Years ago, we in the microbiology department had to collect our own specimens. Some specimens were a little more embarrassing than most. Skin scrapings for jock itch being our most hated. Seeing how most of us were young women, it was embarrassing for us and our male patents to have to collect a down there specimen. We all tried to be very professional, and always appeared to be unaffected.
One Sunday we received an order for a skin scraping from the spinal injury floor. After we had avoided it for most of the morning, the oldest Medical Technologist picked up the orders and the specimen collection tray and went to go collect the specimen.
She went the patients room. Introduced herself, and proceeded to examine the man’s nether regions in a most professional manner. She looked up and down and under and around for a lesion to scrape. After about 10 minutes. She excused herself from the patients room.
She stormed down to the nurses station to find out just where in the groin was this area to scrape. The nurse looked at the chart, and read, KOH and fungal culture of lesion on left forearm.
Our heroine thanked the nurse and had to go back to room to apologize and collect the arm specimen. 😂
Submitted by:
Mary Ohadi
Medical Technologist/Scientist
Kansas, USA
