Stool sample for Micro class?????

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

No way...I absolutely would not do that.

If you have a dog I would tell them I would be happy to bring that, but I would refuse to bring my own.

That is an invasion of privacy, in my opinion.

Nope, I didn't have to scoop up any feces in my micro class. Put a little peppermint oil under your nose if you are worried. There are mounds of it where you are heading.

Micro will be over before you know it! Don't let this get in your way. you have a great attitude "you gotta do what you gotta do."

eat a butt-load of red licorice the night prior- you won't be disappointed

a few poop-loving docs opened the following website in the break room. Would you believe they were attempting to decipher a particular turd? Oh sorry, I mean bowel movement...

http://www.ratemypoo.com/

a few poop-loving docs opened the following website in the break room. Would you believe they were attempting to decipher a particular turd? Oh sorry, I mean bowel movement...

http://www.ratemypoo.com/

What a weird site! I just wanted to warn others that there are ads for Media on that site. I didn't see any graphics, but for those who would be offended... And PLEASE don't click on the Top 20. OK, now I know you will all go click on the Top 20. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Repulsive.

Seems like there are millions of other things to culture besides feces.

How embarrassing to the poor students! I would be mortified.

Me, too! I would probably be checking my sample to make sure there wasn't anything embarrassing in it. (Gad, I won't go into details about THAT!) And an "acorn-sized" sample? What are you supposed to do, cut it with a knife?

I had micro and I would have been horrified if this were required. The only good thing about my class is that we were mostly older women, and I suppose we could have handled it maturely!! ("It" being the situation, not necessarily the sample itself!)

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!

OK, I'd have a problem with my classmates seeing the shape, color, and form of my product of defecation. That's private. It's different in the hospital setting when we see patients' poo because we are in our role and privacy is respected.

So yes, I'd have a problem with this. I should have read the original post better and not assumed we were talking about a tiny smear on culture media.

yeah thats disgusting. We had to do a urine sample though...... they sent us to the bathroom with a little cup and we had to bring it back to class and do a urine analysis. Needless to say, i was shocked we had to do this.

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.

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

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.

GROSS. Its not that poop freaks me out, but it's more just weird. I don't want people I know looking at my poop, and frankly I don't want to look at theirs either. We didn't have to do this. The worst thing we had to do was swab each others cheek, and do a throat culture (the whole gag thing).

And what if some student has IBS or IBD? Will s/he be required to bring in a sample of that lovely poop? My Dad had IBD and I swear I can still smell that poop 30 years later. How mortifying for the students! As one poster noted, in a medical setting, poop is handled professionally and you are protected by HIPAA. What is to protect a student from other students joking with other people about the person with smelly/runny/etc. poop?

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......