Just getting the Microbiology thread started for those of us taking it this summer :) Let's introduce ourselves. I'm sure we may recognize each other from the A&P thread and hopefully there will be some new students too!
I'm Jennifer, married with 3 kids (11,6,2). I'm starting the nursing program in August and other than my humanities elective, I'll be ALL DONE with gen. ed. courses. I've been a SAHM for 7 years but am considering a PT summer job to help pay for expenses (mine and DD's - middle school is expensive between cheerleading ($305), flute ($700!!) and the newly mandated uniforms ). Oh and I have been a mystery shopper for 7 years too which basically helps us get out and do stuff that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.
My classes start May 17. I'm taking Micro Tues, Wed, Thurs from 6-9 (lecture from 6-7:20, lab from 7:30-9.) I'm also taking English 102 online. YUCK. I don't want to write papers this summer. We're using Tortoro's book in Micro, BTW.
I really have no idea what to expect for this course. I did very well in A&P 1 and 2 (A :balloons: ) but am feeling a bit burnt out - having only 1 week off between spring and summer semester is not enough. We have the entire week of July 4th off for break, and DH and I are surprising our kids with a week in Disneyworld We can't wait!! I spend way too much time on the DIS boards and planning our trip:p
Fun2care....awesome job! You're lucky....only 2 weeks left?! I wish..lol. I just got back my first exam last night....I got a 102%! Phew..one down in lecture, 2 exams to go. I wish they broke it up more and we had 4-5 exams instead of 3..oh well. I don't mind the lecture part of this class....hate the labs! I was up until 2am last night writing up more lab reports...ah, the fun never ends! Good luck everyone!!
I don't see how you can make 102%....wow! I can't get past trying to figure out the question, let alone the answers LMAO
Anyway, congrats, and good luck!
Fun2care....awesome job! You're lucky....only 2 weeks left?! I wish..lol. I just got back my first exam last night....I got a 102%! Phew..one down in lecture, 2 exams to go. I wish they broke it up more and we had 4-5 exams instead of 3..oh well. I don't mind the lecture part of this class....hate the labs! I was up until 2am last night writing up more lab reports...ah, the fun never ends! Good luck everyone!!
I got 100% on my first test today :balloons: . There were a few questions on lab reports that he threw out, but gave you credit if you got them right, so my grade right now in the class is 102.8%. I doubt it will stay there, I'm just glad to get through the first exam :)
Fun2care....awesome job! You're lucky....only 2 weeks left?! I wish..lol. I just got back my first exam last night....I got a 102%! Phew..one down in lecture, 2 exams to go. I wish they broke it up more and we had 4-5 exams instead of 3..oh well. I don't mind the lecture part of this class....hate the labs! I was up until 2am last night writing up more lab reports...ah, the fun never ends! Good luck everyone!!
congrats... :balloons: . Keep up the good work! I only have a 83% now. I am trying my best for a B. I had my second lecture test today so I will see if I can keep my little B. This second test was harder for me. Looks like I will be studying micro this weekend
Hi everyone! Sounds like things are going well :) I am so excited because I have figured out my unknowns in my broth :balloons: I am so happy and relieved. Now I just have to write up my lab report - fun fun fun. We have our next test Wednesday and we have the first week of July off - we are taking the kids to Disneyworld and still haven't told them!! It's going to blow their minds!! :) So far I have a 94 average in the class.
I don't even know my average..probably end up with a B. (With this instructor, I'm going to be happy with a B!)
Anyway, I have narrowed my unknown down to 9 Staphylococcus species. I need to go in to open lab tomorrow and inoculate about 8 24-48 tests. (If the lab person will be there Monday to put them in the refrigerator.) If not, I'll be working my tale off to get them inoculated Monday night. I have my daily journals all typed up to date, my descriptive chart is filled in to date, and I have my flow chart made up to the 9 species I need to eliminate this week.
I'll be taking test 4 tomorrow.
MicroSUX is almost over!!! :) :balloons:
Hi everyone! Sounds like things are going well :) I am so excited because I have figured out my unknowns in my broth :balloons: I am so happy and relieved. Now I just have to write up my lab report - fun fun fun. We have our next test Wednesday and we have the first week of July off - we are taking the kids to Disneyworld and still haven't told them!! It's going to blow their minds!! :) So far I have a 94 average in the class.
