Teaching my newly practical students how to run hepatitis and pregnancy test in the laboratory // Giving them proper orientation about codes and conducts of laboratory.

Hello everyone, I will be talking about the experience I had with my practical students today. Here are my two practical students, the one by the right side is Judith Ene Paul , from College of health zawan, plateau state Jos Nigeria. The one by the left side is Favour James Daniel , from Nasarawa State college of health sciences and technology keffi. Both of them came for their three months practical posting in our facility. Though this is their first time practical posting from the school since after they got admission into the college to study medical laboratory technician.

They started last week and they're currently in their second weeks of the practical assessment. Last week when they resumed I showed them the equipments I have in the laboratory and their usages. I have told them the kind of tests I do in the laboratory and even showed them my records books, how to keep proper records of your patients results for confidentiality.

And reminded them on how to become confident in themselves towards any patients , how to dress well and wear their lab coat according to the code of conduct guilding the laboratory.

But today I taught them how to run hepatitis strips test and pregnancy test. I have explained to them the principle behind the strips test, like the hepatitis test, which I said is a qualitative test that you can use either serum or plasma, or rather whole blood. During the test the blood sample react with the particle cóated with the antibodies of the hepatitis and generate a colored line. If the hepatitis strips generate a colored line it shows a positive results and the absence shows a negative results.

For pregnancy test, you can either use serum or plasma or urine sample. The principle for doing pregnancy test explains the test strip with detect the presence of hormone in the blood sample or urine sample through flowing or migration to the absorbent test strip to binds HCG hormone and formed an antigen antibody rèaction. And also, I have explained to them the procedures and how to record their results after every investigations been done in the laboratory.

One major thing I've told them is that every strips test have the same procedure but the time of interpretation of each results varies. You must removed the strip test from the sealéd pouch and placed it on a dry and clean flat table. Then proceed by adding one or two drops of your blood sample either serum or plasma into the test strips and wait for time stimulated either 5 minutes or 10 minutes before taking your readings or records.

Two bold lines appears in the test strips shows positive while absence of two distinct lines shows negative. I didn't allow them to do it by themselves because this is their first time in the field. They know it theoretically but haven't done it practically.

Today I have taken my time and explained everything to them about how to run hepatitis and pregnancy test in the laboratory. Both of them felt strange, still showing sign of bit confusion on their faces considering the fact this is their first practical posting. They finds it difficult to see the two lines clearly especially the pregnancy result I shown them.

Because some people have low HCG levels of hormone, if the result is positive within 5 minutes the test strip might not show bold but slitly faint line and you have to be careful with people with low HCG hormone if not you will give out wrong results.

The students shows a well concerned and focusing and interest by putting more of their attention while I was teaching and showing them. Is a proof they really want to learn and and eager to understand whatever I will show them and teach them.

And I need to button up as well as a teacher since I have practical students now. I will need to read more books often and should know the principles, methods and procedures of every test so that whatever I will be teaching this two practical students will be the right thing.

For a teacher cannot teach or give his students what he or she doesn't have. Yea, that's true, you only give out what you have . Today I had an amazing day of orientation with my practical students and I hope to give them the best of my knowledge for the three months practical posting they will do with me in the laboratory.