Running 12–24 sections of one A&P lab requires coordinated rooms, staff, materials, and reset time. Fill in this grid at the start of each unit to check that every section has what it needs.

Unit: ______________________________    Week of: ____________________    Coordinator: ____________________

The lab week begins on the prep day before the first section, not on the morning of the first section. Advance preparation gives staff time to find missing materials and resolve scheduling problems.

Prep day (typically the day before the first section of the week)

• Specimens received and inventoried. Every shipment counted against the order; short-counts and damaged items reported to vendor immediately.
• Specimens distributed to bench stations. Right number per bench, in containers labeled with section identifier. Avoid pooling at a central station, section transitions slow down dramatically.
• Models and microscopes set up at every station. Models in correct orientation; microscopes with lowest power objective in place, stage at lowest position, slides in slide tray (not on stage).
• Slide sets verified. Tray-by-tray spot check that the right slides are in the right trays. Correct mismatches before the first section begins.
• Lab handouts printed. Pre-lab worksheets, score sheets (if applicable), anchor cards (per the TA Calibration Protocol). Stack at coordinator’s desk for TA pickup.
• Safety equipment checked. Eyewash, sharps containers, biohazard bags, gloves stocked at every bench. First-aid kit located and accessible.
• TA briefing scheduled or completed. Brief on the week’s lab procedure, anchor card adjustments, anything that’s changed since last term. 15–30 minutes is usually enough.

Lab day, before first section (45 min before start)

• Final walk-through of every bench station.
• Confirm TA arrival; address any last-minute substitutions.
• Coordinator visible near the entrance for first 10 min of session (early students with questions get answered; late students announce themselves).

Between sections (15–30 min reset)

• Specimen rotation. Used specimens cleared; fresh specimens placed (or same specimens reset to clean state if reuse permitted by safety policy and pedagogy).
• Microscope check. All scopes returned to lowest power, stage lowered, slides off; quick visual scan for damage.
• Slide tray verification. Slides returned to correct tray slots; no rogue slides on benches.
• Trash/biohazard emptied if needed. Don’t let it overflow; it costs more time later.
• Bench wiped down. Disinfectant per safety policy.
• TA debrief (60 sec). Anything strange happen? Any safety event? Any student needing follow-up?

End of lab day

• Specimens stored or disposed. Per facility protocol; refrigeration if continuing the same specimen tomorrow; biohazard disposal if done with the unit.
• Microscopes locked down. Lights off; covers on if station provides them; cabinet locked if applicable.
• Score sheets collected from TAs. Filed by section in the coordinator’s organizer.
• Day’s issues logged. Brief notes for the term-end review and next year’s prep adjustments.
• Lock the lab. Last person out; verify with another staff member if institutional policy requires.

One row per major equipment item (or per bench station, depending on your size). Used for rotating high-wear items across stations so that no single station carries the whole load, and for catching equipment failures before they accumulate.

Term: ______________________________    Coordinator: ______________________________

How to use the tracker

• OK / NY check at the end of every 4-week block. Quick visual + functional check. Anything “NY” goes into the damage / service column.
• Rotate high-wear items across benches every 4 weeks. Microscopes that sit at the corner station get used differently than ones in the middle; rotation evens out the wear and surfaces failures faster.
• Keep this sheet on file at term’s end. The accumulated “NY” entries become the budget justification for next year’s service contract or replacement order.