About This Role
This laboratory assistant role involves performing patient testing, general laboratory duties, and specimen collection. The position requires careful adherence to standard operating procedures and effective workload and inventory management, suiting a detail-oriented individual who can work weekends and holidays.
Responsibilities
- Perform waived patient testing
- Perform daily temperature checks, analyzer maintenance, calibrations, and quality control for waived tests performed
- Notify appropriate testing staff when expected quality control values are not achieved or quality control ranges are exceeded
- Ensure department supplies are appropriately stocked and available
- Perform venipuncture and skin puncture on all patient age groups in accordance with department SOP
- Perform appropriate patient identification according to SOP, utilizing at least two patient identifiers when collecting and labeling specimens at the bedside in the presence of the patient
- Label aliquots using at least two patient identifiers
- Transcribe orders from outside providers as necessary
- Respond to applicable code teams as needed
- Adhere to blood and body fluid universal special precautions outlined by laboratory and organizational policies
- Adhere to SOP in using handheld devices for specimen collection
- Monitor collection list and document status of outstanding collections
- Monitor expected list for pending lab tests
- Answer phone calls, demonstrating appropriate customer service skills
- Work weekends and holidays as assigned
- Ensure specimen collection supplies are available and within expiration dates
- Notify laboratory leadership when supplies are falling below thresholds or expiration dates are upcoming
- Stock supplies when deliveries are received
- Stock phlebotomy carts with supplies, ensuring adequate inventory available on cart for next shift
- Ensure that specimens are updated to received status and collection date/time, collector, and receipt date/time is accurate
- Deliver specimens to the appropriate Lab Section
- Communicate complaints or problems to department supervisor
Requirements
- High School Diploma or Equivalent
- Accurately complete and maintain patient documents and records
- Understand and follow specific clinical protocol and be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
Nice to have:
- Previous lab assistant experience
- Basic Life Support Health Care Provider American Heart Association (required if assigned to Client Services/phlebotomy for University Medical Center)
