Workbook - bioMerieux

OBJECTIVES 

Chapter 1: 

Test Card Setup Using the Smart Carrier Station 

Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to: 

� Identify the system components and associated functions of the Smart 

Carrier Station 

� Accurately complete the workflow for entering patient and test card 

information using the Smart Carrier Station 

� Follow the steps to utilize the DensiCHEK Plus to accurately prepare 

bacterial suspensions for testing on the VITEK ® 2 

� Accurately list the steps in the workflow to set up ID and AST test cards 

for processing on the VITEK ® 2 instrument 

PRINTING AND VIEWING INSTRUCTIONS 

Print (preferably in color) and read the objectives and questions for each 

chapter prior to viewing the associated video. Questions may be answered as 

you view the video. Please bring your completed online workbook to the 

VITEK ® 2 PC w/OBSERVA ® training class in Durham, NC. 

VITEK® 2 PC w/OBSERVA® Online Workbook 

© bioMérieux Inc. Customer Education 

Chapter 1, Page 1 of 6 

Part Number 60-00812-0

GUIDED VIEWING QUESTIONS 

Read and answer the following questions. 

A. Getting Started 

It is important to have all materials gathered before beginning to prepare and 

load VITEK ® 2 cards. Maintaining an organized work area and following 

recommended procedures will help you to avoid errors and prevent re-work. 

1. Place a check mark next to the materials required for test card setup: 

_____ Glass test tubes and caps 

_____ Bottle of sterile 0.45 % saline with a pH between 4.5 and 7.0 

_____ VITEK 2 Test cards 

_____ 145ul pipettor and tips for preparing susceptibility dilutions 

_____ DensiCHEK TM Plus 

_____ Smart Carrier Station 

_____ VITEK 2 pipettor/dilutor accessory kit 

2. Which of the following is NOT a component of the Smart Carrier 

Station: 

a. Keyboard 

b. Printer 

c. Barcode Scanner 

d. Cassette with Memory Module 

e. Liquid Crystal Display 

3. Place the steps below in the correct order: 

_____ a. Enter Cassette ID information 

_____ b. Place a VITEK 2 cassette on the SCS 

_____ c. Enter Bench information 

_____ d. Erase cassette memory automatically or by pressing F1 

4. Indicate TRUE or FALSE for the following statements: 

_____ A SCS configured to “Automatic” in regard to erasing 

previous information allows the user to view the Summary 

Screen (F3) for setting up purity plates 

_____ If enabled, Bench is a required field 





B. ID and AST Pair Setup 

Testing a VITEK ® 2 identification (ID) card with a susceptibility (AST) card on 

the same isolate is referred to as a “pair”. 

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

a. The Lab ID (Accession) number can be scanned or typed in 

manually 

b. The AST card should always be placed before the ID card when 

setting up an isolate pair in the cassette 

c. The GN ID card does not require entry of offline tests 

d. The Arrow key on the keyboard is used to change an isolate 

number from 1 to 2 

6. Place the following steps in the correct order: 

_____ a. Dispense 3.0 ml of 0.45% saline into a tube 

_____ b. Cap the tube and vortex thoroughly 

_____ c. Label the top third of a clean tube with patient information 

_____ d. Using a sterile swab, transfer colonies into the tube 

_____ e. Verify the inoculum density using the DensiCHEK Plus 

7. Indicate TRUE or FALSE for the following statements: 

_____ When reading inoculum densities for patient isolates the 

DensiCHEK Plus should be set to GLASS 

_____ The correct McFarland range for GN ID and AST is 0.5 – 

0.63 McFarland Units 

_____ It is not necessary to clean the outside of the tube 

_____ Tubes can be rotated anywhere from ¼ to 2 full revolutions 

_____ Two Gram-positive AST cards can be tested simultaneously 

on the same isolate 

8. Inoculum densities can be adjusted. Which statements are CORRECT: 

_____ a. If the inoculum suspension is too low, more saline should 

be added. 

_____ b. If the McFarland reading is too high, add more organism. 

_____ c. If the McFarland reading is too low, add more organism. 

_____ d. If the inoculum suspension is too high, more saline should 

be added. 





9. Choose the BEST answer: 

a. The F1 key can be used to copy Lab ID and Isolate numbers. 

b. The F1 key can be used to erase previous cassette information 

c. The F1 key can be used to copy Lab ID and Isolate numbers AND 

to erase previous cassette information 

d. None of the above 

10. Match the indicator from the lower part of the SCS data Entry 

screen with its description: 

I+ _____ a. No test kit should be placed in this slot 

S- _____ b. Gram-positive ID 

� _____ c. Inoculated sample 

� _____ d. Gram-negative susceptibility 

X _____ e. Empty tube 

C. AST Only Setup 

For isolates where the identification of the organism has been confirmed using 

another method, an AST card can be run alone. 

11. Check all that apply. If an AST card is run without an ID card… 

_____ a. An organism identification must be entered into the SCS. 

_____ b. The AST card barcode is scanned in the cassette position 

where the inoculum will be placed. 

_____ c. The AST card is placed in the slot corresponding to the 

inoculum well. 

_____ d. An “X” in the lower part of the screen tells the SCS and 

VITEK ® 2 no ID card will be tested. 

12. Check all that apply. Offline tests can be entered by… 

_____ a. Pressing the ? mark key on the SCS and choosing from 

the list. 

_____ b. Scanning a Job Aid card barcode. 

_____ c. Manually typing the offline test code. 

_____ d. Downloading from the VITEK ® 2 PC computer. 





D. ID Only Setup 

When a rapid bench identification is not possible or needs confirmation, an ID 

card can be run alone. 

13. Choose the BEST answer regarding setting up an ID card only. 

a. Testing an ID card only uses one slot in the SCS. 

b. It is not necessary to scan the ID card barcode because the 

instrument will scan it. 

c. An organism ID must be entered from the Job Aid card. 

d. None of the answers are correct. 

E. Quality Control Card Setup 

Cards to be used for Quality Control (QC) testing are set up much like those 

for patient isolates with just a few differences. 

14. Indicate TRUE or FALSE for the following statements regarding 

QC card setup: 

_____ a. An ID and AST card can be set up for a single QC isolate. 

_____ b. The Lab ID number is the ATCC ® number. 

_____ c. Off line tests must be entered for ANC and AST card QC. 

_____ d. The inoculum density for all QC isolates is 0.5 – 0.63 

McFarland units. 

F. Ready to Load 

Once all cards and their suspensions are prepared using the recommended 

procedures, the cassette is loaded into the VITEK ® 2 

15. Choose the CORRECT statements 

_____ a. Load the cassette within 30 minutes of preparing the first 

suspension. 

_____ b. The VITEK ® 2 instrument reads the test cards once per 

hour. 

_____ c. The Summary Screen is always available to use as a 

guide for preparing purity plates. 





16. Place the following actions in order 

_____ a. Cut the transfer tubes and seal the test cards 

_____ b. Remove the cassette from the SCS 

_____ c. “Happy Sound” 

_____ d. Fill test cards 

_____ e. Load the cassette into the VITEK ® 2 

_____ f. Load the test cards into the carousel 

_____ g. Instrument reads the test cards and collects data for 

analysis 

_____ h. Cards are ejected from the carousel

Workbook - bioMerieux

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