Fall 2012 Microbiology Students -- STAND UP!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 6, 2012

Really liking this class! We did our first real labs yesterday...aseptic transfers and streak plates using E. coli. I guess I'll find out Monday if I was successful or not! Lol

We did the same thing in lab yesterday. Won't know until Monday how well my streak plates came out. We had to transfer from a broth with 2 bacteria mixed together, so when we sample our plates on Monday, we can see how well we isolated our colonies. One of the bacterium was S. morificecens so it'll appear red in contrast to the E. coli. We'll definitely be able to tell with the naked eye if our streak techniques were good.

I *LOVE* lab!!! I wish we could have it every day. It's so much fun

Exhaustipated, ADN, BSN · Sep 7, 2012

We did aseptic transfer and spread plates on Tuesday. My group's transfers were perfect, my partner's spread plate was great, and mine had a hole in the middle. :crying2: In my defense, we were pretty rushed when we did it (four transfers and two spread plates in 10 minutes!) and my instructor wasn't too concerned. He assured us we'd have more opportunities to practice, and said we need to know the procedure but would not be tested on actual spread plates. Yay!

Today we did capsule and simple staining. Initially my partner and I were concerned our slides wouldn't be viewable, but they all ended up wonderfully. It was exciting to see our results under the microscope.

Yup, still loving lab. :yeah:

@wordsofmymouth: Thanks for the good wishes! My study partner and I are meeting up one day for extra studying, so I'm ever-hopeful. Good luck with your test!

Continued wishes of good luck to everybody in micro. We can do this! :loveya:

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 7, 2012

Ladylynn6,

Glad you are enjoying it! Staining is fun because you get to see something immediately under the scope. We've got a quiz on Tuesday and our lab journals are due on Wed.

Have a great weekend!

melc0305 · Sep 7, 2012

Am I the only one hating this class? So much information and so far it is a lot of chemistry and cellular biology. Way over my head Lab is not taught by the lecture professor so there is not much correlation between the two. The lab is interesting but very disorganized. Just not feeling this class. And of course that leads to the inevitable "I'm too stupid to be a nurse" thoughts!

CordaeP · Sep 7, 2012

Am I the only one hating this class? So much information and so far it is a lot of chemistry and cellular biology. Way over my head Lab is not taught by the lecture professor so there is not much correlation between the two. The lab is interesting but very disorganized. Just not feeling this class. And of course that leads to the inevitable "I'm too stupid to be a nurse" thoughts!

I actually like the lecture part. She do powerpoints but she also review the previous class material. She gives quizzes over each chapter. At first I was like damn she do quizes; however, it helps me to study as I go. I usually have a habit of study everything at one time before a test. I feel like I am half way prepared for next week's test already. Now lab I do not like at all. You are really on your own in lab.

Exhaustipated, ADN, BSN · Sep 11, 2012

Am I the only one hating this class? So much information and so far it is a lot of chemistry and cellular biology. Way over my head Lab is not taught by the lecture professor so there is not much correlation between the two. The lab is interesting but very disorganized. Just not feeling this class. And of course that leads to the inevitable "I'm too stupid to be a nurse" thoughts!

I don't hate the class, but you're right, it's A LOT of information. Luckily, my Lecture and Lab professor are the same person, so that probably helps me out.

We had our first test today, and although I got an A, I'm still disappointed in my performance. However, I went in to that test this morning not feeling at all prepared. I think I have a better handle on how to study for the next test, but of course, time will tell.

Keep at it, though. Maybe it will get more interesting as you get further in. I find that the more I can relate things I learn in class to what's going on around me, the more excited I become. Maybe that's why I'm watching the Discovery Fit & Health network so much. :geek:

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 11, 2012

Had our 2nd quiz today and a review for our first exam on Thursday. Our 1st lab journal is due tomorrow. I did sketches and it ended up being 5 pages (we keep them in a composition notebook). Tomorrow's lab is Gram staining & other staining techniques. I wonder if we're using the bacteria we isolated into colonies from our 1st lab? Or if we're using completely new samples? Hmmm...

We just found out today that our lecture exam will have 3 essay questions worth 8 points each...ugh! Gimme multiple choice & true/false anytime

RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN · Sep 11, 2012

First lab quiz yesterday and I got a 110%! I love bonus points. :up:

EMT89 · Sep 13, 2012

Am I the only one hating this class? So much information and so far it is a lot of chemistry and cellular biology. Way over my head Lab is not taught by the lecture professor so there is not much correlation between the two. The lab is interesting but very disorganized. Just not feeling this class. And of course that leads to the inevitable "I'm too stupid to be a nurse" thoughts!

I don't hate it, but I don't love it. I have been nailing it in lab! For my lab professor we did the agar plates. I was one of the only two who got them done correctly the first time . Now for my test tomorrow that is a different story. Ours is pretty basic, but has lots of chemistry components.

The thing that is making me keep on going is last science class. :rolleyes:

britthohenbrink · Sep 13, 2012

Had my first test today. It was a mix of lab and lecture questions because my class is lab in lecture in one (3 hour class 2X a week). I hope that I made a good enough grade. :unsure:

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Sep 13, 2012

Had my first lab/lecture last Saturday. The lab was fun (staining) but I immediately got a bad feeling of my professor in the lecture. He is pretty much that "You are on your own" kind of professor. There was nothing posted on the web portal, not even syllabus. Obviously he doesn't provide any powerpoint slides or other learning materials. He also has his own notes from who knows how many years ago. I had a professor like that before and his exams were so unpredictable.

I wanted to switch lecture badly, but my schedule just doesn't allow me to do that. I plan on record the lectures plus seriously reading and learning everything from the book. I'm also using online learning materials, which hopefully will help. It's so disappointing.

RaeRae11 · Sep 13, 2012

I'm on week 3 through Rio Salado, and just got back my grade on my first essays. I only 22 out of 30 points, darn it! I hope I can get everything that she wants in my next essays. That's a little discouraging, but I hope that her notes on what she would add will help my next essay questions. Good luck to everybody!