Practice Test Geeks(MLS) Medical Laboratory Scientist Practice Test
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Clinical Procedures & Protocols Flashcards

7 cards from real MLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Clinical Procedures & Protocols flashcards as text

  1. A urine culture grows >100,000 CFU/mL of E. coli. The MLS should perform susceptibility testing using which reference method standard for Enterobacteriaceae?

    Answer: CLSI broth microdilution or disk diffusion with current CLSI breakpoints

    CLSI broth microdilution or disk diffusion using current CLSI M100 breakpoints is the US standard for susceptibility testing of Enterobacteriaceae.

  2. Which specimen requires immediate transport on ice to prevent falsely elevated ammonia results?

    Answer: EDTA plasma for ammonia

    Ammonia is produced by amino acid catabolism in RBCs and must be transported on ice and analyzed within 15 minutes to prevent in vitro generation.

  3. A new rapid influenza test is being evaluated against viral culture. Sensitivity is 70% and specificity is 99%. What does the low sensitivity mean in practice?

    Answer: 30% of true influenza cases will test negative (false negatives)

    Sensitivity of 70% means 30% of patients who truly have influenza will receive a false-negative result and may go undiagnosed and untreated.

  4. When performing a manual differential on a peripheral blood smear, the MLS should count cells in which area of the smear?

    Answer: The monolayer area where RBCs just touch or slightly overlap

    The monolayer (counting area) is where RBCs are evenly distributed and just touching, providing accurate morphology and an unbiased differential count.

  5. A laboratory is validating a new serum glucose analyzer. Which statistical measure best compares the new method's results against the reference method?

    Answer: Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis

    Method comparison uses linear regression (slope, intercept) and correlation coefficient to assess bias and proportional error between the new and reference methods.

  6. Which safety cabinet class is required when working with BSL-3 agents such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

    Answer: Class II Type B2 or Class III biological safety cabinet

    BSL-3 agents require Class II Type B2 (100% exhaust) or Class III (glove box) cabinets to prevent aerosol exposure and contamination of the laboratory environment.

  7. A throat swab for Group A Streptococcus rapid antigen detection test is negative. What is the recommended follow-up per IDSA guidelines for pediatric patients?

    Answer: Confirm with a backup throat culture

    IDSA guidelines recommend a backup throat culture for children with a negative rapid strep test because sensitivity of rapid tests is 70–90%, and missed GAS can lead to rheumatic fever.