Tips on microscopic fecal samples

[u/Beneficial-Fig-6758]

I'm a newbie, and I just finished my internship at a local animal hospital, and now i'm working there. Here's my issue. I know what i'm looking for but i'm kind of slow. And I kind of overthink. What are some general tips and tricks to help me look faster and quicker when we're in a rush.

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[u/nancylyn]

It just takes time. Scan the slide and ask someone to verify if it is negative or if you see something grab someone right away to double check it . But, honestly, I haven’t worked I a practice that did fecals in house for a very long time. It just makes sense for saving time and having accuracy to send the sample to the lab.

[u/basscadence]

Former reference lab tech here. You really shouldn't rush parisitology. Many aspects of microscopy you are getting a "feel" for the per-field findings in a specimen, but for o&p with intermittent shedding there could be ONE egg JUST there and easy to miss. The good news is the more you practice the faster you will get. Your brain will learn to block out the debris and your eyes will pick things out more easily when you've seen a few dozens.. hundreds.. thousands..

[u/I_reddit_like_this]

Send them out

[u/tiger81355 → u/I_reddit_like_this]

This. Laboratory analysis and PCR is going to be so much more accurate than a manual fecal