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.

Total Stars:

Obtained Stars:

Ranking: 0%

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.  
  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  
  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