Medical Laboratory Technician Mock Interview
Practice 40 Medical Laboratory Technician interview questions covering quality control, instrumentation, and lab safety protocols.
Question 21 of 40
Are you familiar with some errors that may occur when using a pipette? How would you prevent those errors?
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Heather Douglass has over 20 years of experience as a Career Coach, Recruiter, and HR Specialist. Much of her experience is as a Technical Recruiter in the healthcare industry.
Pipettes, also called pipets or chemical droppers, are small tubes of glass or plastic used to transfer a measurable amount of liquid from one container to another. They come in two forms: volumetric pipettes, used to transfer a single specific volume of liquid, and measuring pipettes, used to transfer varying, measured volumes. Share an example of a common error.
Heather Douglass has over 20 years of experience as a Career Coach, Recruiter, and HR Specialist. Much of her experience is as a Technical Recruiter in the healthcare industry.
"If pipette operators do not pre-wet the pipette tip prior to initial delivery, sample volume can be lost due to evaporation within the tip. Aspirating and expelling sample liquid at least three times before delivery can mitigate this risk, and is especially important when handling volatile solutions such as organic solvents."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
"Unnecessary tip wiping can lead to sample loss, especially if wiping with absorbent materials, which can carry sample from the pipette tip."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
"Pipetting at an angle can cause an error. Touching the pipette tip to the container sides during aspiration results in loss of sample. In addition, removing the pipette at an angle can cause volume variation due to surface tension effects, especially when pipetting small volumes. Pulling the pipette straight out of the container can minimize error."
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Anonymous Answer
An error that was common in my clinical chemistry laboratory course was the improper use of the pipette plunger. To prevent this, a quick demonstration on how to use the micropipette in the dispensing and aspiration of the solution would have been helpful.
Rachelle's Feedback
Great! Specific and focused.
Anonymous Answer
Inaccurate. Calibrate when expired.
Lauren's Feedback
Your response is fragmented and hard to understand. Rephrase your response to include full sentences and detailed explanation.
From my experience, pipettes can cause inaccuracies. Calibrating pipettes, when expired, will prevent future errors with the tool.
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