Clinical Laboratory Scientist, CLS III

Centinela Hospital Medical Center•Inglewood, CA

About The Position

At Centinela Hospital Medical Center, the Clinical Laboratory Scientist serves as the department Section Technical Supervisor/Lead and performs waived, moderate, or highly complex testing authorized under applicable California law and CLIA requirements. The role requires a degree of skill commensurate with the individual’s education, training, experience, and technical abilities. The scientist supervises daily section operations, provides technical consultative services to medical staff, and manages technical, fiscal, quality, and compliance functions for assigned laboratory sections. The position performs a wide variety of laboratory procedures using manual and automated methods across Hematology, Blood Bank, Chemistry, Urinalysis, Coagulation, Microbiology, Immunology, and any additional disciplines introduced into the laboratory. The scientist ensures the accuracy of patient results, oversees quality control and equipment maintenance, assesses staff competency, and maintains current policies and procedures. The role may also include responsibilities related to the laboratory information system (LIS) and/or point-of-care (POC) testing, along with other tasks assigned by department leadership.

Requirements

ASCP certification or equivalent.
Bachelor’s degree in chemical, biological health science, or Medical Laboratory Technology from an accredited institution, or other educational requirements stated in CLIA (42 CFR § 493.1489).
At least five years of clinical laboratory experience.
Active California Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) license. Individuals with a limited or specialty California clinical laboratory license may be considered, but may perform and supervise only testing within the scope of their licensed specialty.

Responsibilities

Supervise the daily operation of assigned laboratory section(s) as the Section Technical Supervisor/Lead.
Provide consultative services to medical staff as a Technical Consultant.
Oversee section and department performance improvement and participate in hospital interdisciplinary performance improvement initiatives.
Manage the technical and fiscal functions of assigned section(s).
Oversee section quality management and quality assurance programs.
Ensure compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
Assess staff competency and complete performance evaluations in a timely manner.
Ensure patient results are accurate before releasing or reporting them.
Develop, maintain, and update section policy and procedure manuals; ensure all laboratory policies and procedures remain current.
Review quality control performance and ensure corrective actions are documented when test systems deviate from established performance specifications.
Identify problems that may adversely affect test performance and correct them or immediately notify the Director or Medical Director.
Perform laboratory procedures using independent judgment and manual and automated methods in Hematology, Blood Bank, Chemistry, Urinalysis, Coagulation, Microbiology, Immunology, and any other laboratory discipline introduced.
Ensure equipment maintenance is performed and documented daily, weekly, monthly, or as needed.
Recognize age-specific differences in expected test results from newborns to geriatric patients.
Ensure proficiency testing samples are tested in the same manner as patient samples and that collaboration with other laboratories is prohibited before results are reported to appropriate agencies.
Follow department and hospital policies and procedures related to safety, infection control, emergency preparedness, and human resources.
May perform responsibilities related to LIS and/or POC.
Perform other tasks or responsibilities assigned by the department manager or director.