General Operations Knowledge Flashcards
What does regulation mean?
promulgation, monitoring and enforcement of rules
regulatory agencies: public authority or government agency exercising autonomous authority in regulatory or supervisory capacity
what is accreditation?
voluntary process
non-governmental agency grants recognition to organization that has achieved a set of predetermined standards
Ex: CAP and Joint Commission
What is licensure?
mandatory process by which some states grant permission to an INDIVIDUAL or ORGANIZATION to engage in given occupation
most states do NOT have licensure requirements for clinical labs
What is certification?
voluntary process by which non-governmental agency grants recognition to an INDIVIDUAL who has met certain education requirements and demonstrated entry-level competency by examination
ABB and ABOR examples
How are contact hours and continuing education units (CEUs) defined?
One contact hour = 60 minutes
One contact hour of CE = 0.1 CEU
How many hours of CE are required by ABB every 2 year period to maintain certification?
24 hours of CE each 2 year recording period
how are CME different from CE?
Continuing medical education consists of educational activities that increase knowledge, skills and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public or the profession
courses may not be acceptable for both CE and CME
How do you calculate relative centrifugal force (RCF)?
RCF = 1.118 X 10 e-5 X r X rpm^2
1.118 x 10e-5 = constant determined from angular velocity
r= radius in cm (distance from center of the rotor to the bottom of the tube)
rpm = revolutions per minute (speed)
Per CLSI guidelines what is the RCF for blood samples?
`10-15 minutes at 1000-1200g
what is a tachometer used for?
check speed of centrifuge
measures revolutions per minute to ensure proper speed and accuracy of centrifuge
What are the two methods of pipet calibration?
Gravimetric and volumetric
What is the difference between gravimetric and volumetric calibration?
Gravimetric verifies accuracy of the amount of water dispensed
weight of water is proportional to the volume dispensed
Adjustments are made based on measured weight
volumetric calibration verifies the accuracy of amount of dye pipetted into a specific volume of water which is read spectrophotometrically
adjustments made based on difference in absorbance readings
What are the names of different types of pipettes used in the laboratory?
Automated- electronic, used to prepare multiple samples for analysis
semi-automated - handheld, use disposable tips, use air displacement or positive displacement
manual - handheld glass pipets that require bulbs to apply suction
transfer or volumetric - glass pipet that has bulb in the middle with tapered deliver tip; accuracy = 1:1,000
measuring or graduated - glass pipet uniform in diameter with tapered delivery tip
to contain (TC) or rinse-out - must be rinsed with appropriate solvent after initial liquid has been drained
to deliver (TD) - filled and allowed to drain by gravity, must be held vertically and tip placed against the side of receiving vessel
blow-out pipets- filled and allowed to drain, after which remaining fluid in the tip is blown out. two frosted bands near top
self-draining - held in vertical position with tip against receiving vessel, allowed to drain by gravity
Which organization maintains national standards for temperature?
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
What is traceability?
once a thermometer is calibrated to known standard, it can serve as a standard at a lower level of accuracy to calibrate another one
process can be continued, providing unbroken chain of measurements from final thermometer back to NIST standards
What are the three types of thermometers?
mercury-in-glass, replaced by liquid-in-glass
digital thermometers
electronic thermometers (AKA thermistor probes)
What is NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM)?
specially constructed gold versus platinum (Au/Pt) thermocouple thermometer
calibrated on the international Temperature Scale
supplied with integral lead wires and protective sheath
What is a NIST certificate of calibration?
NIST-certiifed thermometers come with it
report from NIST with all certified temperature corrections calibrated against NIST SRM to the nearest tenth of a scale division
include NIST test number
and records for all set conditions under which they were tested
what is a NIST certificate of traceability?
NIST-traceable thermometers come with this certificate
certified against standards outlined by NIST
come with certificate issued by manufacturer with calibration points calculated to nearest 10th of scale division
test and ID numbers of a NIST standard are also provided
What are 4 types of centrifuges and the differences between them?
Horizontal-head or swinging buckets - tubes are in horizontal position when spinning and vertical when stopped
Fixed-angle or angle-head : tubes are at an angle in the sample bucket, allows small particles to sediment faster
microcentrifuge- small centrifuges used to centrifuge small plastic, conical shaped containers with snap cap
ultracentrifuge - high speed (Up to 150,000 RPM) small air-driven ultracentrifuge has been used to separate chylomicrons from serum
What is brightfield microscopy? What are the limitations?
most common and simplest of all light microscopy techniques
sample illumination via transmitted white light
illuminated from below and observed from above
limitations: low contrast of most samples, low apparent resolution due to blur of out of focus material
What is darkfield microscopy?
technique for improving contrast of unstained, transparent specimens
uses carefully aligned light source to minimize quantity of directly transmitted (unscathed) light entering the image plan
collects only light scattered by the sample
dramatically improves the image contrast, especially of transparent objects
What is electron microscopy and its advantages?
electrons to illuminate specimen and create enlarged image
greater resolving power than light microscopes and can obtain much higher magnification
uses electrostatic and electromagnetic lenses in forming image by controlling the electron beam to focus specific plane relative to specimen
similar manner to how light microscope uses glass lenses to focus light on or through specimen to form an image
What is fluorescent microscopy?
uses fluorescence instead of or in addition to reflection and absorption to view an object
when certain coumpounds are illuminated with high-energy light, they emit light of a different, lower frequency.
effect is known as fluorescence
fluorescence emission differs in wavelength from excitation light
uses fluorescent dyes to label structures of interest