Wow 9 Staph possibilities! Thankfully, ours doesn't sound nearly as difficult. We each got a test tube with 2 unknowns inside - a Gram + and a Gram -. There are 8 possibile bacterium (3 G- and 5 G+). Narrowing it down hasn't been too difficult thankfully. The difficult part has been trying to get it all done in our short lab periods (we don't have an open lab in the summer) and trying to do everything with no supplies It seems like each class period we complain that there are no agar plates, no glucose tubes, no oxidase tests, etc. And nothing ever seems to get replaced for us. How the heck can we do this if we don't have the materials?!??! So I made a fuss (politely of course!) Tuesday night in lecture and got things taken care of :)
Yep...we start our with a tube of inoculated broth, do a gram stain, and start our elimination from there. Possibilities are almost endless......or it least is seems that way right now...LOL
Wow 9 Staph possibilities! Thankfully, ours doesn't sound nearly as difficult. We each got a test tube with 2 unknowns inside - a Gram + and a Gram -. There are 8 possibile bacterium (3 G- and 5 G+). Narrowing it down hasn't been too difficult thankfully. The difficult part has been trying to get it all done in our short lab periods (we don't have an open lab in the summer) and trying to do everything with no supplies It seems like each class period we complain that there are no agar plates, no glucose tubes, no oxidase tests, etc. And nothing ever seems to get replaced for us. How the heck can we do this if we don't have the materials?!??! So I made a fuss (politely of course!) Tuesday night in lecture and got things taken care of :)
I have a sort of "dilemma," and I thought if anyone knew anything about this, you guys would. So...please help me!!! :)
My question is this: Is it common practice for lab instructors to require a personal anal swab from each student in order to conduct bacterial growth lab experiments? We were told this was a mandatory procedure to be done next week. My classmates and I thought the instructor was kidding -- then quickly realized by her stern reaction that she was indeed NOT kidding. Initially, after she told us --the whole class made a face and kinda' responded with the expected "oh, how gross" reaction. Then, the shock wore off and we all acknowledged that of course, we are all going in to the nursing field -- and it's truly not a big deal, compared to the many, many other things we'd be exposed to, in the next two years. (I know for a fact that this is just the beginning of many "not so pleasant" things I'll have to do and study...and that's completely okay.)
I am in no way a prude, nor am I particularly grossed out by the thought of conducting legitimate scientific research on fecal matter. It's a fact of life, and I really don't give it a second thought -- in a clinical type setting. It's not a big deal to me. However -- something about this whole thing just honestly disturbs me. I find the thought of having to go into the university's bathroom, perform an anal swab on ourselves with agar plates in hand, coming right back into the class (with appropriate fecal matter swabs on the plates) to grow our own personal fecal bacteria amoung our classmates --well, I don't know. Something about it just rubs me the wrong way, for some reason. It seems like an inappropriate experiment to conduct -- simply because it 'personalizes' the experiment so incredibly much, and it's not in a clinical-type setting. It just seems -- I don't know -- almost like an invasion of privacy kind of thing? Somewhat degrading and humiliating -- though seriously, I'm trying REALLY hard to see the value in doing such an experiment. Honestly, as much as I enjoy Micro, and as well as I am doing in the class -- I'm not particularly sure I want to know (nor do I particularly want my classmates knowing) what kind of bacteria is growing in my own behind!!! :chuckle I'm sure it's pretty much like everyone else's -- and scientifically-speaking -- it's probably a pretty interesting thing to know. But, do I really want everyone else knowing that information?
Maybe this is a common practice, and everybody does it in their Micro lab classes. I have no idea. Honestly, I am not in any way trying to be immature -- and it's not that I am "grossed out," or anything. I just know that if my OWN daughter came home and told me that her lab instructor was mandating that she perform an anal swab on herself at school in order to grow her own fecal bacteria in the class incubator -- well, I have to say -- honestly, both my husband and I would seriously question the matter. My husband is also raising his eyebrows to this whole thing, as well...
Anyway, I haven't read about anyone else having to do this, and I was just curious if others have had to do the same thing. Am I just totally off base, here? I don't want to cause problems, and I really (up to this point) have liked and respected my professor. I completely understand that it's important to know about the many bacteria that live within the digestive tract, rectum, and/or orifice. I just wonder if perhaps there is a less 'personal' way to teach this material? Is this just part of acclamating us or desensitizing us to anything relating to fecal matter? Or, is this just an over-zealous lab instructor who has kinda' crossed the line, here? I just really don't know what to think...
Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. (Sorry so long!)
). Oh and I have been a mystery shopper for 7 years too which basically helps us get out and do stuff that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford..thumb.gif.55aeaafdb61768ab641b1fab52f42961.gif){kind=avatar}
It seems like each class period we complain that there are no agar plates, no glucose tubes, no oxidase tests, etc. And nothing ever seems to get replaced for us. How the heck can we do this if we don't have the materials?!??! So I made a fuss (politely of course!) Tuesday night in lecture and got things taken care of :)
Achoo!, LPN
1,749 Posts
Great job! Hang in there, you'll be done before most of us! :)
My first exam is tomorrow, EEK!