Clinical Diagnostic Lead (RN)

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York • Schenectady, NY

8d • $120,000 - $120,000

About The Position

The Clinical Diagnostics Lead (RN) provides enterprise-wide leadership for outpatient diagnostic operations and infection prevention. This role ensures that point-of-care testing (POCT), specimen workflows, vendor coordination, result management, and infection prevention practices are safe, compliant, reliable, and fully integrated into daily clinical operations.

Requirements

• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Ability to remain focused and calm in stressful situations
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal skills
• Superior oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively as part of team
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite or similar software
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel
• High degree of comfort with electronic health record
• Keen attention to detail
• Excellent organizational skills
• Outstanding time management skills, including the ability to work under deadline
• The ability to produce high quality work in a fast-paced environment with changing and/or competing priorities
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and independent decision-making skills
• Ability to produce reliable, high-quality work with minimal direct supervision
• Ability to exercise discretion in the handling of confidential information
• Ability to work a flexible or extended schedule, including evenings and weekends, as operational demands require
• Well-developed problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license.
• Minimum 5 years of clinical nursing experience in an outpatient, ambulatory, or population-health setting.
• Demonstrated experience with:
• Point-of-care testing or specimen workflows
• Infection prevention practices in clinical settings
• Clinical documentation and EHR use (Epic preferred)
• Translating clinical practice into operational workflows
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage enterprise-wide responsibilities.
• Excellent communication skills and comfort working across departments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in quality improvement, process redesign, or operational leadership.
• Exposure to regulatory or audit processes (e.g., CLIA, infection prevention audits, safety reviews).
• Experience training peers or serving as a clinical resource.
• Familiarity with vendor management or system-wide implementations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the enterprise lead for outpatient diagnostic workflows, including POCT and external laboratory coordination.
• Establish and maintain standardized diagnostic processes across all sites.
• Ensure diagnostic services support safe, timely, and reliable patient care.
• Act as the operational owner for how tests are ordered, collected, processed, and routed.
• Develop, implement, and maintain SOPs for:
• POCT use and quality controls
• Specimen collection and handling
• Result routing and escalation
• Vendor interactions and turnaround expectations
• Infection prevention practices related to diagnostics and clinical workflows
• Translate clinical and regulatory requirements into clear, site-ready workflows.
• Design and deliver training on diagnostic processes, infection prevention practices, and related clinical care standards.
• Ensure staff across all sites are consistently trained and competent in diagnostic and infection prevention protocols.
• Provide ongoing coaching and real-time guidance to reinforce best practices and support clinical decision-making.
• Partner with site leaders to embed diagnostics and infection prevention standards into daily operations.
• Ensure readiness for all diagnostic- and infection prevention–related regulatory and quality requirements (e.g., CLIA-waived testing, POCT standards, infection control audits).
• Serve as the clinical lead for outpatient infection prevention in partnership with Compliance & Quality.
• Conduct routine audits and site reviews related to diagnostic practices and infection prevention.
• Monitor trends in errors, near misses, environmental risks, and turnaround times.
• Lead corrective action planning and continuous improvement related to diagnostics and infection prevention.
• Serve as the primary liaison with external laboratory vendors (e.g., Quest, LabCorp).
• Manage operational issues related to turnaround time, result accuracy, and service reliability.
• Partner with IT and Clinical Informatics to optimize Epic workflows for diagnostics and results.
• Oversee diagnostic equipment lifecycle, including selection, deployment, training, maintenance, and replacement planning.
• Advise on clinical safety considerations related to equipment, space, and workflow design.
• Collaborate with Nursing, Health Center Operations, Facilities, Compliance & Quality, and Clinical Coordination to ensure seamless integration of diagnostics and infection prevention into patient care.
• Provide subject-matter expertise for clinical leaders and site managers.
• Support incident response related to diagnostic delays, errors, exposure risks, or infection control breaches.
• Serve as a clinical resource for questions related to testing, results, infection prevention, and escalation pathways.
• Maintain clinical credibility by remaining engaged in diagnostic and care workflows as needed.
• Provide direct clinical support during pilots, surge periods, audits, or workflow testing.
• Model best practices in diagnostics and infection prevention through hands-on participation when appropriate.
• This is not a primary direct-care role; however, the Clinical Diagnostics Lead is expected to spend approximately 10–15% of their time in clinical or operational practice in order to:
• Stay grounded in real-world workflows
• Test and refine SOPs
• Support staff during high-risk or high-volume periods
• Maintain strong clinical judgment and relevance

Benefits

• Generous PTO and holiday schedule
• Medical, dental and vision coverage options for you and eligible dependents
• FSA, HSA, Commuter pre-tax reimbursement funds
• Short- and Long-Term Disability, Free Basic Life and AD&D
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Safe Harbor contributions after 1 year of employment

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed