Stool sample for Micro class?????

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We were informed last night in our Micro lab that next week we will be taking home specimen cups to collect samples of our stool for the following week's lab. This is a departmental requirement, not just something my instructor wants to do. We were all pretty squicked out about it, but I just told myself, "you gotta do what you gotta do."

Well, this morning I told people I know about it, and everyone is absolutely horrified that I have to do this! :chuckle Even other people who have taken Micro before are shocked. Did anyone else have to do this? Is this a common lab for pre-nursing students? Or do I go to a school staffed by poop freaks? :chuckle

The community college that I DONT go to requires "anal swabs" to be taken and brought in for class...

Can I just say Im glad I went to the college where the microbiology professor takes you to the neighborhood beer microbrewery to learn about fermentation!!! With free samples to the 21 and over crowd....;)

THATS the kind of MICRO I wish I was in!!

Honestly, folks, once you get a few code browns under your belt, bringing a sample will seem like a fond distant memory.

I was the "guest" pooper for three of my poop shy classmates, for the record. I proudly gave. Shamelessly. Also, during a Chem Lab on gravity, I was the classroom pee sample. I gave 12 groups about 50 ml of my finest brew!!! This may have something to do with my gender, and being a "gentleman" and all, I am not sure, but somehow, for the entire year, every time it was time to get a sample, all heads turned in my direction. Thank goodness we had dummies for the assessment labs! I suspect I was earmarked for the GU......:D

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.
With the specific requirements given for the acorn, I am thinking your professor has some sort of a problem--perhaps, a fecal fettish of sorts. Just can't understand why no substitutes. You might just complain to the Dean about these requirements.

Originally Posted by lei7 viewpost.gif

Not weird. We had to do perianal swabs for our Micro lab. Everyone did the assignment..

Swabs are one thing and can be understood. It's another thing having to bring in a personal pooball, with no exceptions.

sign0137.gif Ok, I had it in my head about a shmear for a culture. However, I would not want to walk into class and have others see the " acorn " or " log" etc. With size/amount requirements what will professor bring in? What about those in class with some kind of pathogenisis going on. Might be really really embarrassing for them. Seems like there should be some kind of appeal.:confused: What if it's more than acorn sized, does she/he want you to ajust it? Gross!!!! I'd take my chances with not doing the assignment.

Originally Posted by RXtech viewpost.gif

She told us it was to be "an acorn-sized sample." And it must be our own, not the baby's or the dog's.

Poop is not so much the problem for me (I have 3 kids and a cat!) It is the idea of carrying my own poop across town and bringing it in to class for show and tell. Plus, I go to class directly from work. Just what am I supposed to do with this "acorn" all day? I don't think my coworkers would like for me to put it in the fridge next to their lunches! :chuckle

Man, I'd better get an "A" in this class!
:p

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

Taking a stool culture is really not a big deal. The ped gave me a kit when my daughter had a stomach bug. It's just a long q-tip that you dip into the orifice and then insert into a tube with a plug. It's not like you're putting an entire piece of poo into a specimen cup.

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Specializes in Oncology.
Honestly, folks, once you get a few code browns under your belt, bringing a sample will seem like a fond distant memory

I've done plenty of "code browns", it's pretty much what I do all day and I still have a problem with this. When your working and in a professional setting it's different then being in class with peers and friends and bringing your own sample. I personally don't want to show and tell my stool and don't want to see what others bring in either. I just don't see the point of this assignment, especially with the size requirements. If they were doing a swab that would be different, but bringing in an "acorn".......:eek:

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Specializes in Oncology.
It's not like you're putting an entire piece of poo into a specimen cup.

But it is. The OP said that the teacher was requiring an "acorn" size sample.

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I am a Sr. year nursing student with 20 plus years in healthcare. I also have 4 children. I have seen plenty of "poop", cleaned plenty of it and smelled plenty too. That means I have more than a few "code browns " under my belt. But I think its disgusting and inappropriate to bring a sample into class. We had to bring in a water sample from our home to test..in A&P we chem tested our own urine sample. This is going way too far in my opinion..so "honestly" I dont believe its about hangups....

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Specializes in ED.

whoops! I didn't see that when I opened the link! I apologize if I offended anyone.

:selfbonk:

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With the specific requirements given for the acorn, I am thinking your professor has some sort of a problem--perhaps, a fecal fettish of sorts. Just can't understand why no substitutes. You might just complain to the Dean about these requirements.

Yeah same requirements here. And our prof said we CANNOT use the dog's or cat's. He said he would definatly be able to tell the difference by what it grows... But it was all good. We used our own so my lab partner didn't have to play in my poo...:imbar

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i am a sr. year nursing student with 20 plus years in healthcare. i also have 4 children. i have seen plenty of "poop", cleaned plenty of it and smelled plenty too. that means i have more than a few "code browns " under my belt. but i think its disgusting and inappropriate to bring a sample into class. we had to bring in a water sample from our home to test..in a&p we chem tested our own urine sample. this is going way too far in my opinion..so "honestly" i dont believe its about hangups....

i've done plenty of "code browns", it's pretty much what i do all day and i still have a problem with this. when your working and in a professional setting it's different then being in class with peers and friends and bringing your own sample. i personally don't want to show and tell my stool and don't want to see what others bring in either. i just don't see the point of this assignment, especially with the size requirements. if they were doing a swab that would be different, but bringing in an "acorn".......:eek:

no disrespect intended or implied.

i guess i have:

a) no shame

b) no sense (of smell or otherwise)

:D

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Specializes in Interested in ER, L&D, Surg/Med.
I have heard of microbiology professors that had students bring in stool and urine samples for lab, but I did not have to do this myself. We used specimens prepared by the professor for class, and even cultured microbes drawn from the air.

A physician wrote one time in a book of a medical school where the dean, on the very first day of class for a group of first-year students, provided each student a cup and had them go to the restroom to void into the cup. When the students returned bearing their specimens, he gave a lecture on how medical practice would demand that they use all five of their senses in evaluating their patients, then instructed the students to do exactly as he did. He dipped a finger in his specimen cup and then put a finger in his mouth. The students dipped their fingers into their specimen cups and put the fingers they had dipped into their urine into their mouths, many of them pretty grossed out as you may imagine. The professor's response? "You have learned your first lesson about observation. I put my pinkie finger in the specimen cup, and my index finger in my mouth."

I don't know whether this is a true story or not, but even dipping my bare hands into my own urine would not have been a savory concept, and I wonder if this little lesson would have prompted complaints to Administration. Also, I wonder if any of the students were embarrassed for everyone else to see their urine. I do UAs all day, and if a person's really dehydrated or if a woman is on her period, it is _NOT_ pretty....

i have heard that before

its gross

but funny

:chuckle

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Specializes in progressive care telemetry.

We were actualyl not permitted to take a smaple from anywhere but G-rated places (prof's words) due to that there might be some sort of virulent infection. Evidently they had an incident with a lady partsl swab and the girl had some sort of nasty std going on and wasn't aware of it til they cultured it...

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Specializes in Oncology.
Evidently they had an incident with a lady partsl swab and the girl had some sort of nasty std going on and wasn't aware of it til they cultured it...

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Poor girl....what an embarrassing way to find out.

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