CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
9TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARY LOUISE
TURGEON
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. 1 — Fundamentals of the Clinical Laboratory — Clinical
Laboratory Overview / CLIA ’88
Stem
A hospital chemistry bench receives a STAT potassium drawn in
a lithium heparin gel tube from the ED. The sample is visibly
hemolyzed; potassium is 6.1 mmol/L and the patient’s prior
potassium 4 hours earlier was 4.2 mmol/L. The ED requests
immediate notification and treatment. As the MLS on duty you
must decide how to proceed. Which action best balances
,patient safety, analytical validity, and regulatory
responsibilities?
Options
A. Immediately notify ED of hyperkalemia and recommend
treatment; document hemolysis as a comment.
B. Repeat the test on the same specimen after centrifuging; if
result still high, notify ED.
C. Request a new specimen due to hemolysis, inform ED that
repeat sample is needed before therapy.
D. Notify ED that the result is invalid due to hemolysis and
recommend potassium be rechecked in 2 hours.
Correct Answer
A
Rationale — Correct (A)
Immediate patient safety supersedes preanalytic concerns: a
potassium of 6.1 mmol/L can be life-threatening. Notify clinical
team immediately so they can consider empiric treatment while
documenting hemolysis and arranging a repeat sample.
CLIA/regulatory expectations and lab best practice permit
timely reporting of critical values with clear comments about
specimen integrity.
Rationale — Incorrect
B: Repeating on the same hemolyzed tube may not remove
intracellular potassium released by hemolysis; result remains
unreliable.
C: Requesting a new specimen before any notification risks
,delaying urgent care; do both—notify and request redraw.
D: Waiting 2 hours delays care and incorrectly treats the result
as entirely “invalid”; immediate communication is required.
Teaching Point
Report critical values promptly; simultaneously document pre-
analytic issues and request redraw.
Citation
Turgeon, M. L. (9th ed.). Clinical Laboratory Science. Ch. 1.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Fundamentals of the Clinical Laboratory — Clinical
Laboratory Science as a Profession / Program Accreditation
Stem
A regional medical center is planning to expand its MLS staffing
by hiring newly graduated CLSs from two different programs.
One program is accredited by NAACLS, the other is not but has
a state license. As program director evaluating candidate
readiness for BOC-style competency and regulatory
expectations, which factor most strongly supports preferential
hiring of graduates from the accredited program?
Options
A. Accredited program graduates will always have higher GPAs.
B. NAACLS accreditation ensures standardized curricula and
external validation of competencies.
, C. State-licensed programs are equivalent; hiring should be
random.
D. Accreditation only affects tuition reimbursement and is
administrative.
Correct Answer
B
Rationale — Correct (B)
NAACLS accreditation enforces standardized curriculum, clinical
hours, competency assessment, and external review —
producing graduates aligned with certification expectations and
regulatory job competencies. For programmatic quality and
predictability of candidate preparation, accreditation is the
strongest indicator.
Rationale — Incorrect
A: GPA is an individual metric and not guaranteed by
accreditation.
C: State license does not equate to external curriculum
validation; equivalence cannot be assumed.
D: Accreditation has substantive educational and competency
implications beyond administration.
Teaching Point
Accreditation verifies curriculum and competency standards
critical for BOC readiness.
Citation
Turgeon, M. L. (9th ed.). Clinical Laboratory Science. Ch. 1.
9TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARY LOUISE
TURGEON
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. 1 — Fundamentals of the Clinical Laboratory — Clinical
Laboratory Overview / CLIA ’88
Stem
A hospital chemistry bench receives a STAT potassium drawn in
a lithium heparin gel tube from the ED. The sample is visibly
hemolyzed; potassium is 6.1 mmol/L and the patient’s prior
potassium 4 hours earlier was 4.2 mmol/L. The ED requests
immediate notification and treatment. As the MLS on duty you
must decide how to proceed. Which action best balances
,patient safety, analytical validity, and regulatory
responsibilities?
Options
A. Immediately notify ED of hyperkalemia and recommend
treatment; document hemolysis as a comment.
B. Repeat the test on the same specimen after centrifuging; if
result still high, notify ED.
C. Request a new specimen due to hemolysis, inform ED that
repeat sample is needed before therapy.
D. Notify ED that the result is invalid due to hemolysis and
recommend potassium be rechecked in 2 hours.
Correct Answer
A
Rationale — Correct (A)
Immediate patient safety supersedes preanalytic concerns: a
potassium of 6.1 mmol/L can be life-threatening. Notify clinical
team immediately so they can consider empiric treatment while
documenting hemolysis and arranging a repeat sample.
CLIA/regulatory expectations and lab best practice permit
timely reporting of critical values with clear comments about
specimen integrity.
Rationale — Incorrect
B: Repeating on the same hemolyzed tube may not remove
intracellular potassium released by hemolysis; result remains
unreliable.
C: Requesting a new specimen before any notification risks
,delaying urgent care; do both—notify and request redraw.
D: Waiting 2 hours delays care and incorrectly treats the result
as entirely “invalid”; immediate communication is required.
Teaching Point
Report critical values promptly; simultaneously document pre-
analytic issues and request redraw.
Citation
Turgeon, M. L. (9th ed.). Clinical Laboratory Science. Ch. 1.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Fundamentals of the Clinical Laboratory — Clinical
Laboratory Science as a Profession / Program Accreditation
Stem
A regional medical center is planning to expand its MLS staffing
by hiring newly graduated CLSs from two different programs.
One program is accredited by NAACLS, the other is not but has
a state license. As program director evaluating candidate
readiness for BOC-style competency and regulatory
expectations, which factor most strongly supports preferential
hiring of graduates from the accredited program?
Options
A. Accredited program graduates will always have higher GPAs.
B. NAACLS accreditation ensures standardized curricula and
external validation of competencies.
, C. State-licensed programs are equivalent; hiring should be
random.
D. Accreditation only affects tuition reimbursement and is
administrative.
Correct Answer
B
Rationale — Correct (B)
NAACLS accreditation enforces standardized curriculum, clinical
hours, competency assessment, and external review —
producing graduates aligned with certification expectations and
regulatory job competencies. For programmatic quality and
predictability of candidate preparation, accreditation is the
strongest indicator.
Rationale — Incorrect
A: GPA is an individual metric and not guaranteed by
accreditation.
C: State license does not equate to external curriculum
validation; equivalence cannot be assumed.
D: Accreditation has substantive educational and competency
implications beyond administration.
Teaching Point
Accreditation verifies curriculum and competency standards
critical for BOC readiness.
Citation
Turgeon, M. L. (9th ed.). Clinical Laboratory Science. Ch. 1.
