Bloodwork and ranges
Wed, Oct 14, 2026 · Week 8 · Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science)
Today's goal: Identify routine blood tests and their normal ranges before the PLTW clinical-data task.
This is a model of the work you should turn in today. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your data and wording should be your own.
Parallel example, worked on tests that are NOT on your sheet. Your five blood count rows, your three cholesterol tables and your metabolic panel list are yours to build; none of them appear here.
- Row format, done for ALT (alanine transaminase), a liver enzyme from a liver test, not the blood count. What it reports on: mainly the liver. What a high value can point at: possible liver injury or disease. What a low value can point at: low values are uncommon; MedlinePlus lists vitamin B6 deficiency or long-term kidney disease as possibilities.
- Direction format, done for triglycerides, a fat some lipid reports list beside the cholesterol values (not one of your three tables). Better direction: lower, because high triglycerides may raise the risk of heart disease.
- Range format, done on the made-up practice patient record in Part 2 of the day page (not a real patient). Draw 1 total cholesterol is 214 mg/dL, and the record prints under 200 as desirable, so the value sits above the range by 14. That is a flag to recheck and to follow over time, not a diagnosis.
Each line names what is measured, the body system it reports on, and which direction is a flag, so a reader knows what the number means. Sources: MedlinePlus ALT Blood Test and Cholesterol Levels pages.
| Test (not on your sheet) | What it measures | What a high or low value may mean |
|---|---|---|
| ALT, from a liver test | an enzyme found mainly in the liver | high may point at liver injury or disease |
| Triglycerides, on some lipid reports | a type of fat in the blood | high may raise heart disease risk; lower is the better direction |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: One page from the Routine Testing day-1 sheet: the five-row blood count table, the three cholesterol tables with the better direction of each in your own words, the basic metabolic panel substances each paired with the organ or system it reports on, and two closing sentences.
- Name the prompt or task.
- Answer it directly with the key evidence.
- Check that the response matches the requested format.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit this page as one PDF to Schoology assignment for this lesson in Schoology before you leave.
Turn in: One page from your Routine Testing day-1 sheet: the blood count table with all five rows, the three cholesterol tables with the better direction of each in your own words, the metabolic panel substances each paired with the organ it reports on, and two closing sentences, the most useful thing you learned and one thing you are still unsure about.
Go to Schoology to turn this in.
Submit one PDF. Schoology attaches your name to your upload; on the page itself, write your period and code. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf.
Open Schoology PDF upload helpIf you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about today's lesson. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.
It builds this reusable test skill: Knowing normal blood-panel ranges and their units.
- Name the concept or data pattern being tested.
- Cross out choices that violate that rule or the evidence.
- Justify the best remaining choice before checking the answer.