ASCP CT case studies
ASCP CT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The ASCP Certification Examination for Cytotechnologist (CT) is a professional credentialing examination offered through the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the organization whose site lists cytology and cytopathology among its education content areas and which maintains a Board of Certification (BOC) initial certification preparation section and a Credential Maintenance Program. The CT credential is aimed at cytotechnology graduates and laboratory professionals who screen and interpret gynecologic and non-gynecologic cytologic material and who want an objective, third-party demonstration of entry-level competence for employers, licensure boards, and hiring committees. The ASCP CT case studies are 5 cases and about 3,694 words.
1A Scant Prenatal Pap With One Abnormal Cluster
A 31-year-old G2P1 at 14 weeks' gestation has a liquid-based Pap at her first prenatal visit. The vial yields a thin, partially air-dried slide with an estimated 2,000 well-visualized squamous cells.
716 words, about 4 min2Bloody Pleural Effusion With Only Two Stains Left
A 64-year-old man with a 40 pack-year smoking history has a recurrent right pleural effusion. A 150 mL sample arrives grossly bloody.
655 words, about 3 min3A Partly Cystic Thyroid Nodule With Four Small Groups
A 38-year-old woman has a 1.2 cm mixed solid-cystic right thyroid nodule with smooth margins and no microcalcifications. Ultrasound-guided FNA yields 2 mL of brown fluid and the aspirator makes four smears plus a cell block.
727 words, about 4 min4Backlog, Workload Limits, and a Returning Locum
A community hospital cytology laboratory has three cytotechnologists; one has just begun six weeks of FMLA leave. About 1,250 gynecologic slides are unreviewed, with 90 new slides arriving each weekday.
769 words, about 4 min5Formalin Spill and Needlestick in the Same Procedure Room
In an outpatient FNA clinic, a 1-liter bottle of 10% neutral buffered formalin shatters on the tile floor of a 3 by 3.5 meter procedure room with the door closed and only a supply-air vent. Within a minute the nurse reports burning eyes and throat; two staff members and the patient are still in the room.
827 words, about 4 min