CLS Assistant, Day Shift Full Time

Adventist Health•Simi Valley, CA

About The Position

Adventist Health Simi Valley is a healthcare provider in Southern California, comprising a 144-bed hospital, home care services, and other services throughout Ventura County. The CLS Assistant performs duties primarily in support of laboratory quality control and patient specimen analysis, along with quality assurance tasks. The role operates, maintains, and performs basic troubleshooting on laboratory analyzers used for waived and moderate-complexity testing. The position collects blood specimens and interacts with patients of diverse ages and backgrounds. It receives, handles, and processes specimens; completes computerized patient registration and test-order tasks; and performs basic post-analytic work, including distributing reports and storing or retrieving specimens. The CLS Assistant also helps coordinate laboratory workflow and provides guidance to phlebotomists and lab assistants. The role follows applicable regulations, codes, policies, and procedures to protect privacy and safety and support patient care.

Requirements

High school education, GED, or equivalent is required in California; preferred in Oregon and Hawaii.
Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) or Certified Phlebotomy Technician II (CPTII) certification is required.
AHA-BLS or ARC-BLS certification is required.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or technical degree, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
Two years of relevant clinical laboratory experience.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) license.

Responsibilities

Load quality control and patient specimens onto analyzers and follow procedures that support analyzer function and accurate, precise testing.
Complete analyzer start-up and function checks according to standard protocol.
Prepare reagents and maintain analyzer on-board reagent stock.
Collect blood specimens using age-appropriate techniques, handle and transport laboratory specimens, and provide post-phlebotomy care.
Complete computerized patient registration and test-order entry, and generate collection lists or labels as appropriate.
Receive specimens, assess their acceptability, and follow protocol, including escalating issues to licensed or certified personnel when needed.
Handle and process specimens according to protocols that preserve specimen integrity.
Prepare or package specimens for transport to Adventist Health or outside reference laboratories and complete required processing steps.
Verbally communicate released or reported results; route, distribute, and retransmit results.
Store and retrieve specimens.
Operate basic pre-analytic laboratory equipment and waived- or moderate-complexity analytic laboratory equipment, escalating equipment problems according to protocol.
Perform preventive maintenance and minor troubleshooting on laboratory analyzers.
Monitor temperatures and other indicators of environmental and equipment functionality.
Maintain adequate supplies in the work area or on the phlebotomy cart.
Support laboratory workflow by monitoring pending work, escalating priority work, locating specimens, and coordinating recollections.
Maintain required records and complete basic documentation of pre-analytic, post-analytic, analytic, and quality-related work.
Provide guidance to lab assistants to promote workflow and resolve problems promptly.
Receive laboratory calls, assist callers as appropriate, or transfer calls to the appropriate section or person.
Clarify ambiguous, unclear, or duplicate test orders with customers.
Answer patients’ questions within the scope of the job and escalate questions that cannot be answered.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.