Clinical Microbiology · stage 1 of 5

A specimen worth working on

Everything microbiology can tell you is decided before the first plate is streaked. By the end of this stage you can judge whether a request, a container and a patient identity hold together well enough to test — and say no, safely and defensibly, when they do not.

Work through these in order

1. 1Working with the patient at the point of collectionProfessionalism CM-PR-6
2. 2Telling patients and collectors how to obtain a usable specimenSpecimen Collection CM-SC-1
3. 3Spotting requests the laboratory cannot usefully answerSpecimen Collection CM-SC-2
4. 4Safeguarding identifiable patient informationProfessionalism CM-PR-1
5. 5Checking that the container and the paperwork agreeSpecimen Collection CM-SC-3
6. 6Confirming that the specimen belongs to the patient named on itSpecimen Collection CM-SC-10
7. 7Noticing when a specimen or its paperwork does not add upSpecimen Collection CM-SC-9
8. 8Judging whether what arrived can still give a valid resultSpecimen Collection CM-SC-4
9. 9Specimens that are also legal evidenceSpecimen Collection CM-SC-5
10. 10Turning a specimen into a traceable record in the LISSpecimen Collection CM-SC-6
11. 11Packaging and shipping infectious specimensSafety CM-SA-3
12. 12Sending specimens onward for first-line identificationReporting and Communication CM-RC-8
13. 13Deciding which specimens travel firstSpecimen Collection CM-SC-7

This reading order is MLTPrep’s own. To browse the same material filed against the competency areas instead, go back to the Clinical Microbiology study guide.

MLTPrep is an independent study resource. Not affiliated with or endorsed by CAMLPR. Always confirm current requirements with CAMLPR directly.