Clinical Lab Assistant II-Full-time Days

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare•DeKalb, IL

8h•$21 - $28•Onsite

About The Position

The Clinical Lab Assistant II (CLA II) is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position serving various Northwestern Medicine Cancer Centers, including Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb, and Huntley Hospital. The role reflects Northwestern Medicine’s mission, vision, and values and requires adherence to its Code of Ethics, Corporate Compliance Program, applicable policies and procedures, and regulatory and accreditation standards. The CLA II supports laboratory operations and patient care by receiving and processing specimens, handling laboratory information and results, performing testing and specimen collections, maintaining equipment and supplies, and coordinating communication and transport. The position performs waived and/or moderate-complexity testing under the direction of a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS), and may also support microbiology setups, biopsy processing, and anatomic pathology slide requests.

Requirements

High school diploma.
At least 1 year of work experience in a general laboratory, specimen processing, or phlebotomy area, or enrollment in a laboratory-related education program.

Nice To Haves

Phlebotomy certification or training from an accredited school or institution.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with main laboratory staff, ancillary departments, nurses, and providers to support patient care.
Receive specimens into the laboratory information system and register specimen drop-offs, ensuring accurate data entry.
Input and retrieve laboratory results in laboratory or hospital computer systems.
Process specimens for transport to reference laboratories and distribute specimens to the appropriate testing areas.
Identify and resolve problems using appropriate resources, with assistance from a supervisor, manager, pathologist, or coworkers as appropriate.
Verify the accuracy of instruments and test kits; perform quality control and maintenance and troubleshoot equipment.
Operate and maintain laboratory automation systems as appropriate.
Perform diagnostic and analytic testing of specimens; interpret, document, and report results to providers.
Perform waived and/or moderate-complexity testing under the direction of a CLS.
Ensure appropriate tests are ordered and identify the correct reference laboratory for referred specimens.
Communicate specimen rejections and critical or notifiable results to appropriate clinical personnel and complete required documentation.
Review or record refrigerator temperatures and QC/QA records as needed; document concerns in the Corrective Action Log and report maintenance needs.
Follow up on outstanding orders, including time-sensitive draws and charges.
Answer laboratory phone calls and triage them appropriately.
Coordinate courier pickups as needed.
Perform phlebotomy and other laboratory specimen collections according to age-related standards as required.
Complete biological transport training as required and maintain competency.
Recognize temperature-dependent transport conditions and select the correct packing-list destination.
Monitor and maintain specialty supplies, including kits, swabs, and collection containers, and distribute them to units.
Ensure supplies are available and stored at appropriate temperatures.
Perform microbiology setups or other testing-preparation duties.
Assist with bone marrow and other biopsy processing as needed.
Pull anatomic pathology slides for second-opinion requests and log returned material in Epic.