related to certification as a clinical biochemist in the UK. Normally this is a three or four year academic sequence followed by qualification examinations. Because of the competitive admission criteria, many applicants have advanced degrees before beginning the biochemistry program.
Papers published by ACB members are related to the use of laboratories by doctors and patient health diagnostic testing in the UK.
* Blood draw procedures and tests by junior doctors and nurses in the A&E department of a Birmingham hospital were frequently performed with the wrong collection equipment or were mishandled afterward. The College of Emergency Medicine said the issue identified by the audit at Birmingham is "universally relevant".
* A 2008 study emphasized issues with junior doctors who were not being trained in pathology and laboratory testing. Eighteen percent of junior doctors in the sample were not confident they could interpret the results of tests they ordered for patients. More than 70% felt a need for more training in clinical biochemistry.
The ACB was part of a 2008 effort by a consortium to support a Scottish government initiative aimed at emphasizing the need for quality laboratory services to the practice of medicine.