Patient Care Technician (PCT) AAH Practice Exam

What equipment is NOT used to collect a specimen for a throat culture?

1. Pen light

2. Applicator

3. Syringe

4. Tongue blade

The correct answer is: Syringe

The correct answer is based on the fact that a syringe is not a standard tool for collecting a specimen for a throat culture. Throat cultures require careful collection of a sample from the back of the throat using specific instruments designed for that purpose. A tongue blade is utilized to depress the tongue and provide clear access to the throat, ensuring that the healthcare provider can see the area needing to be cultured. An applicator is specifically designed to collect the specimen by swabbing the throat area. A pen light is used to illuminate the throat, facilitating examination and sample collection, but does not itself collect the specimen. In contrast, a syringe is typically for drawing fluids or administering injections, rather than for throat culture specimen collection. Thus, it stands out as the equipment not relevant to this specific procedure.