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Clinical Microbiology CheckList

Instructions: This checklist is meant to serve as a general guideline for our client facilities as to the level of your skills within your nursing specialty. Please use the scale below to describe your experience/expertise in each area listed below.

Proficiency Scale:

1 = No Experience

2 = Need Training

3 = Able to perform with supervision

4 = Able to perform independently

Orientation and Lab Safety Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Review the laboratory’s fire safety plan. 
 
Locate Personal Protective equipment and MSDS. 
 
Understand Universal Precautions for microbiology. 
 
Labeling & Specimen ID Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Label specimens according to institutional policies. 
 
Specimen set up & incubation Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Select proper media for specimens including plated media and broth media. 
 
Understand specimen collection & rejection criteria. 
 
Incubate specimens properly. 
 
Inoculation Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Demonstrate plate streaking for isolation & quantitative streaking for urines. 
 
Quality Control Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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 Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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 Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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 Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Demonstrate procedure for processing positive blood cultures including subcultures, Gram stains, and proper reporting of results. 
 
Primary ID of organisms Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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 Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Discuss recording, reporting, and documenting results 
 
Discuss which organisms are reportable to the State Health Department. 
 
Serological testing Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
Perform Rapid test for Group A Streptococcus, include proper labeling, QC, and reporting. 
 
Affective Objectives - demonstrates honesty by: Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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: Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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: Rating Stars (Click) 1 2 3 4  
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.