Clinical Microbiology

Information

Proficiency Scale

1 = No Experience
2 = Need Training
3 = Able to perform with supervision
4 = Able to perform independently

Assessment Section

Orientation and Lab Safety

  • ✔ Review the laboratory's fire safety plan. *
  • ✔ Locate Personal Protective equipment and MSDS. *
  • ✔ Understand Universal Precautions for microbiology. *

Labeling & Specimen ID

  • ✔ Label specimens according to institutional policies. *

Specimen Set Up & Incubation

  • ✔ Select proper media for specimens including plated media and broth media. *
  • ✔ Understand specimen collection & rejection criteria. *
  • ✔ Incubate specimens properly. *

Inoculation

  • ✔ Demonstrate plate streaking for isolation & quantitative streaking for urines. *

Quality Control

  • ✔ Perform quality control procedures in accordance with institutional policies for new media, reagents, and stock culture organisms. *
  • ✔ Understand documentation & actions taken when results are not in acceptable limits. *

Gram Staining

  • ✔ Practice performing Gram stains until proficient. *
  • ✔ Evaluate grams stains, including sputum samples, wounds, genital samples, and positive blood cultures until proficient. *

Evaluation of Primary Cultures

  • ✔ Evaluate cultures to recognize what is normal flora and what is significant. *
  • ✔ Evaluate throat cultures & select next course of action. *
  • ✔ Evaluate urine cultures to decide when susceptibility testing is warranted. *
  • ✔ Evaluate vaginal cultures to recognize what is normal flora and what is significant. *
  • ✔ Evaluate stool cultures to recognize what is normal and what to process further. *
  • ✔ Evaluate body fluid cultures for pathogens. *
  • ✔ Evaluate wound cultures to recognize what is significant -select next course of action. *
  • ✔ Evaluate respiratory cultures, including sputum cultures. Recognize normal resp. flora & significant pathogens. *

Blood Culture Processing

  • ✔ Demonstrate procedure for processing positive blood cultures including subcultures, Gram stains, and proper reporting of results. *

Primary ID of Organisms

  • ✔ Recognize Streptococcus species & perform tests to classify them according to the Lancefield classification scheme. *
  • ✔ Recognize & perform tests to identify Staphylococcus species. *
  • ✔ Identify coagulase negative Staphylococcus species. *
  • ✔ Recognize and identify Haemophilus species. *
  • ✔ Recognize and identify Neisseria species. *
  • ✔ Recognize and perform biochemical tests to ID GNBs, including lactose fermenters, nonfermenters, and other miscellaneous GNBs. *
  • ✔ Recognize and identify Campylobacter species. *

Interpretation and Acceptance of Results

  • ✔ Discuss recording, reporting, and documenting results. *
  • ✔ Discuss which organisms are reportable to the State Health Department. *

Affective Objectives - demonstrates honesty by:

  • ✔ Maintaining strict patient confidentiality. *
  • ✔ Accepting control values only when within acceptable limits. *
  • ✔ Performing and documenting daily & weekly maintenance procedures, preventative maintenance, temperature checks, etc. *
  • ✔ Completing all procedures in adherence to laboratory SOPs, taking no shortcuts or unauthorized modifications of procedure. *

Personal Interactive Skills - demonstrates proper professional behavior by:

  • ✔ Working with co-workers in a positive manner, promoting productive workflow. *
  • ✔ Refraining from making statements or actions that represent sexual, ethnic, racial, or homophobic harassment. *
  • ✔ Willingly and consistently using appropriate personal safety devices when handling caustic, infectious, or hazardous materials. *
  • ✔ Completing all required tasks and remaining in the work area when scheduled. *
  • ✔ Being punctual whenever scheduled. *
  • ✔ Adhering to current dress and appearance in the laboratory setting. *
  • ✔ Cleaning the work area when leaving the laboratory, returning supplies to appropriate storage location, & disinfecting all work areas used by the student. *

Professional Responsibility - demonstrates appropriate professional affective behavior by:

  • ✔ Correctly reporting all patient test values, as well as recognizing and correctly reporting all patient critical test values. *
  • ✔ Resolving discrepancies in specimen labeling, handling, or collection before reporting patient results. *