Course Outline
Click on the links below to preview selected pages from this course.
- Describe how different types of PPE can provide protection.
- Determine how to select appropriate PPE for clinical laboratory work.
- Describe when to use certain PPE based on hazards that may be present in a clinical lab.
- Conducting a Biological Laboratory Risk Assessment
- Goals of a Biological Risk Assessment
- Infectious Aerosols and Droplets
- Examples of Aerosol Producing Procedures
- Organism Risk Groups
- Laboratory Biosafety Levels
- Higher Risk Work
- BSL-2 Enhanced PPE
- PPE General Safety
- Enhanced Precautions
- When to Use BSL-3 Practices in a BSL-2 Laboratory
- Most clinical laboratories operate at which level of biological safety.
- Aerosols are larger than droplets.
- Describe how to don and doff various types of PPE.
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical technologists, and technicians. This course is also appropriate for any staff working in a medical facility that may come into contact with laboratory specimens.
Course Description: This course details the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the clinical laboratory. Rob Nickla, a public health professional, discusses the various types of PPE that may be used in laboratories, including when and which PPE are appropriate for various situations and how to don and doff PPE.
Author Information: Rob Nickla, RBP(ABSA), M(ASCP), began his public health career in 2004 at the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory (ASPHL) working in Mycobacteriology, Bacteriology, and Virology. While there, he became the State Training Coordinator and Bioterrorism Training Coordinator in the Bioemergency Response Section and actively participated in several APHL Special Interest Groups for Basic Microbiology, Biosafety & Biosecurity, and Select Agent Training. He served on the ASPHL Safety Committee for several years and helped develop and conduct many in-house safety-related trainings. In 2012, he accepted an Associate Biosafety Officer position in the Environmental Health and Safety Department at Arizona State University (ASU). Currently, Rob is the BT (biological threat) and CT (chemical threat) LRN (Laboratory Response Network) Coordinator and State Training Coordinator with the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL).
Reviewer Information: Rory Huschka, M.Ed., MLS(ASCP), works on the content development team at MediaLab. Mr. Huschka has several years of experience working in higher education, including work as an Instructor/Professor, Clinical Coordinator, and Program Director. Rory obtained his bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University. He holds a master's degree in Educational Leadership. He has also completed LEAN and Six Sigma training at Villanova University.