In MTC Medical Laboratory Science Class, students will be studying blood types and inheritance. Students will have the option of performing a lab where they will determine their own blood type (A,B,O and Rh factor). Some students may choose not to test their blood, and it is understood that some parents may not want to allow their children to participate for a variety of reasons. Therefore, only students who turn in a permission form to test their blood will be allowed to perform this lab. Students will be advised on the serious concerns with exposure to blood-borne diseases; the following “Universal Precautions” will be taken:
- Sterile procedures will be followed and students will only work with their own blood.
- Students will not be allowed to be in contact with the blood of other students.
- This lab involves drawing a small sample of blood. Each student will clean their fingertip with an alcohol swap and then will prick him/herself with a packaged, sterile, single-use lancet for the blood sample (the same lancet diabetics use to check their blood sugar).
- All used lancets will be immediately discarded in a container specifically designed for collecting needles.
- All work areas will be cleaned with disinfectant.
Students will find this lab to be particularly engaging, as they make connections between information studied in class and discover how this knowledge applies to them. It is an opportunity to do a lab with personal relevance. This lab is completely voluntary. There will be no penalty for students who do not participate in typing their blood. If you’d like more information, I’d encourage you to look up the Blood Typing procedure on Healthline.com.
