RESEARCH Preservice laboratory educ o

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground The strength of a healthcare system, in addition to phys-ical infrastructure, depends on the skills, competencies, values and availability of its workforce. In sub Saharan Africa, there is a severe shortage and imbalance in its workforce that poses a major threat to achieving the Millennium Development Goals [1]. Due to this critical shortage, healthcare workers are overworked and health-care gains are at risk of being reversed, especially with the burden of diagnosing and monitoring HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral therapy [2]. There is the need to build and maintain an appropriate healthcare work-force to staff the different components of the healthcare system. The clinical laboratory workforce plays a vital role in healthcare service delivery and has been recognized a