Blast from the past

         I was digging through the closet to pull out the Christmas decorations. In the process, I found some relics from my university days. It's pretty crazy to think it's been almost 10 years since I graduated.

         They were study cards for clinical microbiology. In the top picture, the cards included the more common organisms the lab come across. Of course, the images only show what they could look like on sheep blood agar (SBA).

         The second image contains organisms that follow slight different workflow and workups. These are either organisms of less clinical significance or require more specialized methods. For example, most clinical labs do not speciate Salmonella. That's usually done by state or reference labs. Vibrio species are less common in landlocked regions. Their susceptibility testing also demand a slight different approach.

         The point is to become familiar with what organisms look like on the agar is to help with the workflow. It gives the medical laboratory scientists (MLS) a game plan for how to approach the culture. It also helps with identifying potential errors when reviewing the workups.

In the work setting

         Study cards, after all, are only useful for students. In an actual lab setting, we have actual specimens and/or QC organisms which personnel could look at. To me, that is far more superior than static images of picture perfect cultures.

         At work, MLS are familiar with how colonies look at different stages of incubation. More advanced MLS could tell how organisms interact with each other on the agar. That comes with experience and looking at organisms on different agars.

         The value of these study cards? Sentimental values.

         Well, I guess they still hold some education value should my kid wants to learn microbiology.

         Anyways, enjoy your holidays if you do celebrate them.

Posted with STEMGeeks