Lab Manager Duties

Each week, two students will be assigned  as Lab Managers.  If you are absent during your assigned week, the next person on the schedule will fill in for you and you will then take that person's turn the next week.  As lab manager, it is your responsibility to make sure the following tasks are completed during each lab session.  You can recruit the help of other students as needed. This is a really important aspect of  the real world laboratory. We rely on each other to keep the lab clean and safe.

To be performed on Laboratory Days

  1. Make up fresh disinfectant and clean bench tops before and after laboratory session.
  2. Check temperatures of Microbiology and Hematology refrigerators as well as the incubators during each day of class and record them on the appropriate doors.
  3. At the end of the Microbiology and Hematology lab sessions, empty the disinfectant bottles to ensure the  solution is less than 24-hours old; decontaminate the biohazard sinks.
  4. Replace full biohazard and sharps containers before they become too full.  Seal the full containers, tag them with autoclave tape, and place them in the prep room (autoclave table) to be autoclaved.
  5. Check and refill the paper towel dispenser and disinfectant soap container.
  6. Fill the Wrights and Gram stain reagent bottles as needed.  This includes all reagents needed including buffer, methanol, and distilled water.
  7. Be sure the slide dryer is turned off, staining-bottle lids are closed, and the incubator is charged with CO2 at the end of the lab session if these pieces of equipment were used during Microbiology sessions.
  8. Report anything out of order to the instructor or instructional assistant so it may be repaired as soon as possible.  Attach a note to the piece of faulty equipment noting the defect so the repair technician knows what the problem is.
  9. Report any shortages in supplies or reagents to instructors.
  10. Leave the lab in clean condition for the next class.

To be performed only once weekly:

  1. Wipe, or spray, insides of biohazard sleeves and biologic safety cabinet with disinfectant.
  2. Organize items (books, staining areas, supplies on the counter, etc.) in the entire lab, discarding any unnecessary items.
  3. Damp wipe and/or dust all laboratory counters

Items needed for performing lab manager duties

Item Location
Disinfectant Under the sink in the prep room
Paper Towels Over the sink in the prep room
Soap Under the hand-washing sink by the exit door
Gram Stain Reagents Under the staining sink
Wright Stain Reagents On the counter next to staining rack.  Additional stain supplies located under the sink by the MaxM.
Methanol On the counter next to the staining rack.  Fill this bottles as needed from large bottle in flammable storage cabinet under drying oven in the autoclave room.
Autoclave Bags Bottom drawer in the student lab station (317) area nearest the exit door.  Additional autoclave bags located in cabinet under drying oven in the autoclave room.
Sharps Containers (Cardboard) Bottom drawer in the student lab station (317) area nearest the exit door.  Additional autoclave bags located in cabinet under drying oven in the autoclave room.

Return to Week 1 Laboratory Activities

Clinical Microbiology Syllabus